Director of Plant Operations

Role Overview

This is a senior plant leadership role responsible for end-to-end ownership of a high-volume manufacturing operation. The plant is stable, well-run, and operating with strong momentum — this is not a turnaround.

The leader in this role will have real autonomy to run the operation, develop leaders, and continue strengthening a people-first, accountability-driven culture within a structuredructured and well-resourced organization.

Key Responsibilities

• Own overall plant performance across safety, production, quality, maintenance, and cost
• Lead, coach, and develop a multi-layer leadership team (managers, supervisors, frontline leaders)
• Sustain and elevate a strong culture of accountability without fear
• Drive disciplined daily execution while keeping long-term improvement in focus
• Ensure consistent adherence to safety, quality, and regulatory standards
• Partner cross-functionally with supply chain, quality, engineering, and HR
• Use data and KPIs to guide decisions while remaining highly visible on the floor
• Communicate clearly and confidently with senior leadership and frontline teams
• Own outcomes — good and bad — with transparency and integrity

What Makes This Role Different

• True plant ownership, not micromanagement
• Strong foundation already in place — build forward, don’t clean up
• Balance of stability and autonomy
• High trust environment with clear expectations
• Culture-focused leadership valued as much as operational results

Required Background

• Senior leadership experience in manufacturing operations
• Experience in high-velocity, low-buffer environments
• Proven track record developing leaders and sustaining culture change
• Comfortable operating under constant production pressure
• Experience leading cross-functional teams in a plant setting

Industry background is flexible; operating rigor and leadership mindset matter more than sector.

Required Skills

• People development and coaching
• Safety leadership and accountability
• Operational discipline and execution
• Continuous improvement mindset
• Data-driven decision-making
• Cross-functional leadership
• Executive-level communication
• Calm leadership under pressure
• Cultural stewardship
• Strong ownership mentality

Ideal Candidate Profile

This role is well-suited for someone who:

• Wants ownership without chaos
• Values developing people as much as hitting numbers
• Is confident, grounded, and ego-free
• Prefers substance over title-chasing
• Is looking to build on something that’s already working