Plant Operations Manager

Plastic Executive Recruiters; Wisconsin; On-site; USD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Plastic Executive Recruiters is seeking a Plant Operations Manager for a newly created leadership role in a high-automation, 24/7 facility in Wisconsin. You will guide Production Supervisors and about 120 staff, embedding Lean culture and visual management to drive measurable improvements.

The role emphasizes frontline leadership development, data-driven problem solving, and collaboration across Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, Planning and Supply Chain to remove constraints and raise overall

Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience.
• Experience directly supervising Production Supervisors or frontline leaders.
• Proven success in high-volume, multi-shift manufacturing environments.
• Hands-on Lean knowledge and data-driven problem solving.
• Experience with visual factory, Pareto charts, 5 Whys and KPI management.
• Able to identify root causes, implement countermeasures, sustain gains.

Responsibilities

• Lead Production Supervisors and ~120 employees across a 24/7 operation.
• Develop visual factory environments with clear performance visibility.
• Drive safety, quality, productivity, OEE, and labor efficiency improvements.
• Apply Lean, TPM, Kaizen and data analysis to solve recurring issues.
• Translate data into priorities and strengthen the leadership pipeline.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, Planning, and Supply Chain.

Skills

Lean Manufacturing

Visual Management

Kaizen

Root Cause Analysis

5 Whys

OEE

Team Leadership

Continuous Improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree preferred

Tools

Pareto analysis

Job description

Growing manufacturer is seeking a Plant Operations Manager to lead manufacturing performance within a highly automated, 24/7 production environment.

This is a newly created leadership position reporting directly to the Vice President of Manufacturing. The role will lead Production Supervisors and approximately 120 production employees while driving a culture built around Lean Manufacturing, visual management, accountability, and continuous improvement.

This is an excellent opportunity for a progressive manufacturing leader who enjoys being close to the operation, developing frontline leadership, and using data and Lean methodologies to produce measurable improvements.

Why Consider This Opportunity?

• Newly created position with significant visibility across the organization
• Direct reporting relationship to the VP of Manufacturing
• Opportunity to influence how Lean and continuous improvement are executed throughout production
• Modern manufacturing environment with significant investment in equipment, automation, and technology
• Lead an established supervisory organization within a 24/7 operation
• Career progression into broader plant and manufacturing leadership opportunities

What You'll Lead

• Provide leadership, coaching, and accountability to Production Supervisors across a multi-shift manufacturing operation
• Establish and maintain a strong visual factory environment, giving employees and leaders clear visibility into performance, priorities, problems, and corrective actions
• Drive measurable improvements in safety, quality, productivity, OEE, scrap, downtime, labor utilization, and manufacturing efficiency
• Use Pareto analysis, 5 Whys, Root Cause Analysis, Kaizen, TPM, and other Lean methodologies to identify recurring issues and implement sustainable corrective actions
• Translate manufacturing data into actionable priorities rather than simply reporting KPIs
• Develop structured problem-solving and continuous improvement capabilities throughout the production leadership team
• Partner with Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, Planning, and Supply Chain to eliminate manufacturing constraints and improve overall performance
• Strengthen shift-to-shift communication, standard work, accountability, and execution
• Develop Production Supervisors and identify opportunities to strengthen the manufacturing leadership pipeline
• Promote a highly engaged culture centered on safety, teamwork, accountability, and continuous improvement

What We're Looking For

• 7+ years of progressive manufacturing experience with demonstrated advancement into increasing levels of leadership responsibility
• Experience directly managing Production Supervisors or other frontline manufacturing leaders
• Proven success leading manufacturing operations in a high-volume, multi-shift environment
• Strong hands-on knowledge of Lean Manufacturing and structured continuous improvement
• Demonstrated examples of improving manufacturing performance through Lean tools and data analysis
• Experience with visual management/visual factory, Pareto charts, 5 Whys, Root Cause Analysis, corrective actions, and KPI management
• Ability to identify manufacturing problems, determine root causes, implement countermeasures, and sustain improvements
• Bachelor's degree preferred; equivalent manufacturing leadership experience will be considered

Highly Preferred

• Lean, Six Sigma, or Continuous Improvement certification
• Experience implementing or strengthening a Lean manufacturing culture
• Knowledge of TPM, Kaizen, Standard Work, Gemba, OEE, Theory of Constraints, or similar methodologies
• Experience in plastics, extrusion, packaging, automotive, food manufacturing, converting, chemicals, or other high-volume/continuous-process manufacturing environments
• Career history demonstrating stability, increasing responsibility, and leadership progression

Important Scope of the Role

This position is focused on manufacturing operations and operational excellence rather than financial ownership of the facility. Full plant P&L responsibility is not required.

Candidates currently working as Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, Operations Managers, Plant Operations Managers, Assistant Plant Managers, or Plant Managers whose strengths are centered on manufacturing execution and Lean leadership are encouraged to apply.

Keywords

Plant Operations Manager | Plant Manager | Production Manager | Manufacturing Manager | Operations Manager | Manufacturing Operations | Lean Manufacturing | Lean Certified | Six Sigma | Continuous Improvement | Operational Excellence | Visual Factory | Visual Management | Pareto Analysis | Pareto Charts | 5 Whys | Root Cause Analysis | Corrective Action | Kaizen | TPM | Gemba | Standard Work | OEE | Theory of Constraints | KPI Management | Process Improvement | Production Leadership | High-Volume Manufacturing | Continuous Process Manufacturing | Plastics | Extrusion | Packaging | Automotive Manufacturing

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