Plant Manager

International Search Consultants; Elkhart (IN); On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

International Search Consultants partnered with a well-established manufacturing organization to recruit an accomplished Plant Manager in Northeast Indiana.

The role reports to the Vice President of Operations and will oversee production, scheduling, quality control, safety, maintenance, inventory coordination, and staff management. We are targeting leaders with current or recent experience in RV/trailer or related fabricated metal product industries, and a hands-on, KPI-driven approach.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations management, or business.
• 3+ years as Plant Manager or similar manufacturing leadership experience.
• Experience in RV, trailer, specialty vehicle, or related fabricated metal product manufacturing.
• Direct steel fabrication experience including cutting, forming, bending, stamping, welding, machining, fabrication or assembly.
• Experience with BOMs, labor management, and basic plant financials/P&L.
• Experience leading 3–5 direct and 35–60 indirect employees.
• Mechanically inclined with practical understanding of equipment and processes.
• Hands-on leadership on the plant floor with coaching and development of staff.
• Data-driven, KPI-focused mindset to drive improvements.
• Experience with manufacturing software and ERP systems.

Responsibilities

• Plan and oversee daily production activities to ensure timely, efficient manufacturing processes.
• Manage production schedules, budgets, staffing, and resources to meet targets.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to boost productivity and reduce costs.
• Champion a safe working environment through policy enforcement, audits, and compliance.
• Recruit, train, supervise, coach, and evaluate production staff and supervisors.
• Manage staffing levels and schedules to support production demand.
• Monitor inventory levels and coordinate with procurement, logistics, and supply chain.
• Prepare and communicate plant KPIs and production metrics to leadership.
• Maintain strict quality standards and promptly address issues to protect product integrity.

Skills

People leadership

KPIs / metrics

Lean / Continuous Improvement

Staff management

Production planning

Problem solving

Communication

Data-driven decisions

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Operations/Business

Tools

ERP systems

Manufacturing software

Job description

ISC's team of Manufacturing Recruiters is partnering with a well-established manufacturing organization seeking an accomplished Plant Manager to lead all aspects of plant operations in Northeast Indiana.

Reporting to the Vice President of Operations, this leader will oversee production, production scheduling, quality control, safety, maintenance, inventory coordination, and personnel management. We are specifically targeting manufacturing leaders with current or recent experience in the RV, trailer, specialty vehicle, or closely related fabricated metal product industries.

• Plan and oversee daily production activities to ensure timely and efficient manufacturing processes.
• Manage production schedules, budgets, staffing, and resources to achieve production targets.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that enhance productivity and reduce production costs.
• Champion a safe working environment through policy enforcement, safety audits, regulatory compliance, and corrective actions.
• Recruit, train, supervise, coach, and evaluate production staff, including supervisors and line employees.
• Manage staffing levels and employee schedules to support production demands.
• Monitor inventory levels and partner with procurement, logistics, and supply chain teams to ensure material availability and efficient flow.
• Prepare and communicate plant KPIs, production metrics, operational challenges, and opportunities to senior leadership.
• Maintain strict quality standards and promptly address issues to protect product integrity.

Plant Manager - Must-Have Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Business, or a related field - strongly preferred.
• 3+ years of Plant Manager or comparable manufacturing leadership experience.
• Current or recent experience in RV, trailer, specialty vehicle, or closely related fabricated metal product manufacturing.
• Direct steel/metal fabrication experience, including converting raw materials through cutting, forming, bending, stamping, welding, machining, fabrication, and/or assembly into a tangible finished product.
• Experience with configured, made-to-order, or engineered-to-order products, Bills of Material (BOMs), labor management, and basic plant financial/P&L understanding.
• Experience leading approximately 3-5 direct employees and 35-60 indirect employees.
• Mechanically inclined, with a practical understanding of manufacturing equipment and production processes.
• Hands-on, 'get your hands dirty' leadership style; visible and engaged on the plant floor.
• Proven people leadership, including coaching, developing, and holding manufacturing employees accountable.
• KPI-driven; able to show how metrics were implemented and used to improve business performance.
• Lean / Continuous Improvement experience with demonstrated process and operational improvements.
• Experience with manufacturing software and ERP systems.
• Strong problem-solving, decision-making, communication, and interpersonal skills.

Plant Manager - Nice to Have:

• Experience with quality systems and disciplined quality processes.
• Six Sigma certification or comparable formal Continuous Improvement training.
• Safety and/or environmental leadership experience, including OSHA-related exposure.
• Experience with inventory and material flow.
• Procurement and supply chain exposure.
• Experience overseeing maintenance and preventive maintenance programs.
• Experience with plant expansion, modernization, or capital projects.
• Strong supervisor development and succession-planning experience.

Plant Manager - Desired Soft Skills:

• Thrives in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Strong multitasker with demonstrated ability to juggle competing priorities.
• Data-driven and metrics-focused; comfortable managing the business through KPIs.
• Thick-skinned, resilient, and able to stay steady under pressure.
• Strong sense of urgency and bias toward action.
• Decisive and comfortable making tough decisions.
• Accountable and willing to hold the team accountable.
• Adaptable and flexible as priorities change.
• Strong communicator from the plant floor through senior leadership.
• Approachable but firm; builds relationships while maintaining expectations.
• Problem-solver with a root-cause mindset.
• Hands-on, roll-up-your-sleeves mentality.

Plant Manager - Ideal Candidate:

The successful candidate is a visible, hands-on manufacturing leader who thrives in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment. Candidates from RV, trailer, specialty vehicle, or similar fabricated metal manufacturing environments are strongly preferred. This person is data-driven, mechanically inclined, resilient, and comfortable balancing competing priorities while staying close to both the operation and the people. The right leader is approachable but firm, communicates clearly at every level, uses KPIs to drive accountability and improvement, and brings a practical, roll-up-your-sleeves approach to solving problems and developing teams.