Plant Manager: Scale Operations & Lean Excellence

TriSearch; Kalamazoo (MI); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

TriSearch in Kalamazoo, MI is seeking an experienced Plant Manager to lead and scale a specialized manufacturing operation. This hands-on leader will influence production processes, operating systems, and workforce development to prepare the facility for significant growth.

The ideal candidate combines strong day-to-day operations leadership with strategic thinking, excels at Lean initiatives, and has a proven track record across safety, quality, delivery, and cost performance in a growing plant.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in manufacturing with 5+ years in leadership.
• Hands-on production leadership with proven team development.
• Experience in electrical/electromechanical or engineered-product assembly preferred.
• Experience launching, scaling, or transforming manufacturing operations.
• Strong knowledge of production flow, labor management, quality, equipment, capacity planning, and KPIs.

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

Operations leadership

Lean manufacturing

Plant operations

ERP/MES experience

Data-driven decision making

People leadership

Strategic thinking

Tools

ERP systems

MES systems

Job description

TriSearch in Kalamazoo, MI is seeking an experienced Plant Manager to lead and scale a specialized manufacturing operation. This hands-on leader will influence production processes, operating systems, and workforce development to prepare the facility for significant growth.

The ideal candidate combines strong day-to-day operations leadership with strategic thinking, excels at Lean initiatives, and has a proven track record across safety, quality, delivery, and cost performance in a growing plant.