Plant Manager

MS Companies; Phenix City (AL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company vehicle provided

Job summary

MS Companies in Phenix City, AL seeks an experienced Plant Manager to lead its automotive seating manufacturing operations at Phenix City, with overarching responsibility for the Montgomery facility. The role requires strong leadership, a track record in automotive manufacturing, and the ability to drive growth and ramp-up across two sites.

You will build high-performing teams, implement Lean and CI, manage customer relationships, and ensure safety, quality, delivery, cost, and engagement.

Qualifications

• Proven manufacturing leadership experience in the automotive industry.
• Experience with Tier 1 or Tier 2 suppliers.
• Ability to lead multiple departments and sites.
• Lean, continuous improvement knowledge.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration and customer management.
• Willingness to travel ~20%.
• Bilingual English/Spanish preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for the Phenix City manufacturing facility.
• Maintain accountability for Phenix City performance across Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Employee Engagement (SQDCE).
• Provide overall leadership and operational oversight for the Montgomery manufacturing facility while partnering with its leadership team.
• Ensure consistency in operational strategy and objectives across both locations.
• Build strong partnerships across Production, Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, Materials, HR, and other functions.
• Establish a culture of accountability, teamwork, safety, and continuous improvement across both facilities.
• Develop and strengthen plant leadership teams and future manufacturing leaders.
• Drive operational excellence through Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement initiatives.
• Monitor plant KPIs and address performance gaps.
• Lead customer visits, audits, escalations, and executive-level meetings.
• Respond quickly to customer concerns and coordinate cross-functional teams to deliver solutions.
• Support new product launches, ramp-ups, and expansions across both locations.
• Identify and resolve production, quality, and staffing challenges.
• Partner with leadership on growth, capital needs, and long-term objectives.
• Lead expansion of Phenix City and development of Montgomery operation.
• Foster collaboration across a diverse workforce including Korean, Hispanic, Indian, and American employees.
• Travel approximately 20% to customers and between sites.

Skills

Automotive leadership

Tier 1/2 experience

Cross-functional leadership

Lean manufacturing

Multi-site oversight

Customer relationship

Change management

Safety & quality focus

Bilingual EN/SP

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing/Engineering

Job description

Travel: Approximately 20% | Company Vehicle Provided

Work Schedule: Approximately 50-55 hours per week

Employment Type: Full-Time

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Plant Manager to provide strategic and operational leadership for its Phenix City, Alabama manufacturing facility while maintaining overall leadership responsibility for the company's Montgomery, Alabama operation. Or Client specializes in automotive seat frames, and automotive manufacturing experience is a hard requirement for this position.

The Plant Manager will have primary responsibility for Phenix City and overall accountability for the Montgomery facility, which has its own local leadership team. This is a key leadership role within a growing organization, with both facilities undergoing expansion and ramp-up activities.

The ideal candidate is a proven automotive manufacturing leader who can build collaborative relationships across departments, manage customer relationships during difficult situations, develop high-performing teams, and drive results in a fast-paced, multicultural manufacturing environment.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Proven manufacturing leadership experience within the automotive industry - required.
• Tier 1 or Tier 2 automotive manufacturing experience strongly preferred.
• Experience leading multiple functional departments within a manufacturing facility.
• Experience with multi-site manufacturing leadership or operational oversight.
• Demonstrated success leading a plant through growth, expansion, launch, or ramp-up activities.
• Strong knowledge of Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement methodologies.
• Proven ability to build collaborative, cross-functional relationships across Production, Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, Materials, HR, and other departments.
• Strong customer-facing experience, including managing customer concerns, audits, business reviews, and executive-level meetings.
• Proven ability to respond quickly and effectively when customers are dissatisfied or experiencing a critical issue.
• Proven ability to develop, mentor, and retain high-performing teams and future manufacturing leaders.
• Strong understanding of plant performance metrics, including Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Employee Engagement.
• Ability to lead effectively across different languages, cultures, and communication styles.
• Strong interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, growing automotive manufacturing environment.
• Strong communication, decision-making, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
• Ability to travel approximately 20%, including customer travel and occasional travel between Phenix City and Montgomery.
• Bilingual English/Spanish preferred, but not required.

Preferred Skills & Qualifications

• Experience managing a Tier 1 automotive supplier.
• Automotive seat frame or seating component manufacturing experience.
• Previous multi-site plant management or regional operational responsibility.
• Experience working within a Korean-led automotive manufacturing organization.
• Experience managing culturally diverse manufacturing workforces.
• Experience leading simultaneous plant expansion and new-location ramp-up activities.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, 5S, standard work, TPM, or other Continuous Improvement methodologies.
• Experience managing OEM customer relationships and customer escalation situations.
• Experience developing plant-level leadership teams and succession plans.
• Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing, Engineering, Operations, Business, or related field preferred.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for the Phenix City manufacturing facility.
• Maintain primary accountability for Phenix City performance across Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Employee Engagement (SQDCE).
• Provide overall leadership and operational oversight for the Montgomery manufacturing facility while partnering with its established leadership team.
• Ensure consistency in operational strategy, performance expectations, accountability, and business objectives across both locations.
• Build strong partnerships across Production, Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, Materials, HR, and other functional departments.
• Establish a culture of accountability, teamwork, respect, safety, and continuous improvement across both facilities.
• Develop and strengthen plant leadership teams and the next generation of manufacturing leaders.
• Drive operational excellence through Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement initiatives.
• Monitor plant KPIs and take decisive action to address performance gaps.
• Build and maintain strong customer relationships and serve as a trusted business partner.
• Lead customer visits, audits, business reviews, escalations, and executive-level meetings.
• Respond quickly to customer concerns and coordinate cross-functional teams to deliver timely solutions.
• Manage difficult customer situations professionally while maintaining accountability and protecting the customer relationship.
• Support new product launches, production ramp-ups, plant expansion, and operational readiness across both locations.
• Identify and resolve production, quality, delivery, staffing, and operational challenges.
• Partner with executive leadership on organizational growth, operational strategy, capital requirements, and long-term business objectives.
• Lead through the current expansion of the Phenix City facility and continued development of the Montgomery operation.
• Foster effective communication and collaboration across a highly diverse workforce, including Korean, Hispanic, Indian, and American employees.
• Ensure operational decisions support customer satisfaction, employee engagement, and long-term business performance.
• Travel approximately 20% to customers and periodically between the Phenix City and Montgomery facilities.

What Success Looks Like

The successful Plant Manager will quickly establish credibility, build trust across a diverse workforce, create strong cross-functional partnerships, and demonstrate the ability to get results under pressure. They will be equally comfortable leading multiple manufacturing functions, managing customer escalations, developing plant leadership teams, and providing operational oversight across two facilities.

Automotive manufacturing experience is non-negotiable for this position.