Plant deputy​/Operations Head – Automotive

Plant Deputy / Operations Head– Automotive interior systems
Tier-1 Automotive Supplier | European Group | Growing North American Operations
Location

This opportunity is based at a manufacturing site located in Kentucky, within commuting distance of several established industrial and automotive hubs, including London, Somerset, Williamsburg, Barbourville, Mount Vernon, Richmond and Berea in Kentucky, as well as Knoxville and Oak Ridge in Tennessee.

Our client is a well-established European Tier-1 automotive supplier, recognized globally for delivering engineered interior modules & solutions to major OEM customers. With continued growth across North America and increasing production activity, the organization is reinforcing its leadership structure at one of its key U.S. manufacturing sites.

Recently, a new Plant General Manager joined the site with a mandate to strengthen performance, reinforce operational discipline, and build a strong leadership structure capable of supporting the plant’s long-term ambitions. As part of this evolution, the organization is now seeking a Plant Operations Manager who will play a central role in supporting this transformation and contributing to the development of a robust and sustainable operating model.

Working in close alignment with the Plant General Manager, this position operates at the core of plant activity. You will act as a trusted operational partner, supporting daily execution while helping translate operational objectives into consistent and reliable performance across production, maintenance, logistics, engineering, and quality functions.

This role is positioned as a key leadership support function within the plant. It requires the ability to step into broader operational responsibilities when needed, ensuring continuity across the site and maintaining stability during periods of high activity or decision-making.

You will be actively involved in sustaining performance across quality, cost, delivery, and productivity objectives, while contributing to the ongoing development of operational discipline and continuous improvement practices. The role also provides broad exposure to industrialization activities, production readiness, and improvement initiatives, offering a comprehensive understanding of how the plant functions as an integrated system.

Within this evolving organizational structure, the selected individual will gain meaningful exposure to plant-level decision-making and leadership coordination. The role offers the opportunity to progressively strengthen influence across departments and to become a key point of reference within the operational leadership team.

This position is particularly suited to individuals who already operate at a senior operational level and who are accustomed to working closely with plant leadership. It is a role that requires both technical understanding and leadership presence, with the expectation that the selected individual will act as a reliable and capable partner to the Plant General Manager.

The ideal candidate will be comfortable navigating complex manufacturing environments and balancing daily operational execution with longer‑term improvement initiatives. Experience across multiple functional areas — such as production, maintenance, logistics, engineering, or quality — will be highly valuable, as this role requires a broad and integrated view of plant operations.

Exposure to Lean Manufacturing environments and continuous improvement initiatives is essential, as the organization continues to focus on strengthening operational performance and reliability across the site.