Plant Manager

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Promote safety awareness, monitor safety programs and trends and ensure adherence to safety and procedure. Drive plant stability, maintaining standards, repeatable processes, consistent equipment performance, stable environmental conditions, and people retention. Ensure manufacturing capabilities meet or exceed all customer requirements for cost, quality, and responsiveness. Analyze key performance indicators (KPIs): Utilize advanced data analytics and KPIs to monitor plant performance, lead corrective actions to address underperforming areas.

Continuous Improvement Leadership:

• Champion Lean manufacturing initiatives (e.g., 6S, Kaizen, LSW, PDCAs, Gemba, VSM, SMED, Process Capability, etc.) to identify inefficiencies, reduce waste, and streamline production processes.
• Passionately drive continuous improvement culture.
• Perform Annual Reviews for all direct reports.
• Promote team development by building a high-performance culture.
• Hire, coach, and mentor staff to build organizational capability, ensuring all employees understand and adhere to Lean processes and safety protocols and enhance employee engagement.

Communication and Collaboration:

• Communicate effectively with site leaders, managers, and customers.
• Assist in developing short- and long-term strategies to reduce costs.
• Participate in and provide support for strategic projects.
• Implement strategies in alignment with strategic initiatives and provide a clear sense of direction and focus.

Quality and Performance Management:

• Promote quality standards and initiatives and oversee Root Cause Analysis, as needed.
• Administer established policies for performance management, staffing, training, employee relations, and compensation management.
• Work closely with production for daily and weekly scheduling to optimize plant performance.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Assist with prioritizing engineering, maintenance and production improvement projects.
• Perform related responsibilities as required or directed.

Leadership and Core Values:

• As a key leader at Teknor Apex, model the right leadership behaviors that align with our Core Values and build relationships and collaboration across the shift, other shifts and cross functionally.
• Model, promote and uphold our Core Values (Accountability, Integrity, Respect, Safety, Sustainability, Innovation & Partnership).
• Follow Leader Standard Work principles to maintain process discipline, drive continuous improvement, and support team accountability.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Serve as a key liaison between manufacturing, engineering, sales, supply chain, technical (R&D), and procurement to synchronize planning and resolve operational issues.

Education and/or Work Experience Requirements:

Bachelor's degree, preferably Engineering. Minimum 7 years of experience in plant leadership, Plant Manager role preferred. Vinyl, compounding, or extrusion experience preferred. Must be able to evaluate complex situations, balancing production efficiencies with available equipment and assets. Strong proficiency in Lean manufacturing tools and Six Sigma methodologies. Demonstrated experience leading LEAN initiatives such as LSW, SMED, Kaizen, Rapid PDCA, VSM, Continuous Improvement, required Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to translate complex data into actionable operational strategies. Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Excel, and knowledge in or ability to quickly learn other computer applications. Be knowledgeable of safety, quality, and productivity processes. Ability to create accountability and to lead by example. Strong team building, decision-making and people management skills.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to safely and successfully perform the essential job functions consistent with the ADA, FMLA and other federal, state and local standards, including meeting qualitative and/or quantitative productivity standards.
• Ability to maintain regular, punctual attendance consistent with the ADA, FMLA and other federal, state and local standards
• Must be able to stand for long periods of time, squat, bend, twist and turn as needed to perform the job.
• Must be able to climb ladders and stairs multiple times throughout the shift.
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds.
• Must be able to wear required safety equipment.