Primary location: Carson, California
Relocation offered: No
Employment status: Full-Time
Travel: Non-compete: No
The estimated base salary range for this role is $200,000 to $235,000 per year, plus an annual incentive bonus and equity.
Individual pay is based upon location, skills and expertise, experience and other relevant factors
We're looking for an experienced Plant Manager to lead Arktura's manufacturing operations in Carson, California. This is an opportunity for a hands-on, people-focused leader who thrives in a custom, high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environment and enjoys being close to the operation and the teams who make it happen. Reporting to the General Manager, you'll lead plant performance across safety, quality, service, cost, people, technology, and continuous improvement while building the capabilities and culture needed to support continued growth.
What's in It for You- Make an impact. Lead a complex manufacturing operation where your decisions directly influence safety, quality, customer service, cost, productivity, inventory, and overall plant performance.
- Lead and develop a talented team. Build an engaged, accountable culture while coaching leaders and developing organizational capability at all levels.
- Shape the future of the operation. Champion continuous improvement, introduce better processes and systems, and help create a more scalable, sustainable manufacturing environment.
- Work across the business. Partner with senior leadership and cross-functional teams spanning manufacturing, engineering, quality, supply chain, EHS, and IT.
- Stay close to the action. This is a visible, hands-on leadership role where you'll be connected to the manufacturing floor, your team, and the day-to-day opportunities to make the operation better.
What You'll Do- Provide overall leadership for plant operations, delivering results across safety, quality, service, cost, inventory, productivity, and organizational capability.
- Lead, coach, mentor, and develop plant leaders and employees, establishing clear expectations, strengthening accountability, and creating a positive, high-performing work environment.
- Maintain a strong, visible presence on the manufacturing floor, building relationships with employees and staying closely connected to safety, production priorities, and operational challenges.
- Champion continuous improvement and change management, using Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, structured problem-solving, and other improvement methodologies to simplify processes, improve performance, and create sustainable results.
- Build a strong problem-solving culture that enables teams to quickly address operational challenges, identify root causes, and continuously improve.
- Oversee staffing, talent development, performance management, goal alignment, project execution, resource allocation, and plant-wide policy deployment.
- Provide leadership and oversight of the site IT function, including the IT Manager and supporting team, ensuring ERP systems, reporting capabilities, and manufacturing technology effectively support plant operations and business needs.
- Partner across production, engineering, quality, supply chain/planning, EHS, and IT to align resources, systems, and priorities around plant and business objectives.
- Own plant financial performance by developing and managing budgets, maintaining appropriate financial controls, participating in operational and financial reviews, and taking corrective action when necessary.
- Partner with senior leadership to plan and implement new products, services, manufacturing capabilities, and the supporting processes needed for successful execution.
- Ensure compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, company policies, safety programs, and business ethics standards while fostering a culture of safety and respect for people.
What Will Make You Successful- Hands-on manufacturing leadership with the ability to balance strategic business priorities with a strong presence on the plant floor.
- Proven people leadership, including building, coaching, and developing strong teams, establishing accountability, and creating a high-performance culture.
- Strong understanding of custom, make-to-order or high-mix, low-volume manufacturing, where priorities, materials, schedules, and customer requirements can change quickly.
- Demonstrated ability to lead change, challenge the status quo, build buy-in, implement new processes and systems, and sustain improvements over time.
- Strong understanding of ERP systems and manufacturing technology, with the ability to leverage systems, reporting, and data to improve planning, visibility, decision-making, and execution.
- Solid knowledge of supply chain, materials planning, inventory, and production, particularly within a custom manufacturing environment.
- Strong cross-functional leadership and collaboration skills, with the ability to influence across organizational lines while remaining willing to roll up your sleeves and solve problems alongside the team
Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in a business or technical discipline, with engineering preferred.
- 10+ years of progressive production/manufacturing management experience, including significant leadership responsibility within a manufacturing operation.
- Demonstrated business leadership with the ability to understand and drive P&L and operational performance.
- Proven success building and leading cross-functional manufacturing teams.
- Strong knowledge of continuous improvement tools and methodologies, including Lean Manufacturing and Kaizen.
- Strong business acumen with excellent communication, presentation, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
- Demonstrated ability to work across organizational boundaries and translate business priorities into operational execution.
What Will Make You Stand Out- Experience leading a custom, build-to-order, high-mix/low-volume manufacturing environment.
- Demonstrated success leading significant operational change, process improvement, or manufacturing transformation initiatives.
- Strong experience with ERP systems, manufacturing technology, and data/reporting, including the ability to use technology to improve operational visibility and execution.
- Strong working knowledge of supply chain, inventory management, materials planning, and just-in-time concepts.
- Experience working successfully within a matrixed organization.
- Lean and/or Six Sigma certification.
- Bilingual Spanish/English capabilities
About the location (Carson, CA)Carson is a city in the South Bay and the Harbor regions of Los Angeles County, California, located 13 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Carson is a thriving, diverse, destination city - a great place to live, work and play with an unlimited future. While Carson is well known as an industrial center with unparalleled access to transportation and the Pacific Rim, it is also a culturally diverse community that is an attractive place to live and work. The city has more than 120 acres of park land divided into 12 parks, 2 mini-parks and sports/recreational facilities that include 3 swimming pools, a boxing center, a state-of-the art sports complex and the Carson Community Center.
Come and build your future with us and apply today!
