Plant Manager

Summary:

An experienced leader will stand up our new manufacturing facility in Denton, TX and run it through go-live into steady-state. The plant will include sheet metal operations (laser, punch, bend, weld, paint), electrical panel assembly, and HVAC unit assembly lines, with a strong emphasis on automation and robotic solutions.

This is a new facility start-up. The incumbent will partner directly with executive leadership on project execution, from facility fit-out and equipment commissioning through hiring, process validation, and production launch. The role carries full operational accountability once the plant is live, including safety, quality, cost, delivery, and P&L performance, and will lead the plant leadership team across manufacturing engineering, production, and maintenance.

We are looking for a strategic operator who thrives in a project-driven, start-up environment, demonstrates teamwork, and empowers leaders to achieve excellence. Effective communication, executive presence, and the ability to inspire, delegate, and build an organization from scratch are essential.

This long-term opportunity offers the chance to build a new plant end-to-end, shape its culture and standards, and grow with the organization as our Texas footprint scales.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Partner with the Executive Director of Manufacturing Operations to lead the Denton plant from facility fit-out through start-up, go-live, and into steady-state operations, including layout, equipment installation and commissioning, process validation, staffing ramp-up, and production launch.


• Own full site operational and financial performance post go-live, including budget, P&L, capital spend, and key operating KPIs.


• Build and lead the plant leadership team, including manufacturing engineering, production, and maintenance.


• Develop the organizational structure, talent pipeline, and succession plan for the site.


• Oversee sheet metal and electrical panel assembly operations, ensuring process capability, throughput, and quality targets are met.


• Oversee HVAC unit assembly lines, ensuring takt time, line balancing, quality at source, and on-time delivery.


• Drive the deployment and scaling of automation and robotic solutions across the value stream.


• Establish operational standards for safety, quality, on-time delivery, cost control, process improvement, and waste reduction.


• Lead capital planning and multi-year investment strategy for the site, in partnership with finance and executive leadership.


• Contribute to enterprise standardization efforts across STULZ USA plants.


• Foster a culture of clear accountability, high productivity, and teamwork.


• Drive and instill a mindset of continuous improvement.


• Troubleshoot and resolve operational challenges to minimize disruptions and maintenance problems, ensuring minimum costs and preventing operational delays.


• Promote a customer-centric approach by anticipating and addressing customer needs.


• Build trusting relationships by encouraging open dialogue and transparency.


• Identify operational and project risks and develop mitigation strategies.


• Enforce high-performance standards, ensuring the team's efforts align with the company mission.


• Be results and data-driven, implementing change based on insights from data analysis.


• Collaborate with contractors, equipment vendors, and internal teams (engineering, supply chain, quality, EHS, HR, finance) to ensure smooth setup and operational readiness.


• Navigate and interpret ERP System, preferred SAP.

Qualifications:

• Manufacturing (HVAC preferable)


• Sheet metal operations (laser, punch, bend, weld, paint) preferred


• Electrical panel assembly preferred


• Automation and robotics experience preferred


• New facility start-up experience preferred


• Strategic and Executive-Level Leadership


• Supervisory and Organizational Development Skills


• Six Sigma / Lean Manufacturing


• P&L and Capital Planning


• Conflict Resolution


• Waste Reduction


• Decision-Making


• Quality Assurance


• Project and Program Management

Education/Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or a related field required.


• 10+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing operations, including project management and multi-department leadership.


• Proven success leading plant setup, new facility start-up, or major expansion projects end-to-end.


• Hands-on experience with sheet metal fabrication, electrical panel assembly, and / or HVAC unit assembly lines preferred.


• Experience deploying automation and robotic solutions in a production environment preferred.


• Track record of building and developing leadership teams, including leading managers and senior professionals.


• Experience owning site P&L, capital planning, and long-range operational strategy.


• Strong knowledge of operational standards, lean manufacturing, and continuous improvement principles.


• Exceptional leadership, executive communication, and supervisory skills.


• Proficiency in data-driven decision-making and strategic planning.

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Work Environment:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to an office environment in a manufacturing plant, including exposure to sheet metal fabrication, electrical panel assembly, and HVAC unit assembly areas.