Plant Manager

Movement Search & Delivery; Knoxville (TN); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Global Automotive Manufacturer seeks a Plant Manager to own the performance and success of a high-volume automotive facility in Knoxville. You will lead cross-functional teams to meet safety, quality, and customer objectives, driving Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement across operations.

You will develop and manage budgets, collaborate with engineering, quality, and supply chain, and build a high-performing leadership team focused on safety, quality, and productivity.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Business, or related discipline.
• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing experience with significant leadership in automotive or Tier 1/2 supplier.
• Proven experience leading a manufacturing facility or large-scale operation.
• Strong understanding of automotive processes, quality systems, and customer requirements.
• Demonstrated success improving safety, quality, productivity, delivery, and cost performance.
• Strong knowledge of Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience managing budgets, capital expenditures, and plant-level financial performance.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership and direction for plant operations to meet production schedules and targets.
• Set and monitor KPIs for safety, quality, delivery, productivity, scrap, downtime, and cost.
• Drive daily accountability through performance management and operating rhythms.
• Identify and eliminate bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and constraints.
• Ensure effective production planning, staffing, scheduling, and resource allocation.
• Partner with engineering and maintenance to maximize equipment reliability and OEE.
• Lead cross-functional teams across multiple departments.

Skills

Leadership

Lean Manufacturing

Six Sigma

Quality Systems

Cross-functional Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Business

Job description

Our client is the Global Automotive Manufacturer.

About the role:

The Plant Manager will have overall responsibility for the performance and success of a high-volume automotive manufacturing facility. This leader will oversee daily plant operations while driving a culture of safety, quality, operational excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement. The Plant Manager will lead cross-functional teams across production, manufacturing engineering, quality, maintenance, materials, logistics, and human resources to ensure the facility consistently meets or exceeds customer, financial, and operational objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

Operations & Manufacturing

• Provide overall leadership and direction for plant operations, ensuring production schedules, customer requirements, and operational targets are consistently achieved.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators related to safety, quality, delivery, productivity, scrap, downtime, labor, and cost.
• Drive daily accountability throughout the organization through effective performance management and structured operating rhythms.
• Identify and eliminate bottlenecks, inefficiencies, waste, and production constraints.
• Ensure effective production planning, staffing, scheduling, and resource allocation.
• Partner with engineering and maintenance to maximize equipment reliability, uptime, and overall equipment effectiveness.

Safety & Compliance

• Establish and maintain a culture where safety is the highest operational priority.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA, environmental, regulatory, and company safety requirements.
• Lead initiatives to reduce workplace injuries, unsafe conditions, and environmental risk.
• Ensure appropriate training, procedures, audits, and corrective actions are in place.

Quality & Customer Satisfaction

• Maintain a strong quality culture focused on defect prevention and continuous improvement.
• Partner with Quality leadership to achieve customer-specific requirements, PPAP expectations, and applicable automotive quality standards.
• Lead timely resolution of customer concerns, quality issues, and corrective actions.
• Drive root-cause analysis and sustainable corrective actions to prevent recurring issues.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing leadership team across all major plant functions.
• Establish clear expectations, accountability, and performance standards throughout the organization.
• Build succession plans and development opportunities for key employees and future leaders.
• Promote employee engagement, teamwork, communication, and a culture of ownership.
• Ensure appropriate staffing levels and organizational structure to support current and future business needs.
• Champion Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, 5S, TPM, problem-solving, and other continuous improvement methodologies.
• Lead initiatives focused on improving throughput, labor efficiency, quality, scrap, downtime, and overall manufacturing costs.
• Utilize data and performance metrics to identify opportunities and prioritize improvement activities.
• Establish a culture of continuous improvement at all levels of the organization.

Financial & Business Performance

• Own overall plant financial performance, including operating costs, labor, scrap, overtime, capital expenditures, and productivity.
• Develop and manage the plant operating budget.
• Identify opportunities to reduce costs while maintaining or improving safety, quality, and customer service.
• Evaluate capital investments and provide business justification for equipment, technology, and facility improvements.

Customer & Cross-Functional Leadership

• Serve as a key point of escalation for major operational, quality, and customer-related issues.
• Develop strong relationships with customers, suppliers, corporate leadership, and other key stakeholders.
• Collaborate with sales, engineering, supply chain, finance, and corporate leadership to support business growth.
• Ensure the plant is prepared to support new product launches, engineering changes, and changes in customer demand.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Business, or a related discipline preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing experience, with significant leadership responsibility in an automotive or Tier 1/Tier 2 supplier environment.
• Proven experience leading a manufacturing facility or large-scale production operation.
• Strong understanding of automotive manufacturing processes, quality systems, and customer requirements.
• Demonstrated success improving safety, quality, productivity, delivery, and cost performance.
• Strong knowledge of Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience managing budgets, capital expenditures, and plant-level financial performance.