Plant Director

Donaldson; Stevens Point (WI); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Donaldson seeks a Plant Director for its Stevens Point, WI facility to lead site operations responsible for safety, quality, delivery, and financial results. This on-site role requires building a high‑performing team and ensuring compliance with EHS and regulatory standards.

You will own the plant’s budgets and capital plans, drive Lean Six Sigma initiatives, and coordinate production planning with cross‑functional teams to meet customer demand.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, operations, supply chain or business.
• 7+ years in progressive manufacturing operations experience, including 5+ years in people leadership.
• Relocation assistance is available.
• U.S. work authorization required; sponsorship not available.

Responsibilities

• Lead plant operations to meet safety, quality, delivery, and financial goals.
• Build and sustain a strong safety culture and ensure regulatory compliance.
• Drive performance across safety, quality, delivery, and cost with KPI management.
• Develop and engage a high‑performing leadership team.
• Own plant financial results, including budgets and cost optimization.
• Lead Lean Six Sigma and continuous improvement to reduce waste and improve flow.
• Oversee production planning, capacity, staffing, and material allocation.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to align capabilities with strategic plans.

Skills

Leadership

KPI management

Lean Six Sigma

Safety culture

Budgeting

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Operations/Business

Master’s degree MBA

Job description

Position Summary:

The Plant Director leads site operations to deliver strong performance in safety, quality, delivery, and financial results through strong employee engagement. This role sets the direction for the facility, develops a high-performing team, ensures compliance, and drives continuous improvement to meet business and customer expectations. Qualified candidates must be able to work on-site schedule at our Stevens Point, WI plant.

Role Responsibilities:

• Lead all plant operations to achieve business, customer, and operational performance goals.

• Build and sustain a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with EHS, quality, and regulatory requirements.

• Drive performance across Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost through clear goals, KPI management, and disciplined execution.

• Develop, engage, and hold accountable a high-performing leadership team and workforce.

• Own plant financial results, including budgets, productivity, cost reduction, inventory, and capital planning.

• Lead Lean, Six Sigma, and other continuous improvement initiatives to eliminate waste, improve flow, and increase efficiency.

• Oversee production planning, capacity, staffing, materials, and resource allocation to meet customer demand.

• Partner with cross-functional teams to align plant capabilities, priorities, and strategic plans.

Travel:

Up to 20%

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Business, or related field.

• 7+ years of progressive manufacturing operations experience, including 5+ years of people leadership.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or MBA.

• 10+ years of manufacturing leadership experience, including plant-level or multi-function responsibility.

• Experience managing complex operations with responsibility for SQDC, inventory, and P&L performance.

• Lean Six Sigma, APICS/ASCM, PMP, OSHA, or similar certification.

• Experience leading cultural transformation, employee engagement, and operational excellence.

• Proven ability to manage safety, quality, delivery, cost, budgets, KPIs, and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Working knowledge of EHS requirements, quality systems, Lean manufacturing, and manufacturing financial drivers.

• Strong leadership, communication, problem-solving, change management, and collaboration skills.

Relocation:

Thisposition is eligible for relocationassistance

Immigration Sponsorship Not Available:

• Applicants for this position must be currently and legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future sponsorship (e.g., H-1B, J-1, F-1, CPT, OPT, etc.).

• Donaldson will not offer immigration sponsorship or assume sponsorship of an employment visa for this position.

• International relocation or remote work arrangements outside of the U.S. will not be considered.

Keywords:

Plant Director, Plant Manager, Manufacturing, Operations, Leadership, Lean Six Sigma, Continuous Improvement, Supply Chain, KPI Management, Cost Reduction, Safety, OEM

Equal Opportunity Employer, including Disability and Veterans

Employment opportunities for positions in the United States may require use of information which is subject to the export control regulations of the United States. Hiring decisions for such positions are required by law to be made in compliance with these regulations. Applicants for employment opportunities in other countries must be able to meet the comparable export control requirements of that country and of the United States.

Our policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified persons without regard to race, gender, color, disability, national origin, age, religion, union affiliation, sexual orientation, veteran status, citizenship, gender identity and/or expression, or other status protected by law.