General Manager-- Manufacturing

The position is located in Brainerd, MN. No remote work option is available must be on site.

The General Manager serves as the senior operational leader for our manufacturing site. This role is responsible for delivering safe, high‐quality, on‐time, and cost‐effective operations while building a culture rooted in Mission, Vision, and Core Values. The GM translates strategy into execution, drives operational performance, develops leaders, and ensures strong cross‐functional alignment across all departments. 

Core Responsibilities 

• Provide clear leadership, communication, and strategic direction for all plant functions. 
• Translate company strategy into executable plans with measurable targets. 
•  Anticipate site needs and lead long‐range planning for people, equipment, and capacity. 
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and employee engagement. 
• Ensure strong performance in safety, quality, productivity, delivery, and cost. 
•  Optimize workforce planning, equipment utilization, material flow, and facility layout. 
• Own the plant’s P&L and partner on budgets, forecasting, and financial performance. 
• Lead, mentor, and develop departmental managers and emerging leaders. 
• Promote a culture focused on safety, teamwork, learning, and recognition. 
• Build strong partnerships with Engineering, Quality, HR, Safety, Finance, and IT. 
• Lead continuous improvement efforts including A3s, 5 Why, Kaizen, and PDCA. 

Success Profile 

Knowledge – Manufacturing processes, workflows, plant performance metrics; strong financial and business acumen. 

Competencies – Strategy execution, decision‐making, collaboration, emotional intelligence, accountability. 

Experience – Leading operations in manufacturing, cross‐functional leadership, talent development. 

Personal Attributes – Resilient, collaborative, motivating, accountable. 

Job Requirements 

Must‐Have: 

•  Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Operations, Business, or related field 
• 7–10+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience 
• Strong financial acumen and P&L ownership experience 
• Proven success leading plant operations and teams 
•  Proficiency with ERP systems 

Nice‐to‐Have: 

• Master’s degree (MBA or related) 
• Plant Manager or senior operations leadership experience 

LEAN/CI certification or equivalent experience

Brainerd Lakes Economic Development Corporation is helping to hire this position for a member company. We work with companies in our area to help them expand and grow in MN.