General Manager West Chicago

Department: Office

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: West Chicago, IL

Reporting To: Vice President of Operations

The General Manager is responsible for the overall operation and day‑to‑day running of the facility, including safety, quality, cost, staffing and profitability. The GM will set strategic direction as well as be a hands‑on leader involved in day‑to‑day operations to plan, direct and drive growth of the West Chicago facility and support the sales team. Ultimately responsible for ensuring safe and profitable operations, quality products and exceptional service to customers, this position oversees the Plant Manager, Office Manager Customer Service, and Warehouse Supervisor.

Ideal candidates need to bring strong leadership, manufacturing expertise, and a passion for continuous improvement, safety and quality, and strong customer service. This position requires strong analytical ability, hands‑on problem solving, and experience applying continuous improvement, and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and lean principles.

• Leads and drives plant safety culture and puts safety first in all responsibilities.
• Work with Dept Managers proactively and cross‑functionally identify and solve problems, drive new best practices, and improve the productivity, profitability, quality and customer service levels of AEC’s operations.
• Full P&L responsibility of the West Chicago site, managing expense budgets to achieve operational and financial targets.
• Collaborate with the sales team to meet sales goals, competition, quality and on‑time delivery.
• Promote a people‑first culture throughout the plant.
• Develop and achieve budget objectives, product cost, safety, continuous improvement and quality objectives.
• Reviews capital investments in plant buildings / equipment and formulates recommendations.
• Improves the company’s customer satisfaction, processes, KPI's.
• Implement automation through continuous improvements programs and operations with Lean initiatives.
• Responsible for customer interface, relationships, and product quality on all programs.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor’s degree in Operations, Business Management, or related fields.
• Minimum 5+ years’ experience in related fields.
• Prior experience as Plant Manager or General Manager running manufacturing facilities.
• Experience in a Job Shop manufacturing environment.
• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen, 5S, and Value Stream Mapping.
• Hands‑on experience with process validation, time studies, and failure mode effects analysis (FMEA) preferred.
• Familiarity with material flow, inventory management, material handling, equipment layout, bottleneck identification, and workstation readiness.
• Demonstrated passion for safety and demonstrated safety leadership.
• Proven ability to lead and drive continuous improvement.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• ERP system experience and Microsoft Office fluency is required.

• Competitive PTO
• 401(k) Match
• Health, Life, Dental, and Vision insurance
• Flexible Spending Account
• On‑the‑job training
• Opportunities for advancement
• Employee Assistance Program
• Referral Program
• Employee Discount Program
• Financial Wellness Program