Plant Manager — New Texas Steel Roll-Forming Factory

Nextpower; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Nextpower in Texas is seeking a Plant Manager to lead the launch and ongoing operation of a new steel products factory, with emphasis on roll forming and Lean Manufacturing. You will build the plant team, establish safe and reliable production, and ramp capacity to meet customer requirements.

Lean principles will guide daily decisions, employee engagement, and continuous improvement across safety, quality, delivery, cost, and people development.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated leadership with accountability for plant production, people, budgets, and performance.
• Experience launching a new factory or major startup including commissioning and ramp-up.
• Strong steel products manufacturing experience with roll forming.
• Proven ability to apply Lean principles through daily management and achieve improvements.
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams and communicate with leadership.
• Minimum 10 years in Plant Leadership role with P&L responsibility.
• Possess or ability to get Chinese VISA and international travel.

Responsibilities

• Own the integrated factory launch plan with milestones, staffing, capital spending, operational readiness, and risk mitigation.
• Coordinate facility readiness, equipment installation, commissioning, and production trials with engineering, contractors, and equipment suppliers.
• Establish plant layouts, material flow, production controls, work instructions, and training before production begins.
• Lead readiness reviews and capacity validation; resolve launch issues and transition the factory from startup to stable production.
• Direct daily steel products production, with responsibility for roll forming throughput, quality, schedule attainment, and conversion cost.
• Work with engineering and quality to control coil specifications, tooling alignment, line setup, tolerances, and surface condition.
• Improve material yield, reduce scrap and changeover time, and eliminate recurring defects and equipment losses.
• Align production schedules, steel coil inventory, maintenance, and shipping with customer demand; establish preventive maintenance and critical spare parts plans.
• Make Lean Manufacturing the daily operating system through tiered accountability meetings, visual performance boards, gemba walks, and leader standard work.
• Review safety, quality, delivery, cost, and people metrics each day; assign countermeasures, owners, and due dates and verify sustained results.
• Apply 5S, standard work, value stream mapping, flow and pull systems, mistake proofing, and quick changeover methods where appropriate.
• Coach employees in structured root cause problem solving and kaizen; build a culture in which teams identify waste and improve their own processes.
• Set clear safety expectations and ensure effective training, machine guarding, hazardous energy control, and safe coil handling practices.
• Lead production, maintenance, quality, materials, and supporting teams; recruit and develop supervisors and establish clear performance expectations.
• Own plant budgets, labor planning, operating expenses, and capital priorities; use operating data to improve productivity and cost performance.
• Partner with HR, finance, engineering, supply chain, and suppliers to remove constraints and maintain effective communication throughout launch and ongoing operations.

Skills

Manufacturing leadership

New factory startup

Roll forming equipment

Lean Manufacturing

Cross-functional teams

P&L ownership

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Job description

Nextpower in Texas is seeking a Plant Manager to lead the launch and ongoing operation of a new steel products factory, with emphasis on roll forming and Lean Manufacturing. You will build the plant team, establish safe and reliable production, and ramp capacity to meet customer requirements.

Lean principles will guide daily decisions, employee engagement, and continuous improvement across safety, quality, delivery, cost, and people development.