Plant Manager - Smithfield NC

American-Air-Filter-International; North Carolina; On-site; USD 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

AAF International is seeking a Plant Manager in Smithfield to lead a multi-functional team with safety first, customer satisfaction a close second, and to meet KPI targets. The role emphasizes Lean manufacturing, process improvements, and strong leadership across operations, engineering, maintenance, and logistics.

The position requires a degreed engineer with 7–10 years of plant/general management experience in manufacturing or remanufacturing, plus strong financial acumen and a drive for

Qualifications

• Degreed engineer with leadership experience in manufacturing.
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification or equivalent preferred.
• 7–10 years of plant/general management in manufacturing/remanufacturing.
• Strong understanding of P&L, budgets and financial statements.
• Experience leading diverse functional teams (production, engineering, logistics, HR, EHS).
• Knowledge of lean, process improvement and OSHA safety standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead a multi-functional plant team with safety first and customer service second.
• Deliver to customers on-time, in-full and remove barriers to delivery.
• Drive cost reduction, quality and efficiency improvements at plant level.
• Develop and motivate employees; promote a culture of continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with Sales to incorporate customer feedback into manufacturing.

Skills

Leadership

Lean manufacturing

Strategic thinking

Communication

Problem solving

Education

Engineering degree

MBA

Tools

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification

Job description

Description

AAF International offers the most comprehensive clean air solutions available across the globe. Selling under the American Air Filter® and the AAF International® brand names, AAF International has been an industry pioneer since 1921 with manufacturing operations in 22 countries and over 6000 employees globally. Our products are the industry benchmarks for quality and performance. Our applications include commercial, industrial and residential solutions from the filters used in your home to the most critical cleanroom and power generation applications.

We are a member of the Daikin Group, the world's largest air conditioning provider with $30 billion in revenue and over 98,000 employees worldwide. Founded in 1924, Daikin has grown into a diversified industrial manufacturing company offering solutions in clean, air, air conditioning, refrigeration, chemicals, oil hydraulics, defense systems and electronics.

Our culture of continuous improvement, safety and world class operations is driven by our people-centered management philosophy. This philosophy is built around mutual selection: that while AAF seeks top talent people to join and deliver on our team, we also want each team member to receive job satisfaction, growth & development, and continued happiness in being a long-term member of the AAF family. This is fueled by our belief in treating our people, our supply partners, our customers and our environment with the trust and respect we each require, and our passion to give back to our community for our success.

Read more about our philosophy at: http://www.daikin.com/about/corporate/philosophy/index.html

AAF International is an Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/Disability/Veteran.

We are an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, veteran status, uniform servicemember status, age, disability or any other legally recognized protected personal characteristics.

Position Objective:

The Smithfield Plant Manager leads a multi-functional team ensuring the AAF International team and their safety are first priority, servicing Customers is the second priority, and then all other plant responsibilities and KPI performance expectations are met.

Key Accountabilities:

• Responsible for the well-being of the team and maturing of a People Centered Management culture.
• Responsible for the maturing of a vibrant plant Safety culture.
• Responsible for the implementation and continuous refinement of EHS practices and procedures to ensure the safety of employees and compliance with environmental/safety standards.
• Responsible for delivering to customers on-time, in-full and overcoming any barriers to doing so.
• Lead, direct, and control the day-to-day activities of a plant to achieve the short and medium-term financial and operating goals set by the overall organization business plan. Responsible for maintenance, manufacturing, quality control, engineering, supply and logistics, distribution, and administration.
• Formulate operating objectives in cost reduction, quality improvement, efficiency improvement, and equipment utilization at the plant level.
• Assume ownership for strategic initiatives and provide leadership to achieve Safety, Customer Satisfaction, and Operational performance.
• Implement effective systems of control over capital, operating expenditures, manpower, wages and salaries.
• Monitor overall plant performance for production and quality standards.
• Lead, motivate, and develop employees to achieve outstanding manufacturing performance results, while leveraging continuous improvement tools such as Lean manufacturing, improving individual skills, and enhancing teamwork.
• Encourage innovation and employee input on potential improvements in all aspects of the plant operation.
• Provide personal direction in the resolution of current operating problems of a critical nature, in order to maintain maximum continuity of production at desired quality, costs, and customer service levels.
• Facilitate standardized procedures / work instructions / visual factory and incorporate best practices methodology.
• Provide input to R&D on product performance as well as current and potential product opportunities.
• Establish relationship with the Sales organization to ensure customer’s voice is included in the manufacturing process.
• Some travel may be required.

Requirements

Position Requirements:

1. Degreed engineer from a reputable engineering school. MBA a plus;
2. Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification or related education preferred;
3. Extensive 7-10 years of plant/general management experience in a manufacturing or re-manufacturing environment;
4. Working knowledge of P&L, budgets and financial statements;
5. Past experience leading and managing a diverse group of functions, including operations/production, engineering, materials and distribution, maintenance and reliability, quality, human resources, environmental health and safety, and controller;
6. Comprehensive knowledge of Lean, optimization, and other process improvement processes. Experience implementing Lean manufacturing;
7. Demonstrated ability to effectively manage a diverse group of employees in a participative, employee empowerment culture;
8. Experience managing operating costs, capital and maintenance budgets;
9. Working knowledge of safety and environmental practices and regulations, including OSHA compliance, and a proven record of improving safety results;
10. Demonstrated leadership, influence and communications, coaching and training skills.