Plant Manager

Sealed Air Corporation; La Grange (IL); On-site; USD 127,000 - 219,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k)

Job summary

Sealed Air Corporation in Hodgkins, IL is seeking a Plant Manager to lead its Hodgkins manufacturing facility within the Protective Packaging division. This role carries full accountability for plant performance and serves as the senior on-site leader, responsible for driving safety, quality, delivery, cost, and people.

The Plant Manager will set the vision and direction for the facility, build organizational capability, and lead Lean transformation that enhances productivity and asset

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering (mechanical preferred).
• 5+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience, including 3+ years as a Plant Manager or equivalent site leader.
• Demonstrated success driving operational and cultural transformation.
• Strong financial acumen with experience managing plant‑level P&L performance.
• Deep expertise in safety, quality systems, and operational best practices.
• Lean/Six Sigma experience (Green Belt or higher preferred).
• Strong mechanical and technical aptitude with experience optimizing industrial systems.
• Proven ability to lead in a matrixed, global organization.

Responsibilities

• Own Plant Performance: Lead all aspects of site operations with full accountability for safety, quality, service, cost, and financial results.
• Set Strategic Direction: Translate business objectives into a clear operational strategy, ensuring execution against short‑ and long‑term goals.
• Build Organizational Capability: Develop leadership bench strength, elevate team performance, and foster a culture of accountability and engagement.
• Drive Operational Excellence: Lead Lean transformation and continuous improvement initiatives to improve productivity, reduce waste, and enhance reliability.
• Lead Through Change: Champion and execute change initiatives that strengthen agility, performance, and cultural alignment.
• Ensure Safety & Compliance: Establish and sustain a zero‑harm environment while maintaining regulatory and environmental compliance.
• Optimize Assets & Processes: Leverage technical expertise to improve equipment reliability, throughput, and overall plant efficiency.
• Partner Cross‑Functionally: Collaborate with supply chain, commercial, and finance leaders to align execution with customer and business needs.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering (mechanical preferred)

5+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience

Lean/Six Sigma experience (Green Belt or higher)

Strong financial acumen with plant‑level P&L experience

Matrixed, global organization leadership

Job description

Sealed Air designs and delivers packaging solutions that protect essential goods transported worldwide, preserve food, enable e-commerce and digital connectivity, and help create a global supply chain that is touchless, safer, less wasteful, and more resilient. We strive to foster a caring, high-performance growth culture that will deliver consistent, sustainable profitable growth and accelerate our performance – a culture where accountability is clear and aligned, and where we reward business outcomes and impact. That culture guides everything we do, including how we partner with our customers and suppliers, how we attract and retain top talent, and how we create and deliver value to our stakeholders. In 2025, Sealed Air generated $5.4 billion in sales and has approximately 16,100 employees who serve customers in 119 countries/territories. To learn more, visit www.sealedair.com.

Position Summary

Sealed Air is seeking a Plant Manager to lead its Hodgkins, IL manufacturing facility within the Protective Packaging division. This role carries full accountability for plant performance and serves as the senior on-site leader, responsible for driving operational excellence across safety, quality, delivery, cost, and people.

The Plant Manager will set the vision and direction for the facility, build organizational capability, and lead transformational initiatives that enhance performance, scalability, and resilience. This leader will operate as a key member of the operations leadership team, aligning plant execution with enterprise strategy. A strong mechanical foundation is important to inform technical decisions and optimize asset performance.

The ideal candidate is a decisive, results-oriented operations leader with a strong track record of leading complex manufacturing environments. They bring both strategic perspective and hands‑on leadership, with the ability to influence at all levels of the organization.

Key Responsibilities

• Own Plant Performance: Lead all aspects of site operations with full accountability for safety, quality, service, cost, and financial results.
• Set Strategic Direction: Translate business objectives into a clear operational strategy, ensuring execution against short‑ and long‑term goals.
• Build Organizational Capability: Develop leadership bench strength, elevate team performance, and foster a culture of accountability and engagement.
• Drive Operational Excellence: Lead Lean transformation and continuous improvement initiatives to improve productivity, reduce waste, and enhance reliability.
• Lead Through Change: Champion and execute change initiatives that strengthen agility, performance, and cultural alignment.
• Ensure Safety & Compliance: Establish and sustain a zero‑harm environment while maintaining regulatory and environmental compliance.
• Optimize Assets & Processes: Leverage technical expertise to improve equipment reliability, throughput, and overall plant efficiency.
• Partner Cross‑Functionally: Collaborate with supply chain, commercial, and finance leaders to align execution with customer and business needs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering (mechanical preferred)
• 5+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience, including 3+ years as a Plant Manager or equivalent site leader
• Demonstrated success driving operational and cultural transformation
• Strong financial acumen with experience managing plant‑level P&L performance
• Deep expertise in safety, quality systems, and operational best practices
• Lean/Six Sigma experience (Green Belt or higher preferred)
• Strong mechanical and technical aptitude with experience optimizing industrial systems
• Proven ability to lead in a matrixed, global organization

Pay Transparency

Salary Range: $126,800-$218,730

The range disclosed complies with applicable state and local pay transparency laws. Offers within this range will be determined by considering relevant factors including education, experience, and internal alignment. This position may also be eligible for annual performance bonuses and other incentive programs. Sealed Air offers a competitive benefits package that includes health, dental, vision, 401(k), paid time off, and other benefits designed to promote well‑being.

Relocation: No

Sealed Air is committed to attracting, selecting, and developing talent that reflects the diversity of the communities and customers we serve. We take pride in our selection process to identify, infuse, and grow talent to align with our culture, values, and norms. Sealed Air prioritizes talent development, fostering a culture of continuous growth and career progression. The company is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment and to all employees, without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, protected disability, veteran status, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.