Manager, Plant Production

Ball Aerospace; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 115,000 - 164,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual incentive plan

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Ball Corporation is seeking a Manager, Plant Production to lead and supervise plant personnel in a 24/7 operation. You will drive safety, quality, and cost-improvement initiatives while coordinating production activities across departments.

The role requires strong leadership, Lean expertise, and a focus on meeting Ball Packaging Operations standards. Ideal candidates have 4+ years in high-speed manufacturing with supervisory experience and are proficient with MS Office.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED required; Bachelor's Degree preferred
• 4+ years in high-speed manufacturing with leadership experience
• Experience in a high-volume or 24/7 manufacturing setting preferred
• Proficiency with MS Office Suite

Responsibilities

• Maintain a safe and secure work environment; lead safety meetings and inspections
• Support development and improvement of the food safety system
• Ensure safety programs and procedures are followed in production
• Direct and coordinate production activities and improvements
• Maintain process quality per Ball Packaging Operations standards
• Lead continuous improvement and Lean initiatives
• Manage relationships with the local bargaining unit and promote productivity
• Ensure SOPs are followed and environmental documentation is maintained
• Respond to urgent plant issues and provide on-call support as needed

Skills

Leadership

Safety compliance

Lean manufacturing

Continuous improvement

High-speed manufacturing

People management

Problem solving

Cross-functional collaboration

MS Office

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Bachelor's degree preferred

Tools

MS Office Suite

Job description

Company: Ball Corporation

Location: Waddell, AZ, US, 85355

Job Category: Manufacturing/ Operations

Date: Sep 10, 2026

At Ball, integrity and trust are the foundation of who we are. Guided by our core values —\"We Care. We Work. We Win.\"— we create a culture where every voice matters, and every idea drives progress.

Together with our global employees, customers, and partners, we’re turning bold sustainability goals into reality and shaping a future we can all be proud of.

Position Summary

As the Manager, Plant Production, you will provide leadership and supervision to the plant personnel and maintain direct support to all departments.This role will be supporting a 24/7 operation.

Key Responsibilities

• Responsible for maintaining a safe and secure work environment. This includes correcting unsafe acts/conditions, facilitating monthly safety meetings, performing monthly safety inspections, and investigating accidents, as required.
• Supports development, implementation, maintenance, and ongoing improvement of the food safety system.
• Responsible for the overall safety performance of the production department by ensuring safety programs and procedures are followed.
• Responsible for maintaining process quality in accordance with Ball Packaging Operations’ process and quality standards.
• Directs and coordinates the activities of the production function.
• Establishes and implements improvements for safety, quality, and cost reduction programs.
• Directs and assists with developmental or experimental production activities.
• Maintains positive relations with local bargaining unit ensuring a high level of productivity, if applicable.
• Initiates, reviews, masters, and follows all standard operating procedures (SOPs) for area of responsibility.
• Accesses, inputs, and retrieves information from the computer.
• Rsponsible for plant housekeeping.
• Establishes and maintains an employee relations climate of trust and confidence that will discourage third party interference; or establishes and maintains an employee relations climate of trust and confidence with employees, their union stewards and representatives which will promote achievement of plant and company goals.
• Establishes and maintains effective work relationships within the department, the division, the group, and the company. Includes ability to handle stress and to interact with others so as to establish and maintain a positive and productive work environment and minimize personal conflicts.

While the standard schedule for this position is Monday through Friday, operational demands may require work on weekends, extended hours, and overtime as needed. This role supports critical plant operations and requires a high degree of flexibility, including being available on-call outside of regular business hours. The successful candidate must be able to respond to urgent plant issues at any time, including evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays, and be prepared to provide support or report to the facility when required.

• Maintains an awareness and complies with hazardous waste management and other environmental management requirements in the workplace by attending scheduled training sessions.
• Communicates with the emergency coordinator (EC) or Environmental Focal Point/Environmental Manager (EFP/EM) regarding environmental management activities.
• Understands and responds effectively to EC directions during emergencies by being familiar with emergency procedures, equipment, and systems, as necessary. Implements contingency plan to the level required by the position.
• Understands, completes, and maintains environmental documentation for which the individual is trained, or as directed by the EC, EFP, or EM (i.e., inspections, labeling, record keeping, maintenance of equipment, etc.). Reports to the EC, EFP, or EM on the status of assigned responsibilities.
• Complies with established job safety practices, policies and procedures as specified in plant and corporate directives for the safe performance of the work assignment.
• Recognizes waste streams and minimizes waste generation, through prudent use of materials, proper disposal and segregation as directed during training or by the EC, EFP/EM. Understands and practices proper accumulation and storage requirements for wastes.
• Complies with environmental regulations when using, dispensing, or handling hazardous and non-hazardous materials and wastes.

Professional & Education Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED required; Bachelor's Degree preferred
• 4+ years of experience in high-speed manufacturing, including 4+ years in a leadership or supervisory role within an industrial environment.
• Previous experience in a high volume manufacturing or 24/7 manufacturing setting preferred
• Can manufacturing experience preferred
• Proficiency with standard office software (such as MS Office Suite: Excel, Word, Outlook).

Skills and Knowledge

• Ability to apply intensive and diversified evaluation, selection, and substantial adaptation and modification of standard plant production techniques, procedures, and criteria.
• Must be able to handle sensitive related and proprietary information in a confidential manner.
• Performs such individual assignments as management may direct.
• Must follow company policies, procedures, practices, and standards of conduct as outlined in the Ball Corporation manuals.
• Ability to negotiate with customers to promote or sell ideas or concepts.
• Must maintain professional competence, ethical integrity, knowledge, and skills.
• Working knowledge of the following areas: production principles, practices, nomenclature, and procedures; company policies, procedures, and products; generally accepted managerial practices and procedures; business principles, legal practices, customer needs and expectations, and Ball Packaging Operations’ quality standards.

Demonstrated experience leading continuous improvement initiatives and applying Lean manufacturing principles.

Proven ability to develop, coach, and grow frontline leaders and production teams.

• Expected Hiring Salary Range:$115,000 - $164,300 (Salary to be determined by the applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.)
• This role will be eligible to participate in the annual incentive compensation plan.
• Please visit our \"Total Rewards\" page to learn more about Ball’s comprehensive benefits structure.
• Onsite Work Environment:This requires regular in-person engagement by working on-site. Travel and local commute between Ball locations and other possible non-Ball locations may be required.
• Relocation may be available .

Ball Corporation is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We actively encourage applications from everybody. All qualified job applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin, aboriginality, genetic information, ancestry, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, veteran status, age, political affiliation or any other non-merit characteristic.

Please note the advertised job title might vary from the job title on the contract due to local job title structure and global HR systems.

• Under Colorado, California, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania law, you have the right to exclude or redact age-related details—such as your date of birth, school attendance dates, or graduation dates—from your resume, cover letter, CV, or other supporting documents (e.g., transcripts, certificates).
• Legal authorization to work in the U.S. We will not sponsor individuals for employment visa, now or in the future, for this job opening.

This position will be posted internally for a minimum of 3 days and will remain open until filled or adjusted based on the volume of applicants.