General Manager, Manufacturing Operations

LHH Recruitment Solutions; Texas; On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

LHH Recruitment Solutions seeks a General Manager for a large, multi-shift manufacturing operation in Texas. The role reports to the Executive Vice President and requires balancing hands-on leadership with strategic business oversight to drive safety, quality, and productivity across the site.

The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in heavy industrial manufacturing, Lean/Six Sigma, and capital project execution, with a track record of delivering sustainable improvements and strong

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, business, or related field; MBA preferred.
• 10+ years of leadership in heavy industrial manufacturing.
• Proven track record in safety, quality, delivery, and cost improvements.
• Experience implementing Lean, Six Sigma, or similar methodologies.
• Experience guiding large-scale manufacturing operations with union labor.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership for the manufacturing operation and drive strategic objectives.
• Develop and execute business & operational plans; set performance expectations.
• Deliver safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, and profitability goals.
• Lead cross-functional teams across manufacturing, engineering, maintenance, and supply chain.
• Manage capital budgets and drive productivity improvements and cost reductions.
• Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Engage with customers, suppliers and executive leadership to align priorities.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Operations management

Lean manufacturing

Six Sigma

Cross-functional leadership

Budgeting / financial acumen

Labor relations

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering / Business / Operations

MBA preferred

Job description

General Manager, Manufacturing Operations

Duration- Full Time, Permanent

Reports To: Executive Vice President

Our client is a well-established, privately held North American manufacturer seeking an accomplished General Manager to lead a large, complex, multi-shift manufacturing operation in Texas. Renowned for its commitment to safety, product quality, customer service, operational excellence, and continuous improvement, the organization has earned a longstanding reputation as a leader within its industry.

This highly visible leadership opportunity is ideal for a hands-on manufacturing executive who can effectively balance strategic business leadership with disciplined operational execution. The successful candidate will possess the operational expertise, leadership presence, and stakeholder management capabilities required to drive performance, strengthen organizational alignment, and foster strong relationships across the workforce, executive leadership team, customers, suppliers, and key business partners.

Key Responsibilities

Business and Operational Leadership:

• Provide overall leadership and direction for the manufacturing operation.
• Develop and execute business and operational strategies aligned with organizational objectives.
• Establish clear performance expectations and maintain accountability for results.
• Deliver against goals related to safety, environmental performance, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, customer service, profitability, and growth.
• Translate broader business strategy into clear site-level priorities, measurable objectives, and disciplined execution plans.

Manufacturing Excellence:

• Lead manufacturing, engineering, maintenance, supply chain, inventory, logistics, and workforce resources.
• Align plant capacity and operational capabilities with customer demand and long-term business priorities.
• Strengthen operational performance through Lean Manufacturing, structured problem-solving, and effective performance-management processes.
• Champion continuous improvement initiatives across manufacturing and supporting functions.
• Maintain accountability for regulatory compliance and operational excellence.

Financial and Capital Management:

• Lead the development and execution of operating and capital budgets.
• Drive productivity improvements, cost-reduction initiatives, and strategic investments.
• Evaluate operational trade-offs and allocate resources to improve profitability and sustainable performance.
• Develop capital priorities that support capacity, modernization, reliability, and long-term growth.
• Maintain a strong understanding of manufacturing economics and the financial drivers of the business.

People and Organizational Leadership:

• Lead, coach, and develop the senior management team across key functional areas.
• Build organizational capability through workforce planning, succession planning, coaching, and leadership development.
• Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork, respect, trust, communication, and employee involvement.
• Strengthen engagement across a large, multi-shift workforce.
• Maintain constructive employee and labor relations within a represented work environment.
• Create clear alignment between executive leadership, functional leaders, frontline supervisors, and employees.

Customer and Stakeholder Engagement:

• Build effective relationships with customers, suppliers, corporate leadership, and other key stakeholders.
• Partner with commercial teams to support customer satisfaction, service excellence, and business growth.
• Ensure that operating priorities remain aligned with customer requirements.
• Communicate performance, challenges, priorities, and improvement plans effectively to senior leadership.

Strategic Initiatives:

• Lead cross-functional initiatives related to capacity expansion, capital investment, technology advancement, process improvement, and organizational development.
• Identify opportunities to improve plant reliability, productivity, cost competitiveness, and customer responsiveness.
• Guide the organization through change while maintaining operational continuity and workforce engagement.
• Build the systems, processes, and leadership capability required for sustainable business growth.

Candidate Profile

• The successful candidate will be a seasoned manufacturing executive with the presence, operational knowledge, and business acumen required to lead a large industrial operation.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business Administration, Operations Management, or a related discipline required; an equivalent combination of education and significant relevant experience may also be considered.
• An MBA or advanced degree is preferred.
• At least 10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience in a world-class or heavy industrial manufacturing environment.
• At least five years of experience in a senior supervisory, functional, plant, or business leadership position.
• Demonstrated record of improving safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, customer service, and overall operating performance.
• Experience implementing Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, continuous improvement, or comparable operational-excellence methodologies.
• Experience leading large-scale industrial manufacturing operations strongly preferred.
• Exposure to metal manufacturing, foundry operations, fabrication, machining, or a related heavy industrial process would be particularly valuable.
• Experience working with represented employees and managing labor relations in a union environment preferred.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• Strong strategic and operational leadership.
• Sound business and financial acumen.
• Credibility in a heavy industrial manufacturing environment.
• Managerial courage and a willingness to challenge the status quo.
• A hands-on, visible, and execution-oriented leadership style.
• Strong analytical and structured problem-solving capabilities.
• Fact-based decision-making and performance discipline.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder-management skills.
• The ability to influence, coach, mentor, and develop leaders.
• A demonstrated commitment to safety, quality, accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• The capacity to manage competing priorities across multiple functional disciplines.
• An effective approach to organizational change and labor relations .

Why Consider This Opportunity?

This position offers an accomplished manufacturing executive the opportunity to:

• Lead a significant and complex heavy industrial manufacturing operation.
• Assume broad accountability across operations, finance, people, customers, and strategy.
• Partner directly with divisional executive leadership.
• Build upon an established operational foundation while advancing continuous improvement.
• Develop and strengthen an experienced cross-functional leadership team.
• Influence capital investment, technology advancement, capacity, and long-term growth.
• Join a stable organization with a strong commitment to manufacturing excellence and leadership development.

LHH is a division of the Adecco Group and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), reasonable accommodations are available upon request for candidates participating in the hiring process.

To review our Candidate Privacy Information Statement, please visit: https://www.lhh.com/us/en/candidate-privacy

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.