Plant Manager

Kelly Services; North Dakota; On-site; USD 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Kelly Services is representing a premier manufacturing client in Grand Forks, ND, seeking a seasoned Plant Manager to lead operations in a hands-on role.

Responsibilities include overseeing Production, Purchasing, Scheduling, Inventory, Warehouse, and Quality; driving safety, quality and delivery improvements; and partnering with the Director of Operations to evolve the site\'s performance. ISO 9001 experience is highly valued.

Qualifications

• The candidate has 10+ years in progressive manufacturing with plant/operations leadership.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership for plant operations including Production, Purchasing, Scheduling, Inventory, Warehouse, and Quality.

Skills

Manufacturing leadership

People leadership

Engineering background

ISO 9001 experience

Cross-functional leadership

ERP/MRP proficiency

Data-driven decision-making

Communication skills

Problem-solving

Change management

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

Quality management software

Job description

Job Description

Job Description

Plant Manager
Location: Grand Forks, ND
Position: Permanent | On- site, Monday - Friday
Salary range: $90,000 - $110,000 plus profit share

Our client is seeking an experienced Plant Manager to join a well-established manufacturing organization and take on a newly created leadership role. This position will work closely with the long-standing Director of Operations, who has successfully led the organization for many years and is looking to transition day-to-day responsibilities to a strong operational leader.

The ideal candidate is an experienced Plant Manager and people leaderwith combine strong engineering judgement, extensive manufacturing-operations experience who can quickly build trust with the Director of Operations, department leaders, and experienced employees. This is a hands‑on leadership role for someone who can build upon existing strengths by developing people, strengthening systems, improving visibility, and identifying opportunities that enhance safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and scalability.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership for plant operations, including Production, Purchasing, Scheduling, Inventory, Warehouse, and Quality.
• Lead and develop managers, supervisors, and employees while building a culture of accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure the plant consistently meets safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost objectives.
• Work closely with the Director of Operations to transition responsibilities and implement operational improvements.
• Build strong relationships across the organization and earn credibility with a seasoned workforce.
• Identify bottlenecks, improve workflow and productivity, and strengthen manufacturing processes.
• Ensure effective ISO 9001 /Quality Management System compliance, maintenance, and continuous improvement.
• Use ERP/MRP systems, production data, and KPIs to improve visibility and decision-making.
• Partner with Engineering to ensure designs, materials, processes, and production requirements are effectively integrated.
• Promote a clean, organized, and safety-focused manufacturing environment.
• Lead change thoughtfully, using collaboration and communication to gain employee buy‑in.

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing experience, including significant Plant or Operations Management experience.
• Proven experience leading multi‑department manufacturing teams and developing managers and supervisors.
• Engineering background or strong understanding of engineering and manufacturing processes.
• Demonstrated hands‑on experience with ISO 9001 /Quality Management Systems experience.
• Experience in a complex, engineered‑to‑order, custom fabrication, or similar manufacturing environment is highly desirable.
• Strong understanding of production, scheduling, inventory, purchasing, quality, and shop‑floor operations.
• Proven ability to improve productivity, quality, delivery, and operational efficiency.
• Strong ERP/MRP and data‑driven decision‑making skills.
• A hands‑on, approachable leader who can quickly establish trust and credibility.
• Strong communication, relationship‑building, problem‑solving, and change‑management skills.
• Ability to bring forward new ideas and improvements without creating unnecessary disruption or discord.

What Success Looks Like

The successful Plant Manager will become a trusted partner to the Director of Operations and the leadership team, develop strong relationships throughout the plant, and gradually assume greater operational responsibility. They will improve processes and accountability while preserving the organization's strengths and maintaining a safe, respectful, and collaborative workplace.