Plant Manager

Location:

Kalamazoo, MI | On-site

Compensation: ~$200K Base + Bonus

A growing manufacturing organization is seeking an experienced Plant Manager to lead and help scale a specialized manufacturing operation. This is an opportunity for a hands‑on manufacturing leader who enjoys more than maintaining an established operation. The Plant Manager will have meaningful influence over how the facility evolves, including its production processes, operating systems, workforce development, continuous improvement initiatives, and overall manufacturing strategy.

The ideal candidate combines strong day-to-day operational leadership with the ability to think strategically, build structure, and prepare an organization for significant growth.

• Lead day‑to‑day plant operations with accountability for safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, and workforce performance.
• Establish and continuously improve production processes, workflows, operating procedures, and performance standards.
• Drive Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives to improve throughput, cycle time, labor efficiency, quality, and overall operational performance.
• Develop and manage plant KPIs and use production data to identify opportunities and drive accountability.
• Oversee production planning, scheduling, capacity planning, resource allocation, and bottleneck resolution.
• Lead root‑cause analysis and corrective actions to address operational and quality issues.
• Support the evaluation and implementation of manufacturing equipment, technology, and automation as the operation grows.
• Utilize ERP/MES and other manufacturing systems to improve production visibility, planning, and decision‑making.
• Recruit, coach, develop, and lead the manufacturing organization as production volume and headcount increase.
• Establish scalable work instructions, process documentation, quality controls, and visual management systems.
• Partner closely with engineering, quality, supply chain, commercial, and other functions to support new product introductions and operational growth.

• 10+ years of manufacturing experience, including 5+ years in plant, production, or operations leadership.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing manufacturing teams in a hands‑on production environment.
• Background in electrical, electromechanical, engineered‑product, or similar assembly manufacturing strongly preferred.
• Experience launching, scaling, transforming, or significantly improving a manufacturing operation, production line, or facility.
• Strong understanding of production flow, labor management, quality, equipment, capacity planning, and operational KPIs.
• Demonstrated Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement experience.
• Experience working with ERP, MES, or similar manufacturing systems.
• Ability to use operational data and metrics to identify problems, establish priorities, and drive measurable improvements.
• Strong people leadership skills with experience developing supervisors, production leaders, and frontline employees.
• A hands‑on, player‑coach leadership style with the ability to operate effectively in a growing and evolving environment.

This position provides the opportunity to have a meaningful impact on the future of a growing manufacturing operation. Rather than simply inheriting established processes, the Plant Manager will help determine how the operation evolves and scales—strengthening processes, developing the team, improving systems, increasing operational discipline, and building the infrastructure necessary to support future growth. It is an opportunity for a manufacturing leader who enjoys building, improving, and scaling operations and wants the ability to directly influence the direction and performance of a plant.