Senior Plant Manager

Forum Energy Technologies, Inc.; Broussard (LA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Forum Energy Technologies, Inc. in Louisiana is seeking a Senior Plant Manager to lead a strategic manufacturing facility, driving safety, quality, and operational excellence in alignment with the FET 2030 vision.

The role supports multiple product lines and serves as a hub for continuous improvement and growth. The position requires a strong track record in lean manufacturing, capacity planning, and developing future leaders through coaching and succession planning, with a focus on

Qualifications

• 10+ years of manufacturing experience with progressive leadership.
• 5+ years in plant management or senior manufacturing leadership.
• Experience leading machining/assembly/industrial manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of Lean, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
• Proven success in safety, growth initiatives, capacity expansion, and organizational development.
• Experience managing budgets, capital projects, and operational metrics.

Responsibilities

• Direct all manufacturing activities including machining, assembly, maintenance, quality, and production support.
• Achieve safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost objectives.
• Oversee CNC turning, milling, grinding, fabrication, and related processes.
• Optimize flow, labor utilization, equipment effectiveness, and capacity planning.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, throughput, and profitability.
• Champion Lean and continuous improvement across the facility.

Skills

Lean Manufacturing

Leadership

Strategic Planning

Team Development

Operational Excellence

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Dynamics Business Central

Job description

Summary

The Senior Plant Manager is responsible for the overall leadership and performance of a manufacturing facility designated as one of FET's Manufacturing Centers of Excellence. This facility supports multiple FET product lines and serves as a strategic hub for operational excellence, in-sourcing initiatives, manufacturing capability expansion, and future growth aligned with the company's FET 2030 vision.

The Senior Plant Manager is responsible for the overall leadership and performance of a manufacturing facility designated as one of FET's Manufacturing Centers of Excellence. This facility supports multiple FET product lines and serves as a strategic hub for operational excellence, in-sourcing initiatives, manufacturing capability expansion, and future growth aligned with the company's FET 2030 vision.

The Senior Plant Manager is accountable for achieving plant objectives in safety, quality, delivery, productivity, cost, employee engagement, and customer satisfaction while driving continuous improvement throughout the operation. This position plays a critical role in supporting growth by developing scalable processes, advancing manufacturing capabilities, and fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement. This position develops leaders, strengthens operational performance, and ensures the facility meets current and future business requirements.

Key Responsibilities

Safety & Leadership

• Promote a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with all environmental, health, and safety requirements.
• Provide leadership, coaching, and development to supervisors, managers, and plant personnel.
• Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
• Support workforce planning, talent development, and succession planning initiatives.
• Promote employee engagement and reinforce company values throughout the organization.
• Build a high-performance culture that balances safety, quality, delivery, cost, and employee development.

Manufacturing Operations

• Direct all manufacturing activities including machining, assembly, maintenance, quality, and production support functions.
• Ensure plant performance goals are achieved for safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost.
• Oversee CNC turning, milling, grinding, fabrication, assembly, and related manufacturing processes.
• Optimize production flow, labor utilization, equipment effectiveness, and capacity planning.
• Identify and implement opportunities to improve efficiency, throughput, and profitability.
• Champion continuous improvement and Lean Manufacturing initiatives across the facility.

Quality & Customer Support

• Partner with internal customers, external customers, suppliers, and cross-functional teams to resolve operational issues and support business growth.
• Drive improvements in product quality, scrap reduction, rework reduction, and on-time delivery.
• Support customer visits, audits, and operational reviews as needed.
• Partner with internal and external stakeholders to resolve operational issues and support business growth.
• Promote a culture of quality ownership throughout the organization.
• Support the development of an integrated supply chain strategy focused on material availability, inventory optimization, supplier performance, and customer responsiveness.

Financial Management

• Own plant profitability and overall operational financial performance.
• Develop and manage plant operating budgets and capital spending plans.
• Drive productivity improvements, cost reduction initiatives, and margin enhancement opportunities.
• Monitor manufacturing variances, labor absorption, inventory performance, working capital, and key financial metrics.
• Translate operational improvements into measurable business results.
• Ensure compliance with corporate policies, internal controls, audit requirements, and public company governance standards.

Talent Development

• Develop a high-performance organization that builds future manufacturing leaders through coaching, mentoring, training, and succession planning.
• Create a learning culture focused on continuous improvement and professional growth.
• Promote cross-functional collaboration, knowledge sharing, and organizational effectiveness.
• Build and maintain a robust succession pipeline for critical leadership and operational positions.
• Attract, develop, and retain top manufacturing talent.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Business, or related field preferred.

Experience

• 10+ years of manufacturing experience with progressive leadership responsibility.
• 5+ years of plant management or senior manufacturing leadership experience.
• Experience leading machining, assembly, or industrial manufacturing operations.
• Strong knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, continuous improvement, and operational excellence principles.
• Demonstrated success leading, safety, growth initiatives, capacity expansion, operational transformation, and organizational development.
• Experience managing budgets, capital projects, and operational metrics.
• Strong leadership, communication, and team development skills.
• Microsoft Dynamics Business Central experience is desirable.

About FET

FET (Forum Energy Technologies, Inc.) is a global company, serving the crude oil, natural gas, and renewable energy industries. FET is headquartered in Houston, TX with quality manufacturing, efficient distribution, and service facilities conveniently located to support the major energy-producing regions of the world. Forum’s products and services range from the underwater reservoir to the refinery, from the sea floor to the above ground transportation line. We pride ourselves on giving you a comprehensive offering of solutions to maximize your operations and improve your bottom line. Our customers are our partners and we work with them to solve their ever-changing challenges.

FET is an Equal Opportunity Employer. FET does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected under federal, state, or local law. All employment decisions and practices at FET are subject to the foregoing non-discrimination provisions and are based solely on merit, competence, performance, and business needs at the time.

FET participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. FET participa en E-Verify y proporcionará al gobierno federal la información de su Formulario I-9 para confirmar que usted está autorizado para trabajar en los EE.UU..

As part of our hiring process, we may use technology, including AI-enabled tools, to help review and assess applications based on job-related criteria. All hiring decisions are made by our recruitment team and hiring managers.