Plant Manager: Lean Operations & Growth

Harvard Group International; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Harvard Group International is seeking a strategic Plant Manager to lead a Chicago-area manufacturing facility, owning production, safety, quality, scheduling, and financial performance while translating strategy into disciplined site execution.

The ideal candidate will build leadership, improve flow with Lean and TOC, use data dashboards to drive action, and scale an automotive-like fabrication and assembly operation in a unionized environment.

Qualifications

• Proven plant manager with full-site responsibility.
• Experience building processes and leadership capability in evolving manufacturing environments.
• Applied knowledge of Lean manufacturing, Theory of Constraints, continuous flow, root cause analysis, and structured problem solving.
• Ability to use data, dashboards, and performance metrics to drive action.

Responsibilities

• Lead plant operations across production, labor, safety, quality, scheduling, delivery, cost, and execution.
• Translate manufacturing strategy into clear priorities, operating plans, ownership, and measurable results.
• Improve flow, throughput, labor utilization, capacity, quality, and financial performance using Lean and Theory of Constraints.
• Use plant data and dashboards to identify systemic issues and establish actionable priorities.
• Build effective processes and accountability systems while developing managers, supervisors, and team leads.
• Partner with Sales, Project Management, Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, Supply Chain, Human Resources, and senior leadership.
• Build workforce credibility while operating effectively in a union-represented environment.

Skills

Lean manufacturing

Theory of Constraints

Data-driven decisions

Leadership development

Union experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

APQP/PPAP knowledge

FMEA

Control plans

SPC

Job description

Harvard Group International is seeking a strategic Plant Manager to lead a Chicago-area manufacturing facility, owning production, safety, quality, scheduling, and financial performance while translating strategy into disciplined site execution.

The ideal candidate will build leadership, improve flow with Lean and TOC, use data dashboards to drive action, and scale an automotive-like fabrication and assembly operation in a unionized environment.