Site Leader: Lean Ops, Safety & Growth

Barry-Wehmiller Companies Inc.; Sleepy Eye (MN); On-site; USD 130,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Paid time off

401k plan with company match

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Afinitas, part of Barry-Wehmiller, seeks a Site Leader / Plant Manager to direct the manufacturing facility and drive excellence in safety, quality, delivery, and employee engagement. You will shape long-term growth strategy and build high-performing teams in a hands-on environment.

The role requires strong operational leadership, a track record of continuous improvement, and the ability to partner with executive leadership to achieve ambitious business goals.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of leadership experience managing a manufacturing operation, plant, business unit, or similar industrial environment.
• Proven ability to lead teams, drive accountability, and deliver operational results.
• Experience with budgets, metrics, and cost performance.
• Demonstrated success implementing Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement.
• Strong communication, leadership, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to lead change, influence stakeholders, and motivate teams.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership for the manufacturing facility and all site operations.
• Establish clear performance expectations and drive accountability across production and support teams.
• Develop, lead, and maintain a world-class safety culture.
• Foster a culture centered on safety, quality, teamwork, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
• Develop leaders throughout the organization through coaching, mentoring, and performance management.
• Manage site performance through KPIs, operational metrics, and strategic objectives.
• Develop and manage annual budgets and operating plans.
• Partner with finance to manage costs, capital expenditures, inventory levels, and profitability.
• Analyze operational performance, identify variances, and implement corrective actions.
• Ensure customer expectations for quality, delivery, and responsiveness are consistently achieved.
• Build and lead a culture of continuous improvement.
• Guide the team through Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, Six Sigma, and other CI initiatives.
• Improve productivity, throughput, quality, and cost performance.
• Identify operational risks and proactively implement solutions.
• Collaborate with engineering, sales, supply chain, and finance teams to meet business objectives.
• Work closely with the VP of Continuous Improvement to drive enterprise-wide improvement initiatives.
• Partner with leadership to develop and execute long-term operational strategies.
• Ensure adequate staffing, training, and workforce development plans are in place.
• Partner with the Global Safety Leader to develop and improve site safety programs.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable regulations, company policies, and industry standards.

Skills

Leadership experience

Operational excellence

Lean Manufacturing

Communication

Change management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Operations/Business

Tools

ERP systems (Infor/SAP/Epicor/Oracle)

Job description

Afinitas, part of Barry-Wehmiller, seeks a Site Leader / Plant Manager to direct the manufacturing facility and drive excellence in safety, quality, delivery, and employee engagement. You will shape long-term growth strategy and build high-performing teams in a hands-on environment.

The role requires strong operational leadership, a track record of continuous improvement, and the ability to partner with executive leadership to achieve ambitious business goals.