Plant Manager

Plant Manager

New Milford, CT

Full Time

The Plant Manager is responsible for the overall leadership, performance, and execution of manufacturing operations within a custom-engineered, project-driven manufacturing environment. This role ensures the safe, efficient, and cost-effective production of high-quality products while achieving customer delivery commitments, budget objectives, labor targets, and operational excellence goals. The Plant Manager provides strategic and day-to-day leadership for Manufacturing, Planning, Materials Management, Purchasing, Inventory Control, and related operations, ensuring resources are aligned to meet project schedules and customer expectations. This position drives continuous improvement initiatives, develops organizational capability, and fosters a culture of accountability, safety, quality, and teamwork.

Key Responsibilities:

Manufacturing Operations Leadership

• Lead all manufacturing operations to ensure the efficient production of custom-engineered products in accordance with customer requirements, quality standards, and delivery commitments.
• Direct and manage shop floor activities based on Production Plan and established manufacturing processes.
• Manage, Maintain, and Communicate operational metrics. Safety, Quality, Productivity, and Delivery.
• Ensure production operations consistently achieve or exceed shipment, schedule, labor, quality, and financial objectives.
• Provide leadership to production supervisors, team leaders, and departmental personnel to drive operational excellence.
• Maintain clear visibility of production status, constraints, risks, and capacity utilization.

Production Planning & Execution

• Collaborate with Planning to develop and execute manufacturing schedules that support customer delivery requirements and corporate objectives.
• Monitor production performance against schedules and implement corrective actions to address delays or bottlenecks.
• Balance labor resources, equipment capacity, and workflow priorities to optimize production output.
• Coordinate manufacturing priorities across multiple concurrent projects.
• Ensure timely release and execution of work orders and manufacturing documentation.

Materials, Procurement & Inventory Management

• Oversee Planning, Materials, Purchasing, and Inventory Control functions through direct reports.
• Ensure material availability aligns with production schedules and project requirements.
• Collaborate with Purchasing, improve supplier performance, and mitigate supply chain risks.
• Coordinate with stockroom personnel to ensure material accuracy, availability, and efficient distribution to manufacturing operations.

Labor & Budget Management

• Manage departmental budgets, labor utilization, and manufacturing performance metrics.
• Conduct regular reviews of actual labor performance versus budgeted labor hours.
• Analyze variances and implement corrective actions to improve productivity and profitability.
• Work with Engineering and Finance to establish labor standards and monitor manufacturing efficiency.
• Support organizational objectives related to cost reduction, margin improvement, and operational performance.

Quality & Continuous Improvement

• Promote a culture of quality throughout all manufacturing operations.
• Ensure compliance with approved procedures, work instructions, specifications, and quality standards.
• Conduct root cause analysis of production issues, labor variances, quality concerns, and schedule deviations.
• Implement corrective and preventive actions to drive sustainable improvements.
• Provide feedback and recommendations on Engineering Change Requests (ECRs), Corrective Action Requests (CARs), Manufacturing Instructions, and Design Guide Instructions.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, productivity, workflow optimization, and cost reduction.
• Maintain a clean, organized, and efficient manufacturing environment utilizing Lean Manufacturing and 5S principles where applicable.

Safety & Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure compliance with all company safety policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
• Promote a culture of safety accountability throughout the organization.
• Conduct and document accident investigations and ensure corrective actions are implemented.
• Ensure employees receive appropriate training and required certifications.
• Monitor facility conditions and implement improvements to enhance workplace safety.

Employee Leadership & Development

• Develop, mentor, and retain a high-performing manufacturing team.
• Establish performance expectations and provide regular coaching, feedback, and development opportunities.
• Build organizational capability through cross-training and succession planning initiatives.
• Manage employee performance, attendance, overtime, disciplinary actions, and workforce planning.
• Foster positive employee relations while maintaining accountability and operational discipline.
• Promote teamwork, communication, and employee engagement throughout the organization.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Engineering, Project Management, Quality, Procurement, Finance, and Sales to support successful project execution.
• Participate in project reviews to align manufacturing capacity with business priorities.
• Communicate operational performance, risks, and resource requirements to executive leadership.
• Support new product introductions, process improvements, and operational improvement initiatives.
• Facilitate collaboration between departments to ensure seamless project execution from order entry through shipment.

Operational Performance & Reporting

• Develop and maintain key performance indicators (KPIs) related to safety, quality, delivery, cost, inventory, and productivity.
• Provide regular operational updates to the General Manager and executive leadership team.
• Monitor manufacturing trends and identify opportunities for process enhancements and organizational improvements.
• Prepare reports and recommendations regarding operational performance, resource utilization, and strategic initiatives.

Performance Objectives

The Plant Manager will be evaluated on the following key performance indicators:

Safety Performance

• Maintain a safe work environment with a strong focus on accident prevention.
• Meet or exceed company safety goals and reduce recordable incidents.
• Ensure compliance with all safety procedures and regulatory requirements.

Delivery Performance

• Achieve on-time shipment and customer delivery performance objectives.
• Meet monthly, quarterly, and annual production schedules.
• Minimize manufacturing delays and schedule disruptions.

Financial Performance

• Meet or exceed departmental budget and labor utilization targets.
• Improve manufacturing productivity and operational efficiency.
• Support company gross margin objectives through cost control and process improvements.
• Reduce material waste, rework, and non-conformance costs.

Quality Performance

• Meet quality objectives and customer satisfaction requirements.
• Reduce production defects, rework, and corrective action occurrences.
• Ensure compliance with established quality systems and procedures.

Operational Excellence

• Improve Direct Labor Conversion, Efficiency, and Resource utilization.
• Drive measurable continuous improvement initiatives annually.
• Maintain organized, efficient, and scalable manufacturing operations.

Leadership & Workforce Development

• Develop employee skills, engagement, and retention.
• Build leadership capability within supervisory and production teams.
• Support succession planning and cross-functional workforce flexibility.

Inventory & Supply Chain Performance

• Maintain inventory accuracy and planned inventory levels.
• Improve supplier performance and material availability.
• Minimize production interruptions caused by material shortages.

Education - Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Supply Chain Management, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience, including responsibility for production operations, personnel, and budgets.
• Experience in a custom-engineered, project-based manufacturing environment is strongly preferred.
• Direct experience manufacturing power electrical equipment, transformers, rectifiers, or other industrial electrical products is highly desirable.
• Experience managing Planning, Purchasing, Materials Management, Inventory Control, and Manufacturing operations.
• Strong understanding of project-based manufacturing and production scheduling methodologies.

Required Skills & Competencies

• Strong leadership, coaching, and team development capabilities.
• Comprehensive understanding of manufacturing operations, production planning, materials management, and inventory control.
• Knowledge of project-based manufacturing, scheduling, and capacity planning.
• Strong financial acumen with the ability to manage budgets, labor utilization, and operational metrics.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to proactively plan and execute over short- and long-range planning horizons.
• Strong verbal, written, and presentation communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, ERP/MRP systems, production planning tools, and Microsoft Project.
• Ability to interpret technical drawings, schematics, blueprints, customer specifications, and manufacturing documentation.
• Experience leading continuous improvement initiatives utilizing Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, 5S, or similar methodologies preferred.
• Strong decision-making, conflict-resolution, and change management skills.
• Self-motivated, highly organized, and results-oriented with the ability to work independently.

Physical Requirements & Work Environment

• Ability to operate a forklift following company certification requirements.
• Ability to lift up to 25 pounds on a regular basis.
• Ability to stand, walk, bend, and climb throughout the workday, with significant time spent on the manufacturing floor.
• Required use of personal protective equipment (PPE), including safety glasses, safety shoes, hearing protection, and other PPE as required.
• Regular exposure to a manufacturing environment, including noise, dust, fumes, oils, odors, and varying temperatures.

Preferred Qualifications

• PMP, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma Green Belt/Black Belt, APICS, or other operational excellence certifications.
• Familiarity with transformer and rectifier manufacturing processes and applications.
• Experience implementing ERP/MRP system improvements and manufacturing process optimization initiatives.
• Demonstrated success leading operational growth, capacity expansion, and continuous improvement programs.

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