Plant Manager

Role Summary

MANN+HUMMEL - Louisa, VA

The Plant Manager is responsible for leading all daily operations of the manufacturing facility to ensure safe, efficient, high-quality production in alignment with business goals, customer requirements, and MANN+HUMMEL standards. This role provides overall leadership for plant operations, including production, safety, quality, maintenance, continuous improvement, employee development, cost control, and operational performance.

The Plant Manager will drive a culture of accountability, teamwork, operational excellence, and continuous improvement while ensuring the facility meets or exceeds expectations for safety, quality, delivery, cost, and people performance. #LI-Onsite

Main Tasks

• Lead and manage all plant operations to ensure production targets, customer requirements, and business objectives are met.
• Oversee daily manufacturing activities, resource planning, production performance, and operational execution.
• Ensure effective coordination between production, maintenance, quality, engineering, supply chain, HR, finance, and other support functions.
• Monitor key performance indicators and implement action plans to improve safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, and efficiency.
• Promote and maintain a strong safety culture across the facility.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, environmental, health, safety, and regulatory requirements.
• Support quality systems and ensure products are manufactured in accordance with customer, company, and industry standards.
• Drive corrective actions and continuous improvement activities related to safety, quality, process stability, and customer satisfaction.
• Provide leadership, coaching, and direction to plant leadership teams and employees.
• Build a high-performance culture focused on accountability, engagement, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Support workforce planning, employee development, performance management, and succession planning.
• Partner with Human Resources to address employee relations, staffing, training, and organizational needs.
• Manage plant budgets, cost controls, productivity initiatives, and operational spending.
• Identify and implement opportunities to reduce cost, improve efficiency, and optimize resources.
• Support business planning, forecasting, capital planning, and operational strategy.
• Ensure plant performance aligns with company financial and operational goals.
• Lead and support lean manufacturing, operational excellence, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Drive standardization, process improvement, waste reduction, and improved plant performance.
• Encourage problem-solving and data-driven decision making throughout the organization.
• Support implementation of best practices, systems, and tools to improve operational effectiveness.

Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Operations Management, or related field required; advanced degree preferred.
• Several years of progressive leadership experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Prior plant management or senior operations leadership experience preferred.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing operations, safety, quality, maintenance, production planning, and continuous improvement.
• Experience managing budgets, operational KPIs, productivity initiatives, and cross-functional teams.
• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, 5S, Kaizen, or other continuous improvement methods preferred.
• Strong leadership, communication, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to lead teams, manage change, and drive accountability in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Experience with ERP systems and Microsoft Office applications preferred.