Interim Plant Manager

Our client is a well-established manufacturer of specialized industrial products used in demanding process industries. The organization is seeking an experienced Plant Manager to lead a highly customized manufacturing operation located in the Midwest.

Reporting to executive leadership, this individual will have full responsibility for plant operations, including safety, production, quality, supply chain coordination, financial performance, and employee development. The facility employs under 100 team members and operates in a manufacturing environment where customer-specific products, rapid production changes, and operational flexibility are critical to success.

The successful candidate will be an experienced manufacturing leader capable of balancing operational excellence with customer responsiveness while driving continuous improvement across the organization.

Key Responsibilities

Operations Leadership

• Lead all aspects of plant operations, including production, maintenance, quality, shipping, receiving, inventory, and continuous improvement.


• Ensure production schedules align with customer requirements while maximizing throughput and equipment utilization.


• Drive improvements in productivity, efficiency, and overall plant performance.

Production Planning & Manufacturing Excellence

• Manage a manufacturing operation producing a broad portfolio of customer-specific products requiring frequent production changeovers.


• Develop strategies to reduce setup times, improve scheduling efficiency, and optimize manufacturing flow.


• Ensure production processes consistently meet customer specifications and delivery commitments.

Supply Chain & Inventory Management

• Partner closely with purchasing, planning, and suppliers to maintain material availability while optimizing inventory levels.


• Balance customer demand, production capacity, and working capital objectives.


• Identify opportunities to improve material flow and supply chain performance.

Quality & Continuous Improvement

• Maintain a strong quality management system that ensures product consistency and compliance with customer requirements.


• Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for quality issues.


• Drive Lean Manufacturing initiatives focused on waste reduction, process improvement, and operational excellence.

Leadership & Safety

• Foster a culture centered on safety, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.


• Develop, coach, and mentor plant leadership and production teams.


• Promote cross-training and workforce flexibility to support changing production priorities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, or a related technical discipline preferred.


• 15+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience, including previous responsibility for plant operations.


• Experience leading operations within a high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environment.


• Demonstrated success implementing Lean Manufacturing principles, including continuous improvement, standardized work, waste reduction, and changeover optimization.


• Strong understanding of production planning, inventory management, quality systems, and supply chain operations.


• Experience utilizing ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, or similar platforms.


• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams, improve operational performance, and develop high-performing organizatiion

Preferred Experience

Experience in one or more of the following industries is preferred:

• Specialty chemicals


• Advanced materials


• Industrial manufacturing


• Metals


• Process manufacturing


• Batch manufacturing


• Industrial products


• Engineered materials