Plant Manager: Engineered Wood & Lean Ops Leader

Forte Opening S; Marshfield (WI); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Forte Opening Solutions seeks an experienced Plant Manager to lead a high-volume particle board/engineered wood facility. You will drive safety, quality, and continuous improvement while managing production, maintenance, and environmental compliance.

The role requires 10+ years in manufacturing leadership, 5+ years in panel manufacturing environments, and a track record of P&L responsibility. Strong Lean Six Sigma, TPM, and leadership skills are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Business, Forestry, Wood Products, or related field preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience.
• Minimum of 5 years in particle board, MDF, OSB, or similar continuous panel environments.
• Plant Manager or Operations Manager experience in a 24/7 operation preferred.
• Proven track record managing P&L and plant financial performance.
• Experience leading large manufacturing teams and cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Lead all aspects of plant operations including Safety, Quality, Production, Maintenance, Engineering, Shipping, Environmental, and Continuous Improvement.
• Champion a world-class safety culture and ensure OSHA, EPA, and environmental compliance.
• Drive operational excellence using Lean, Six Sigma, TPM and CI methodologies to improve safety, productivity, yield, uptime, and cost.
• Oversee production of particle board, optimizing fiber prep, drying, blending, forming, pressing, finishing, and packaging.
• Ensure efficient use of raw materials and minimize waste while maximizing recovery.
• Monitor OEE, throughput, yield, press efficiency, uptime, scrap, energy use, and on-time delivery.
• Develop production schedules to meet demand while maximizing capacity and efficiency.
• Partner with Maintenance/Engineering to improve equipment reliability via preventive/predictive maintenance.
• Build and coach a high-performing leadership team; foster engagement and development.
• Maintain quality systems and ensure products meet specs; lead capital projects.
• Own the plant budget and full P&L; collaborate with Finance, Sales, Supply Chain, and Corporate.
• Analyze data to identify trends, reduce losses, and drive sustainable improvements.
• Serve as primary leader during customer visits, audits, and inspections.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Lean Manufacturing

Six Sigma

Leadership

Safety culture

Data analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem solving

Continuous improvement

ERP systems

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Business, Forestry, Wood Products, or related field

Tools

ERP systems

Microsoft Office

Job description

Forte Opening Solutions seeks an experienced Plant Manager to lead a high-volume particle board/engineered wood facility. You will drive safety, quality, and continuous improvement while managing production, maintenance, and environmental compliance.

The role requires 10+ years in manufacturing leadership, 5+ years in panel manufacturing environments, and a track record of P&L responsibility. Strong Lean Six Sigma, TPM, and leadership skills are essential.