Spandex Plant Operations Manager — Safety & Lean Execution

The LYCRA Company; Waynesboro (VA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

The LYCRA Company is seeking a Spandex Operations Manager for the Waynesboro, VA site. You will lead the 24/7/365 manufacturing teams across Essential Materials, Polymer, Spinning and Beaming, manage ~9 salaried and ~120 wage staff, and report to the Plant Manager.

Candidate must drive safety, productivity, and quality with strong planning, organizational and interpersonal skills, applying 5S/lean/kaizen practices to sustain operational excellence.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 5+ years of management experience OR 8+ years in manufacturing.
• Excellent critical thinking and ability to distill complex issues into defined actions.
• Track record of driving improvements in a manufacturing operation.
• Experience using Microsoft Office tools in communication and analysis.

Responsibilities

• Lead safety-first culture and ensure compliance.
• Own and drive safety performance and culture to ensure safety is the number one priority and employees are aligned in putting safety first.
• Initiate plans and processes which minimize manufacturing costs through effective utilization of manpower, equipment, facilities, materials, and capital. Assure attainment of business objectives and production schedules while ensuring product standards will exceed customers’ expectations.
• Staff roles with the right people. Quickly assess performance or capability gaps and take corrective action.
• Set high Operations Excellence standards and maintain accountability within area of responsibility.
• Understand the key drivers of profitability. Identify and implement opportunities to continuously create economic value.
• Develop key measures to drive improvement and motivate the organization.
• Effectively communicate progress, plans and issues with site operations leadership and the commercial business team as required.
• Challenge and mentor the team in the effective use Root Cause Analysis to identify system failures and gaps.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Planning

Interpersonal skills

Problem-solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Chemical Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SAP

Microsoft Office

Job description

The LYCRA Company is seeking a Spandex Operations Manager for the Waynesboro, VA site. You will lead the 24/7/365 manufacturing teams across Essential Materials, Polymer, Spinning and Beaming, manage ~9 salaried and ~120 wage staff, and report to the Plant Manager.

Candidate must drive safety, productivity, and quality with strong planning, organizational and interpersonal skills, applying 5S/lean/kaizen practices to sustain operational excellence.