Plant Manager: Lead Growth & Lean Manufacturing

TriSearch; Kalamazoo (MI); On-site; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

TriSearch is seeking a senior Plant Manager in Kalamazoo, MI to lead and scale a specialized manufacturing operation. The role requires hands-on leadership and strategic thinking to evolve production processes, workforce development, and continuous improvement initiatives.

The ideal candidate will bring 10+ years in manufacturing with 5+ years in plant leadership, strong Lean experience, and proficiency with ERP/MES systems to drive operational excellence.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of manufacturing experience with 5+ years in plant/production leadership.
• Hands-on leadership with experience building and scaling teams in production environments.
• Background in electrical, electromechanical, engineered-product, or related assembly manufacturing.
• Experience launching or improving manufacturing operations and facilities.
• Strong knowledge of production flow, labor management, quality, and KPIs.
• Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement experience.
• Experience with ERP, MES, or similar systems.
• Ability to use data to identify problems and drive improvements.
• Strong people leadership and development of supervisors and frontline staff.
• Hands-on, player-coach leadership style for growing environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day plant operations with accountability for safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, and workforce performance.
• Establish and continuously improve production processes, workflows, operating procedures, and performance standards.
• Drive Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives to improve throughput, cycle time, labor efficiency, quality, and overall operational performance.
• Develop and manage plant KPIs and use production data to identify opportunities and drive accountability.
• Oversee production planning, scheduling, capacity planning, resource allocation, and bottleneck resolution.
• Lead root-cause analysis and corrective actions to address operational and quality issues.
• Support the evaluation and implementation of manufacturing equipment, technology, and automation as the operation grows.
• Utilize ERP/MES and other manufacturing systems to improve production visibility, planning, and decision-making.
• Recruit, coach, develop, and lead the manufacturing organization as production volume and headcount increase.
• Establish scalable work instructions, process documentation, quality controls, and visual management systems.
• Partner closely with engineering, quality, supply chain, commercial, and other functions to support new product introductions and operational growth.

Skills

Manufacturing leadership

Lean manufacturing

ERP/MES experience

Operational analytics

Team development

Tools

ERP systems

MES systems

Automation tech

Job description

TriSearch is seeking a senior Plant Manager in Kalamazoo, MI to lead and scale a specialized manufacturing operation. The role requires hands-on leadership and strategic thinking to evolve production processes, workforce development, and continuous improvement initiatives.

The ideal candidate will bring 10+ years in manufacturing with 5+ years in plant leadership, strong Lean experience, and proficiency with ERP/MES systems to drive operational excellence.