Midland Plant Leader

DuPont; Midland, Northern (MI, KY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

DuPont Midland seeks a Plant Leader to drive safe, reliable, and cost-effective operations for the Automotive Adhesives & Fluids site. Leading ~125 employees, you will translate business strategy into daily performance, build leadership capability, and foster a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.

The role requires a growth-minded change leader who partners with cross-functional teams to meet customer requirements, optimize costs, and deliver sustained plant performance

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of manufacturing leadership experience across Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Maintenance, Reliability, Technology, Quality, Finance, HR, EHS, or Continuous Improvement disciplines.
• Minimum 5 years people leadership experience; experience leading leaders preferred.
• Demonstrated success leading plant performance improvement programs and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Proven experience applying Lean Manufacturing, Operational Excellence, Daily Management, and structured problem-solving methodologies.
• Experience working in labor union or works council environments preferred where applicable.
• Lean and/or Six Sigma certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead Safe, Reliable, Customer-Focused Operations and establish performance expectations for safety, quality, delivery, inventory, productivity, cost, and compliance.
• Drive Lean Manufacturing and Operational Excellence through daily management and standard work systems.
• Promote structured problem solving to identify root causes and eliminate recurring issues.
• Champion continuous improvement through Kaizen activities, value stream mapping, 5S, and operating rhythm disciplines.
• Lead from the Gemba by engaging employees and coaching leaders to sustain performance improvements.
• Develop leaders and talent with coaching, feedback, and succession planning.
• Connect operations to customers by aligning resources with growth, reliability, and service objectives.
• Deliver financial and business results with disciplined cost control and asset utilization.

Skills

Lean Manufacturing

Operational Excellence

Daily Management

Problem Solving

Growth Mindset

Financial Acumen

Leadership

Collaboration

Change Leadership

People Development

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Sciences/Manufacturing/Business

Job description

The Midland Plant Leader serves as the senior leader of DuPont's Automotive Adhesives & Fluids manufacturing operation in Midland, with overall responsibility for the safe, reliable, and efficient performance of the site. This highly visible role provides the opportunity to shape the strategic direction of the facility, drive operational excellence, and build a culture centered on safety, accountability, continuous improvement, and employee engagement across a complex manufacturing environment. Leading a team of approximately 125 employees, the Midland Plant Leader is accountable for translating business strategy into operational results while developing organizational capability and fostering a high-performing workforce. The successful candidate will champion DuPont's values, drive sustainable growth and productivity, and ensure the site consistently delivers on its commitments to customers, employees, and shareholders. This is an exceptional opportunity to make a lasting impact on both the business and the future of the Midland operation.Job Description:Plant Leader is an experienced manufacturing leader accountable for delivering safe, reliable, customer-focused, and cost-effective plant performance while building a culture that grows and improves every day. This leader aligns plant priorities with business strategy and customer requirements, establishes disciplined operating systems, develops strong teams and leaders, and drives continuous improvement through lean manufacturing principles.Key ResponsibilitiesLead Safe, Reliable, Customer-Focused OperationsEstablish clear expectations for Safety, Quality, Delivery, Inventory, Productivity, Cost, and Compliance performance.Ensure operational risks are identified, understood, and managed through strong operating discipline.Build an organization that consistently delivers reliable supply and superior customer outcomes.Create accountability for achieving business commitments while maintaining high standards of safety and quality.Drive Lean Manufacturing and Operational ExcellenceLead deployment and sustainment of lean manufacturing principles throughout the site.Establish Daily Management systems including visual performance boards, tiered accountability meetings, leader standard work, standard work, and action tracking.Promote use of structured problem-solving methods to identify root causes and eliminate recurring issues.Drive waste elimination, variation reduction, improved flow, higher productivity, and better customer responsiveness.Champion continuous improvement efforts including Kaizen activities, value stream improvement, 5S, and operating rhythm disciplines.Lead From the GembaSpend significant time where work is performed to understand performance challenges and opportunities.Engage employees directly to understand barriers, surface problems, and improve processes.Coach leaders to identify abnormalities early, solve problems at the source, and sustain performance improvements.Reinforce standard work, operating discipline, and accountability through visible leadership.Build a Growth Mindset CultureFoster an environment where employees challenge the status quo and seek better ways of working.Encourage experimentation, learning, innovation, and continuous development.Treat problems as opportunities to improve systems, processes, and capabilities.Recognize and reward learning, teamwork, improvement efforts, and business results.Build resilience and adaptability to succeed in a dynamic manufacturing environment.Develop Leaders and TalentHire, retain, coach, and develop a diverse pipeline of manufacturing talent.Strengthen leadership capability through coaching, feedback, development planning, and succession management.Create an inclusive environment where employees feel respected, engaged, and empowered to contribute.Hold leaders accountable for both business performance and leadership behaviors.Build organizational capability in lean manufacturing, problem solving, and customer-focused decision making.Connect Operations to Customers and Business GrowthPartner closely with Business, Commercial, Supply Chain, Technology, Engineering, Quality, Finance, EHS, HR, and Operational Excellence leaders.Understand customer requirements and market needs and translate them into operational priorities.Align plant resources and improvement efforts to support growth, reliability, service, margin improvement, and value creation.Build strong relationships with customers and stakeholders while representing the site and company professionally.Deliver Financial and Business ResultsEstablish financial rigor and accountability to deliver business commitments.Optimize cost, productivity, working capital, asset utilization, waste reduction, and reliability performance.Make disciplined decisions that balance short-term execution with long-term value creation.Use performance metrics and data to prioritize opportunities and improve results.Lead Change and TransformationCommunicate business strategy and operational priorities with clarity.Lead organizational change with discipline, transparency, and employee engagement.Create alignment across functions and levels of the organization.Ensure new ways of working become embedded and sustained over time.Critical Skills & BehaviorsVisible lean leader and coach who develops capability through teaching and mentoring.Strong practitioner of Daily Management, visual management, standard work, and leader standard work.Expert problem solver who applies data-driven decision making and root-cause analysis.Growth mindset leader who encourages learning, adaptability, innovation, and continuous improvement.Customer-focused business partner who connects plant performance to customer outcomes.Strong financial and operational acumen.Collaborative leader able to influence across functions and levels.Inclusive people leader who develops talent and builds engagement.Change leader who can drive transformation while sustaining performance.Role model for DuPont's Core Values.QualificationsMinimum 10 years of manufacturing leadership experience across Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Maintenance, Reliability, Technology, Quality, Finance, HR, EHS, or Continuous Improvement disciplines.Minimum 5 years people leadership experience; experience leading leaders preferred.Demonstrated success leading plant performance improvement programs and continuous improvement initiatives.Proven experience applying Lean Manufacturing, Operational Excellence, Daily Management, and structured problem-solving methodologies.Experience working in labor union or works council environments preferred where applicable.Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Sciences, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Business, Finance, or related discipline preferred.Lean and/or Six Sigma certification preferred