Plant Manager

Regal Rexnord; Kentucky; On-site; USD 170,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision & Rx

401k with match

Paid time off

Job summary

Regal Rexnord is seeking an accomplished plant leader to drive operations at our Kentucky facility. You will oversee manufacturing, facilities, planning, and materials, while coaching the leadership team and building a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

You will align the organization with strategic goals, manage union relations, and partner with commercial teams to meet KPI targets and the $44M sales plan. A strong Lean/CI background is essential.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in manufacturing operations with broad exposure to supply chain, engineering, quality, inventory, safety, and finance.
• 5+ years of people leadership in a manufacturing environment.
• Proven cross-functional leadership and measurable improvements.
• Strong Lean/RBS/CI background and financial acumen.
• Plant-level labor-relations experience including union contracts.

Responsibilities

• Hold full responsibility for plant operations: manufacturing, facilities, planning, purchasing, materials, and site staff.
• Lead the cross-functional org and value streams with clear objectives and execution plans.
• Develop and coach the plant leadership, strengthen bench talent and succession.
• Foster a high-performance culture with accountability and transparency.
• Align the organization to strategic goals and drive change management and excellence.
• Manage union relations, contract administration, and labor strategy.
• Drive safety, quality, delivery, cost, and growth to meet KPIs and performance targets.
• Own outcomes for a $44M annual sales plan including budgets and capital investments.
• Collaborate with divisions, customers, and sales to ensure success and alignment.
• Lead continuous improvement through GEMBA walks and kaizen events.

Skills

Lean

RBS

CI systems

Cross-functional

Financial acumen

Labor relations

Change management

Gemba/kaizen

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Work Model: This is a fully onsite role, with work performed at your designated Regal Rexnord office.

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Key Responsibilities

Organizational Leadership

• Hold full responsibility for all plant operations, including manufacturing, facilities, planning, tactical purchasing, materials management, and all site associates.
• Lead a cross‑functional organization and operational value streams by setting objectives, building execution plans, reinforcing daily management routines, and implementing corrective actions to ensure customer success.
• Develop and coach the plant leadership team, strengthening bench talent, succession depth, and leadership capabilities.
• Build a high‑performance culture grounded in accountability, transparency, and a strong say‑do ratio.
• Establish a compelling organizational vision with measurable goals and lead the organization in executing against that vision.
• Foster a learning culture that seeks out performance gaps, challenges the status quo, embraces change, and continuously improves as both a business and a team.
• Align the organization around both long‑term strategic objectives and short‑term tactical priorities, with strong emphasis on change management and operational excellence.

Union and Labor Relations

• Build and maintain a professional, constructive working relationship with union officers, stewards and represented associates.
• Administer the collective bargaining agreement consistently and partner closely with Human Resources and Legal on interpretation, employee relations and labor strategy.
• Lead grievance handling, investigations, corrective action and dispute resolution through timely, well‑documented and consistent processes.
• Participate in labor‑management meetings and support collective bargaining, contract negotiations and agreement implementation.
• Coach supervisors and managers on contract administration, respectful communication and consistent application of workplace policies.
• Anticipate workforce and labor‑relations risks and maintain continuity of operations.

Drive Business Performance – SQDCG

• Increasing product portfolio by localizing for the US market.
• Lead and align the organization to the business’ Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), ensuring performance targets are met or exceeded.
• Serve as the champion of all EHS efforts; ensure associate and product safety are the top priority while driving a culture of safety and sustainability.
• Lead the daily/weekly/monthly business management cadence to drive performance in Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Growth.
• Own operational and financial outcomes for an approximately $44 million annual sales plan, including revenue, operating income, cash, budgets, spending, capital investment and cost structure.
• Manage budgets, spending, and cost structure to meet both short‑ and long‑range business objectives.
• Partner with Division, Segment, Central Functions, and sister sites to ensure Regal Rexnord and customer success.
• Collaborate with business leadership to establish and deliver annual operating budgets, including capital investments.
• Drive operational speed by eliminating waste, compressing lead times, improving throughput, and applying RBS principles.
• Deliver year‑over‑year cost reduction (target of 3%+ net of inflation), improve inventory turns, and optimize working capital.
• Communicate plant performance clearly and frequently to key internal stakeholders.
• Establish and execute a site Continuous Improvement roadmap, leading high‑cadence reviews that sustain momentum.
• Actively engage with teams through GEMBA walks, kaizen events, and frontline coaching.

Commercial Alignment & Customer Partnership

Serve as the operational counterpart to the Commercial team, ensuring tight alignment between customer demand, operational capability, and profitable growth objectives.

• Participate in joint SIOP/S&OP processes, translating customer forecasts and commercial strategies into clear operational plans.
• Collaborate with Sales, Customer Service, and Product Management to optimize lead times, service levels, on‑time delivery, customer mix, and product profitability.
• Provide operational insights that inform pricing, quoting, capacity planning, inventory strategy, and customer commitments.
• Support customer visits, audits, and strategic account reviews to strengthen relationships and ensure transparency around plant capabilities.
• Partner on New Product Introductions (NPI), product transitions, product life‑cycle management, and product line simplification to improve margin and responsiveness.
• Ensure Commercial strategy, operational execution, and supply chain alignment work in lockstep to maximize customer value and business performance.

People Leadership

• Build and retain high‑performing teams; recruit, onboard, develop, and motivate top talent at all levels.
• Provide ongoing coaching and timely, constructive feedback to reinforce performance and growth.
• Communicate frequently and consistently with associates, including leading All‑Employee Meetings.
• Create an inclusive environment that supports associate engagement, development, and retention.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Business, or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience in manufacturing operations with broad exposure to supply chain, engineering, quality, inventory, safety, and finance from a similar machining background.
• 5+ years of experience in people leadership within a manufacturing operations environment.
• Demonstrated success leading cross‑functional teams and driving measurable operational improvements.
• Strong capability with Lean, RBS, and/or Continuous Improvement systems.
• Proven financial acumen and experience managing departmental or plant‑level budgets.
• Demonstrated plant‑level labor‑relations experience in a unionized manufacturing environment, including collective bargaining agreement administration and grievance management.

Preferred

• Experience partnering directly with Commercial, Sales, or Customer‑facing teams.
• Advanced degree (MBA, MS Engineering).
• Six Sigma Black Belt certification.
• Background in leading operations through transformation, restructuring, or modernization.

“Restrictions imposed by federal export control laws may limit this job opportunity to candidates who are a ‘U.S. Person’, which includes U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, U.S. permanent residents, individuals granted asylum in the United States, and refugees in the United States, or who otherwise can qualify for a license that permits them to hold the position.”

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Vision and Prescription Drug Coverage
• Spending accounts (HSA, Health Care FSA and Dependent Care FSA)
• Paid Time Off and Holidays
• 401k Retirement Plan with Matching Employer Contributions
• Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) InsurancePaid Leaves
• Tuition Assistance

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Regal Rexnord is an Equal Opportunity and Afficiative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex/gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, age, ancestry, national origin, genetic information, marital status, citizenship status (unless required by the applicable law or government contract), disability or protected veteran status or any other status or characteristic protected by law. Regal Rexnord is committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. We are committed to building a team that represents diverse and inclusive backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. If you’d like to view a copy of the company’s affirmative action plan for protected veterans/individuals with disabilities or policy statement, please email [e-mail]. If you have a disability and you believe you need a reasonable accommodation in order to search for a job opening or to submit an online application, please e-mail [e-mail].

Equal Employment Opportunity Posters

Regal Rexnord is a publicly held global industrial manufacturer with 30,000 associates around the world who help create a better tomorrow by providing sustainable solutions that power, transmit and control motion. The Company’s electric motors and air moving subsystems provide the power to create motion. A portfolio of highly engineered power transmission components and subsystems efficiently transmits motion to power industrial applications. The Company’s automation offering, comprised of controls, actuators, drives, and precision motors, controls motion in applications ranging from factory automation to precision control in surgical tools.

The Company’s end markets benefit from meaningful secular demand tailwinds, and include factory automation, food & beverage, aerospace, medical, data center, warehouse, alternative energy, residential and commercial buildings, general industrial, construction, metals and mining, and agriculture.

Regal Rexnord is comprised of three operating segments: Industrial Powertrain Solutions, Power Efficiency Solutions, and Automation & Motion Control. Regal Rexnord has offices and manufacturing, sales and service facilities worldwide. For more information, including a copy of our Sustainability Report, visit RegalRexnord.com.