Our client, a global leader in medical product sterilization and highly regulated healthcare services, is seeking a General Manager to lead its Ontario, California facility.
This is the senior site leadership role with responsibility for overall operations, people, safety, quality, regulatory compliance, customer service, continuous improvement, and financial performance. The facility operates in a technically complex, highly regulated environment utilizing Ethylene Oxide (EO) sterilization technology.
The ideal candidate is a hands-on operations leader who can run a complex facility while building a strong culture of accountability, engagement, safety, and continuous improvement.
Compensation
- Base Salary: Target range of $180,000–$210,000
- Annual Incentive: 20% target bonus
- Long-Term Incentive Plan (LTIP): Approximately $35,000 annually
- Full benefits package
- Relocation support may be available for qualified candidates
The organization is primarily targeting the $180K–$190K base range for Ontario, with limited flexibility for exceptional candidates. Pasted text
Key Responsibilities
- Provide overall leadership and strategic direction for the Ontario facility.
- Lead cross-functional teams across Operations, Maintenance, Quality, EHS/Safety, Logistics, Customer Service, and Training.
- Drive operational performance across safety, quality, productivity, capacity, customer service, cost, and delivery.
- Develop, coach, and hold managers accountable while building a high-performing and engaged culture.
- Serve as a visible, hands-on leader across the operation and maintain strong relationships with employees across shifts.
- Handle employee-relations matters with sound judgment and partner with HR when escalation is appropriate.
- Maintain accountability for financial performance, including budgets, labor, operating expenses, capital expenditures, and P&L performance.
- Lead Lean, Six Sigma, Operational Excellence, Kaizen, and other continuous-improvement initiatives.
- Ensure compliance with applicable FDA, OSHA, environmental, quality, and company requirements.
- Maintain strong relationships with key customers and resolve escalated operational or service issues.
- Partner with regional and corporate leaders across Operations, HR, Quality, Engineering, EHS, Finance, and Commercial teams.
- Support site planning related to staffing, capacity, capital investment, equipment reliability, and long-term growth.
- Maintain leadership visibility within a 24/7 operating environment.
Qualifications
- 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing, operations, medical products, healthcare, life sciences, or another technical/highly regulated environment.
- 5+ years of management experience, including demonstrated success leading managers and multiple functions.
- Prior leadership at this level is important; this position is best suited for an experienced operations leader rather than someone entering their first senior site-leadership role.
- Strong people-management skills with demonstrated success developing leaders, managing performance, resolving employee issues, and building culture.
- Ability to combine a data-driven operating approach with strong people judgment.
- Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Lean Six Sigma, Operational Excellence, Kaizen, or similar continuous-improvement methodologies.
- Strong financial and business acumen with experience managing budgets, operating metrics, labor, capital, and preferably P&L responsibility.
- Experience with quality systems, regulatory compliance, safety, audits, and operational KPIs.
- Experience in medical device, pharmaceutical, healthcare, sterilization, FDA-regulated, chemical, aerospace, or another compliance-intensive manufacturing environment strongly preferred.
- Previous General Manager title is not required; experienced Plant Managers, Site Leaders, Directors of Operations, Manufacturing Directors, and senior operations leaders may be considered.
- Bachelor's degree preferred in Engineering, Operations Management, Business, Life Sciences, or a related discipline. Equivalent professional experience may also be considered.
- MBA or advanced degree is a plus.
- Direct Ethylene Oxide (EO) or sterilization experience is desirable but not required. The organization places greater emphasis on operations leadership, people leadership, judgment, and experience working in complex regulated environments. Pasted text
- Must demonstrate strong work ethic, integrity, ethics, resilience, ownership, curiosity, and sound decision-making.
EO Site Requirements
Candidates must be medically approved for respirator use and able to tolerate elevated temperature and humidity conditions as required by the facility.
Why Join
This is an opportunity to lead a critical operation supporting the medical-products industry while having direct influence over site culture, people development, operational performance, customer service, safety, and financial results.
The organization offers strong career stability, long employee tenure, meaningful leadership visibility, and the opportunity to work in an essential industry with significant impact.