Plant Manager

Plant Manager

Conestoga Energy Partners

Liberal, Kansas

Conestoga Energy Partners is seeking a highly experienced Plant Manager with a proven track record of leading ethanol production facilities. This role is responsible for full plant operational leadership, production performance, safety excellence, and the development of front-line leadership across the facility. This position requires a leader who understands fermentation, distillation, yields, uptime, and plant optimization while building a culture of accountability, safety, and operational discipline.

• Plant Production & Operational Leadership
  • Lead all daily plant production operations to achieve throughput, yield, and efficiency targets.
  • Monitor fermentation, distillation, and overall process performance to optimize production output.
  • Drive uptime, reliability, and process consistency across all shifts.
  • Identify and implement operational improvements that enhance plant performance and reduce downtime.
  • Ensure standardized operating practices and strong shift-to-shift accountability.
• Ethanol Facility Management
  • Oversee the full operational performance of an ethanol production facility.
  • Maintain deep awareness of plant KPIs, including yield, grind rates, energy usage, and CI impacts.
  • Partner with Commercial and Corporate leadership on carbon intensity (CI) optimization and pathway management.
  • Understand operational decisions that impact CI scores and end market pathways.
• Leadership & Supervisor Development
  • Directly coach and develop Production Managers, Maintenance Managers, and shift leadership.
  • Strengthen supervisor capability in directing crews, enforcing standards, and managing performance.
  • Lead structured leadership meetings focused on accountability, problem-solving, and operational discipline.
  • Build a strong internal leadership pipeline through mentoring and succession planning.
• Safety, Environmental & Regulatory Compliance
  • Champion a world‑class safety culture and lead by example in all safety practices.
  • Ensure full compliance with OSHA, environmental permits, and company safety policies.
  • Partner closely with EHS to drive proactive safety initiatives and corrective actions.
• Maintenance & Reliability Alignment
  • Collaborate with Maintenance leadership to ensure preventive and corrective maintenance supports production uptime.
  • Balance operational demands with long‑term asset reliability strategies.
• Financial & Performance Management
  • Manage plant budgets including labor, overtime, maintenance, and operational expenses.
  • Identify cost improvement opportunities without compromising safety, reliability, or quality.
  • Drive operational efficiency and responsible resource management.
• Cross-Functional Leadership
  • Serve as the operational bridge between corporate leadership and plant operations.
  • Collaborate with HR, Safety, Lab/Quality, Procurement, Accounting, and Commercial teams.
  • Ensure clear, consistent communication across departments and across all shifts.

• Required Qualifications
  • 10+ years of experience managing or leading an ethanol production facility.
  • Proven success in plant production leadership and operational optimization.
  • Demonstrated experience managing supervisors, managers, and multi‑department teams.
  • Strong expertise in ethanol plant processes (fermentation, distillation, yields, and plant performance metrics).
  • Experience with safety, environmental, and regulatory compliance in an industrial setting.
  • Strong leadership presence, decision‑making ability, and operational accountability.
• Preferred Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, Industrial Management, or a related field.
  • Experience with carbon intensity (CI) awareness and pathway optimization.
  • Continuous improvement, Lean, or operational excellence experience in process manufacturing.

• 401(k) matching
• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance
• Wellness program
• Bonus Program

Please apply at  Complete the application and upload your resume and the job questionnaire.