Plant Manager

Plant Manager – Vestis Corporation

Location: Watkinsville, GA

Employment type: Full‑time

Seniority level: Mid‑Senior

Responsible for overall execution of daily plant operation activities while ensuring cost effectiveness, timeliness, and accuracy of processing as well as high product quality and workplace safety for entire production team. Manages staff to ensure safe, standardized, and efficient environmental compliance, equipment & facility maintenance, processing of soiled products: wash and dry aisle; dryer offloading, sorting and bundling, and processing of product for storage or delivery.

Monitors production levels and proactively adjusts to ensure product output levels are met in a safe, timely, cost‑effective manner, and in line with quality standards. Builds and maintains positive working relationships with Market Center Management team and keeps them informed of plant operation issues. Leverages resources of Operation Support team as needed to address and overcome plant operation issues.

• Ensure the market center is consistent in its management and application of safety tasks and activities.
• Manage the day‑to‑day production plant operation activities at market center. Ensure processing takes place in a safe, timely, cost‑effective, and efficient manner. Activities to be managed include, but are not limited to:
  • Wastewater / Environmental Compliance
  • Facility & Equipment Maintenance
  • Receiving and soil sorting/classification
  • Wash aisle
  • Garment Finishing/Sortation
  • Allied Finishing
  • Bundling and distribution
  • Set and ensure plant operation goals are met for the efficient, timely, quality, and profitable completion of activities for a given product.
  • Supervise maintenance team to ensure safe, efficient, and cost‑effective review of equipment, energy, and wastewater processing.
  • Work with market center management, identify and implement systems and methods that will improve safety, operating efficiency consistent with operating goals and cost constraints guidelines.
• Analyze and react to production aspects of market center profit and loss (P&L) statement(s). Work with GM to proactively enhance positive results.
• Responsible for the hiring, placement, and removal of production plant operations staff within market center.

• Post‑secondary education (four‑years suggested) in Industrial and/or Mechanical Engineering/Technology, business or related discipline or equivalent business/work experience.
• Four to six years experience in a corporate production environment with management experience included.
• Proven track record of increasing responsibility with documented business results.
• Proven ability to build effective professional relationships cross‑departmentally within a market center and operations support.

• Degree in Management or Industrial/Mechanical Engineering/Technology, business or related discipline or equivalent business/work experience.
• Strong attention to detail with the ability to work within a fast‑paced environment, yet willing and able to work effectively with ambiguous circumstances.
• Experience with quality program standards such as Lean/Six Sigma, skills an asset.
• Demonstrated capability with competencies for the position.

• Facility and Maintenance – Knowledge of wastewater, facility and equipment maintenance.
• Production and Processing – Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective processing and distribution of laundry, linen, product and services.
• Customer and Personal Service – Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Personnel and Human Resources – Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.