Complex Plant Manager ( Full-time ) Defiance, OH - DK

Central Business Solutions, Inc

$200K — $240K *
Manufacturing & Automotive
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree required, preferably in engineering or a technical field.
  • 12+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience, including 5+ years as a Plant Manager or equivalent.
  • Experience leading large, complex multiline manufacturing operations with unionized and salaried staff.
  • Demonstrated success in improving safety, productivity, quality, cost, and employee engagement.
  • Strong financial acumen with P&L management experience and capital project oversight.
  • Knowledge of continuous improvement practices, such as Lean or Six Sigma.
  • Technical and mechanical aptitude in manufacturing systems.

Responsibilities

  • Achieve year-over-year improvements in safety metrics and compliance with regulations.
  • Enhance productivity, yield, and uptime using lean manufacturing and continuous improvement systems.
  • Maintain the plant's status as a reliable supplier, improving customer satisfaction and reducing quality issues.
  • Balance immediate operational needs with long-term stability and asset reliability.
  • Foster an engaged and accountable workplace culture aligned with company values.
  • Coach and develop leadership talent, ensuring robust succession planning.
  • Lead major capital projects while ensuring safety and adherence to budgets.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to lead a major manufacturing complex with a direct impact on organizational performance.
  • Gain hands-on experience with significant capital investment projects and automation.
  • High visibility role with frequent interactions with senior leadership and key stakeholders.
  • Position offers a platform for career advancement through measurable impact on operations and culture.
Full Job Description
Key Performance Outcomes:

The Plant Manager is expected to:
  • Safety & Environmental Performance:
    • Achieve yearoveryear improvement in safety metrics, ensuring the Defiance complex meets or exceeds JM safety, health, and environmental commitments.
    • Maintain full regulatory compliance while reducing risk through proactive hazard identification, strong safety culture, and disciplined operating practices.
  • Operational Excellence:
    • Improve plant productivity, throughput, yield, and uptime through disciplined execution of lean manufacturing and continuous improvement systems.
    • Ensure Defiance remains a reliable, highquality supplier to internal JM plants and external customers, improving customer satisfaction and reducing quality escapes.
    • Balance shortterm operational demands with longterm process stability and asset reliability.
  • People & Culture:
    • Build and sustain an engaged, accountable, performancedriven culture aligned with JM values.
    • Develop leaders and succession pipelines by coaching, setting clear expectations, and holding leaders accountable for results.
    • Effectively lead within a union environment, maintaining productive labor relations while driving performance.
  • Financial Performance:
    • Deliver annual operating results against budget and forecast, including cost, working capital, and inventory performance.
    • Translate financial analysis into actionable operating decisions that improve profitability and asset efficiency.
  • Capital & Strategic Execution:
    • Lead major capital programs-including furnace rebuilds, automation, and capacity expansions-delivering projects safely, on schedule, and within approved funding.
    • Improve plant efficiency and strategic flexibility through disciplined evaluation and execution of capital investments.
  • Systems, Governance & Reporting:
    • Establish and maintain robust operating metrics, management routines, and reporting systems that drive accountability and continuous improvement.
    • Partner with senior leadership to align site execution with both nearterm business priorities and longrange strategic objectives.
  • External Leadership:
    • Serve as the primary representative of JM for the Defiance complex with community stakeholders, regulatory agencies, customers, and corporate leadership.

Why This Role Stands Out:
  • EnterpriseCritical Leadership Role: Lead one of JM's largest, most complex, and most visible manufacturing complexes with direct impact on networkwide supply and performance.
  • True Scale and Accountability: Full responsibility for a multisite, capitalintensive operation with 600+ hourly and 60+ salaried employees, multiple unions, and diverse product lines.
  • Transformation Opportunity: Drive major capital investments-including furnace rebuilds, automation, and potential expansion-shaping the future of the plant, not just maintaining it.
  • High Visibility, High Impact: Significant interaction with senior leadership and corporate stakeholders; success here is highly visible and careeraccelerating.
  • CareerDefining Challenge: Ideal for a proven plant leader seeking complexity, influence, and the chance to leave a lasting operational and cultural legacy.

Qualifications & Leadership Capabilities:
  • Bachelor's degree required (engineering or technical related degree preferred) with 12+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience, including 5+ years as a Plant Manager or equivalent senior site leadership role.
  • Demonstrated success leading large, complex, multiline manufacturing operations with union and salaried workforces.
  • Proven ability to deliver measurable improvements in safety, productivity, quality, cost, and employee engagement.
  • Strong financial acumen with experience managing P&L performance and capital programs.
  • Deep knowledge of continuous improvement disciplines (Lean, Six Sigma, KepnerTregoe, or similar).
  • Experience with environmental permitting, regulatory agencies, and safety program leadership.
  • Strong technical and mechanical aptitude with the ability to challenge and improve manufacturing systems.
  • Highly effective communicator and collaborator, capable of influencing at all levels of the organization.
  • Demonstrated ability to set clear direction, prioritize competing demands, and drive disciplined execution.
  • Willingness to travel periodically (11-29 days per year).

Security Clearance Required: No
Visa Candidate Considered: No
Compensation
Base Salary - USD $200,000 to $240,000

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