General Manager

Ulticoat; Green Bay (WI); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) match

Insurance: health/dental/vision

HSA

Life & Disability insurance

PTO

Referral program

Job summary

UltiCoat in Green Bay, WI seeks a General Manager to lead its operations, aligning production, quality, sales support, and customer service with safety and financial targets. You will drive continuous improvement, manage budgets, and partner with executive leadership to deliver sustainable growth.

The role requires a hands-on leader able to translate strategy into KPIs, coach managers, and foster accountability across multiple functions while maintaining strong customer relationships and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, operations, manufacturing, engineering, or a related field.
• 7+ years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing, industrial finishing, metal finishing, aerospace, defense, or a related industry.
• Proven experience leading managers, supervisors, production teams, and multi-site or complex operations.
• Strong knowledge of production planning, operational metrics, quality systems, financial management, and P&L responsibility.
• Experience with regulated manufacturing and AS9100, NADCAP, ISO, or similar quality systems strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of OSHA requirements and industrial safety practices.
• Strong communication, judgment, problem-solving, data-analysis, and change-leadership skills.
• Experience with Lean, Six Sigma, 5S, or related continuous-improvement methods preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead UltiCoat’s Green Bay, WI operations and translate division goals into clear departmental priorities, KPIs, and accountability.
• Partner with executive leadership on strategy, budgets, growth plans, capital priorities, and organizational development.
• Develop managers and supervisors; reinforce ownership, teamwork, professionalism, and timely decision-making.
• Represent UltiCoat with employees, customers, suppliers, auditors, and business partners.
• Oversee daily operations across facilities, aligning production schedules, staffing, equipment, materials, and customer requirements.
• Monitor throughput, labor utilization, overtime, scrap, rework, equipment downtime, and on-time delivery.
• Remove bottlenecks and improve workflow, capacity, facility utilization, and coordination among production, quality, sales, purchasing, and customer service.
• Use Lean, 5S, root-cause analysis, and other practical improvement methods to reduce waste and increase productivity.
• Develop contingency plans for staffing, equipment, supply-chain, and production interruptions.
• Maintain strong safety and quality cultures throughout the organization.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA, environmental and hazardous-material regulations, customer specifications, certifications and other applicable requirements.
• Partner with Quality, HR, and Safety leaders on audits, training, incident investigations, corrective actions, and hazard reduction.
• Reduce defects, rework, complaints, nonconformances while reinforcing documented procedures and quality at the source.
• Hold teams accountable for PPE, chemical handling, equipment operation, housekeeping, and safe work practices.
• Own the division’s financial performance and develop and manage the annual operating budget in partnership with executive leadership.
• Monitor revenue, margins, labor, overtime, materials, waste, scrap, rework, and operating expenses.
• Make informed staffing, scheduling, capital, and resource-allocation decisions based on financial and operational data.
• Implement cost and margin improvements without compromising safety, quality, or customer service.
• Maintain strong relationships with key customers and participate in meetings, reviews, visits, and escalations.
• Partner with Sales and Business Development to evaluate new opportunities and confirm they can be quoted, scheduled, produced, and delivered successfully.
• Align operational capability with customer commitments and changing market needs.
• Lead recruitment, retention, performance management, compensation, and workforce planning in collaboration with HR.
• Set clear expectations, address performance concerns promptly, recognize strong contributions, and support cross-training and employee development.
• Oversee effective use and maintenance of facilities, equipment, and infrastructure; minimize downtime and support scalable operations.
• Develop and evaluate capital-expenditure, equipment-upgrade, and facility-improvement planning and recommendations.
• Success will be measured through revenue, profitability, safety, on-time delivery, quality, customer satisfaction, and employee development.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Problem-solving

Data analysis

Change leadership

Lean

Six Sigma

5S

Education

Bachelor's degree in business/operations/engineering

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

Job description

Executive / Operations | Reports to CEO | Full-Time | Exempt | Green Bay, WI

Position Summary

The General Manager provides overall leadership for UltiCoat's Green Bay, WI operations and is accountable for safety, quality, customer satisfaction, financial performance, and sustainable growth. This hands‑on leader directs production, quality, sales support, customer service, maintenance, and administrative functions while developing an accountable, high‑performing team.

Working closely with the CEO, CFO and division leadership team, the General Manager turns business objectives into measurable results and ensures compliance with customer, regulatory, environmental, and workplace‑safety requirements.

Leadership & Business Management

• Lead UltiCoat’s Green Bay, WI operations and translate division goals into clear departmental priorities, KPIs, and accountability.
• Partner with executive leadership on strategy, budgets, growth plans, capital priorities, and organizational development.
• Develop managers and supervisors; reinforce ownership, teamwork, professionalism, and timely decision‑making.
• Represent UltiCoat with employees, customers, suppliers, auditors, and business partners.

Operations & Continuous Improvement

• Oversee daily operations across facilities, aligning production schedules, staffing, equipment, materials, and customer requirements.
• Monitor throughput, labor utilization, overtime, scrap, rework, equipment downtime, and on‑time delivery.
• Remove bottlenecks and improve workflow, capacity, facility utilization, and coordination among production, quality, sales, purchasing, and customer service.
• Use Lean, 5S, root‑cause analysis, and other practical improvement methods to reduce waste and increase productivity.
• Develop contingency plans for staffing, equipment, supply‑chain, and production interruptions.

Quality, Safety & Compliance

• Maintain strong safety and quality cultures throughout the organization.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA, environmental and hazardous‑material regulations, customer specifications, certifications and other applicable requirements.
• Partner with Quality, HR, and Safety leaders on audits, training, incident investigations, corrective actions, and hazard reduction.
• Reduce defects, rework, complaints, and nonconformances while reinforcing documented procedures and quality at the source.
• Hold teams accountable for PPE, chemical handling, equipment operation, housekeeping, and safe work practices.
• Own the division’s financial performance and develop and manage the annual operating budget in partnership with executive leadership.
• Monitor revenue, margins, labor, overtime, materials, waste, scrap, rework, and operating expenses.
• Make informed staffing, scheduling, capital, and resource‑allocation decisions based on financial and operational data.
• Implement cost and margin improvements without compromising safety, quality, or customer service.
• Maintain strong relationships with key customers and participate in meetings, reviews, visits, and escalations.
• Partner with Sales and Business Development to evaluate new opportunities and confirm they can be quoted, scheduled, produced, and delivered successfully.
• Align operational capability with customer commitments and changing market needs.

People, Facilities & Capital Planning

• Partner with Human Resources on recruiting, retention, employee relations, performance management, compensation, training, succession, and workforce planning.
• Set clear expectations, address performance concerns promptly, recognize strong contributions, and support cross‑training and employee development.
• Oversee effective use and maintenance of facilities, equipment, and infrastructure; minimize downtime and support scalable operations.
• Develop and evaluate capital‑expenditure, equipment‑upgrade, and facility‑improvement planning and recommendations.

Key Performance Indicators

Success will be measured through:

• Revenue, profitability, cost control, and budget performance
• Safety performance and regulatory compliance
• On‑time delivery, throughput, productivity, labor utilization, and overtime
• Quality, scrap, rework, complaints, nonconformances, and audit results
• Customer satisfaction, retention, and growth
• Employee retention, development, accountability, and leadership effectiveness
• Continuous‑improvement and capital‑project results

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, operations, manufacturing, engineering, or a related field preferred.
• Seven or more years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing, industrial finishing, metal finishing, aerospace, defense, or a related industry.
• Proven experience leading managers, supervisors, production teams, and multi‑site or complex operations.
• Strong knowledge of production planning, operational metrics, quality systems, financial management, and P&L responsibility.
• Experience with regulated manufacturing and AS9100, NADCAP, ISO, or similar quality systems strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of OSHA requirements and industrial safety practices.
• Strong communication, judgment, problem‑solving, data‑analysis, and change‑leadership skills.
• Experience with Lean, Six Sigma, 5S, or related continuous‑improvement methods preferred.

Preferred Industry Experience

• Industrial wet painting; powder coating; anodizing; chem film; preprocessing or surface preparation; aerospace or defense manufacturing
• High‑mix/low‑volume or job‑shop manufacturing; ERP/MRP systems; customer and supplier management

Leadership Profile

The successful candidate is a strategic, accountable, and ethical leader who communicates clearly, makes timely fact‑based decisions, develops people, stays close to day‑to‑day operations, and continuously improves safety, quality, service, productivity, and profitability.

UltiCoat offers a competitive compensation and benefits package, including:

• 401(k) with company matching and profit sharing
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Health savings account (HSA)
• Employer‑paid life insurance and disability insurance
• Paid time off and paid sick time available immediately
• Employee referral program - earn up to $600

Work Schedule

This position generally follows UltiCoat’s Green Bay, WI office schedule, consisting of nine‑hour days Monday through Thursday and four hours on Friday mornings. Specific start and end times may vary based on business and operational needs. As a leadership position, additional hours may occasionally be required.

Work Environment & Physical Requirements

This role works primarily in an industrial manufacturing and finishing environment and requires regular presence on the production floor. Conditions may include industrial equipment, chemicals, coatings, noise, heat, dust, and required PPE. Regular travel between UltiCoat facilities and occasional customer or supplier travel may be required.

• Ability to walk, stand, and safely navigate production areas; wear required PPE; communicate effectively in manufacturing environments; and occasionally lift or move materials consistent with normal management activities.

UltiCoat is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, experience, performance, business needs, and other lawful considerations without regard to legally protected characteristics.

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply