Assistant Plant Manager

CHEP; Temple (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Pay & Annual Bonus

401K with Company Match

Vision, Short-Term Disability, andLife

PPE & Safety Equipment Provided

Tuition Reimbursement

Parental Leave

Job summary

CHEP is seeking an Assistant Plant Manager in Texas to lead daily production, engage the workforce, and ensure safety, quality, and efficiency across the plant floor. You will guide supervisors and hourly staff, drive continuous improvement, and back up the Plant Manager as needed in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

The role requires flexibility beyond standard hours, strong leadership skills, and a clear focus on budget, cost controls, and operational performance.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership in manufacturing environments.
• Experience guiding supervisors, team leads and hourly workforce.
• Strong track record of accountability and performance.
• Experience with production operations, workforce planning, and continuous improvement.
• Familiarity with safety, quality, environmental and compliance programs.

Responsibilities

• Ensure health and safety compliance for all employees and visitors.
• Maintain environmental compliance per guidelines and standards.
• Oversee machine operability, reliability and preventive maintenance.
• Serve as primary production floor leader, directing supervisors and hourly staff.
• Lead daily production meetings and communicate priorities.
• Foster accountability, engagement and continuous improvement across the organization.
• Provide leadership and development opportunities for frontline managers.
• Ensure compliance with procedures, work instructions, safety standards and policies.
• Manage workforce planning to meet production demands.
• Coordinate with Office Manager on payroll accuracy, inventory integrity and reporting.
• Monitor performance against safety, quality, productivity, service and cost metrics.
• Drive efficiency within budget and identify improvement opportunities.
• Collaborate with Plant Manager on safety, quality and cost performance initiatives.
• Support inventory control and adherence to inventory management standards.
• Act as backup to Plant Manager during absences.
• Understand plant financial performance, including budgets and cost controls.

Skills

Leadership

Supervisory experience

Problem solving

Organizational skills

Communication

Job description

The Assistant Plant Manager (APM) is a key operational leader responsible for driving daily production performance, workforce engagement, safety compliance, quality standards, and operational efficiency. The APM serves as the primary floor leader for the production team, providing direction to supervisors, team leads, and hourly employees while ensuring plant objectives are achieved. This role acts as the designated backup to the Plant Manager and must demonstrate strong leadership, operational agility, and financial awareness in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Work Schedule

• This is a salaried exempt position and requires flexibility to support business needs outside of standard working hours.
• Occasional early morning, evening, weekend, or off-shift support may be required to ensure operational success, employee engagement, and customer service requirements are met.

Key Responsibilities

• Ensure occupational health and safety compliance for all employees, contractors, and visitors, adhering to corporate policies and applicable legislative requirements.
• Maintain environmental compliance by working within corporate and regulatory guidelines and ensuring the facility meets all environmental standards.
• Collaborate with the maintenance team to oversee machine operability, equipment reliability, and preventative maintenance activities.
• Serve as the primary production floor leader, providing daily direction, coaching, and support to supervisors, team leads, and hourly employees.
• Lead daily production meetings, communicate operational priorities, and ensure execution of production plans.
• Foster a culture of accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement throughout the production organization.
• Provide effective leadership and direction to frontline managers, identifying training and development opportunities to strengthen team performance.
• Ensure compliance with all operational procedures, work instructions, safety standards, and company policies.
• Manage workforce planning to ensure appropriate staffing levels and skill coverage to meet production demands.
• Partner closely with the Office Manager to ensure payroll accuracy, inventory integrity, production reporting compliance, and administrative process adherence.
• Monitor and drive performance against key operational metrics including safety, quality, productivity, service, and cost.
• Ensure production processes run efficiently and effectively within budgetary constraints while identifying opportunities for improvement.
• Collaborate with the Plant Manager to drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, productivity, and cost performance.
• Support inventory control processes and ensure operational compliance with inventory management standards.
• Act as the designated backup for the Plant Manager, assuming leadership responsibilities during absences and ensuring continuity of operations.
• Demonstrate understanding of plant financial performance, including budget management, cost controls, and P&L drivers, to support sound operational decision-making.
• Adapt quickly to changing priorities and business conditions, demonstrating strong organizational and operational agility in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Preferred Qualifications & Experience

• Proven leadership experience in a manufacturing, production, distribution, or industrial environment.
• Demonstrated success leading supervisors, team leads, and hourly workforces.
• Strong track record of driving accountability and performance within a management team.
• Experience managing production operations, workforce planning, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Working knowledge of safety, quality, environmental, and operational compliance programs.
• Understanding of budget management, cost control measures, and plant financial performance metrics.
• Strong communication, problem-solving, decision-making, and organizational skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and effectively adjust priorities to meet business needs.

Skills & Knowledge

• Ability to train people and motivate a team
• Have good working knowledge of all Microsoft Office products, especially Excel
• Demonstrated solid decision making
• Ability to provide new ideas- "think outside the box"
• Willingness to work extended hours and weekends as necessary

What We Offer:

• Competitive Pay & Annual Bonus Structure
• Benefits Day 1!
• 401K w/Company match
• FREE company-paid vision, short-term disability, and life insurance!
• FREE company-provided PPE & safety equipment
• Tuition reimbursement, parental leave, childcare assistance, profit sharing, and MORE!