Assistant Plant Manager
Compensation: $85,000–$95,000 base salary, depending on experience and qualifications
Position Summary:
We are seeking a hands-on, motivated Assistant Plant Manager to support the day-to-day operations of our manufacturing facility, with the opportunity to grow into a Plant Manager role over time.
This position is ideal for a manufacturing professional with approximately 3–5 years of experience who is ready to expand beyond direct production responsibilities and take on broader operational leadership. The primary focus will be overseeing daily production activities while coordinating closely with the functions that directly support manufacturing, including warehouse, maintenance/facility, and quality.
The successful candidate will be a visible, hands-on leader who is comfortable working across the operation, solving day-to-day problems, improving processes, developing employees, and ensuring the plant operates safely and efficiently.
Key ResponsibilitiesProduction & Operations
- Oversee daily production operations to meet production, quality, safety, and delivery objectives.
- Provide leadership, direction, and support to production employees and the Warehouse Coordinator.
- Monitor production schedules, workflow, staffing, and resource requirements.
- Identify and address operational issues that may impact productivity, quality, or on-time delivery.
- Maintain a hands-on presence on the production floor and support the team in resolving day-to-day challenges.
Cross-Functional Coordination
- Coordinate with warehouse, maintenance/facility, and quality to ensure manufacturing operations run effectively.
- Work closely with supporting functions to identify and resolve issues affecting production.
- Help ensure materials, equipment, facilities, and processes are available and ready to support production requirements.
- Communicate operational priorities and issues to management.
Equipment & Facility
- Help ensure production equipment and facility systems are properly maintained, operational, and safe.
- Coordinate with maintenance resources to address equipment downtime and preventative maintenance needs.
- Monitor equipment-related issues and help identify opportunities to improve reliability and reduce downtime.
Performance & Continuous Improvement
- Monitor key operational metrics, including productivity, downtime, scrap, workflow, quality, and delivery performance.
- Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, processes, safety, and overall plant performance.
- Support implementation of process improvements and standard work.
- Analyze recurring operational issues and help develop practical solutions.
Safety, Training & Leadership
- Promote a strong safety culture and ensure employees follow established safety procedures.
- Support employee training, development, and accountability.
- Coach and develop production team members to improve performance and engagement.
- Lead by example through a hands-on, collaborative approach.
- Help develop the leadership and operational capabilities necessary to take on increased plant management responsibilities over time.
Qualifications
- Approximately 3–5 years of manufacturing experience in a production, supervisory, or operations role.
- Demonstrated experience leading or supervising production employees.
- Strong understanding of manufacturing processes and day-to-day production operations.
- Ability to work effectively across production, warehouse, maintenance, and quality functions.
- Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
- Comfortable working in a hands-on manufacturing environment.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to prioritize multiple operational issues and respond effectively in a fast-paced environment.
- Flexible, dependable, and willing to work across different areas of the operation.
- Experience monitoring production or operational KPIs is preferred.
- Experience with continuous improvement, lean manufacturing, or process improvement is a plus.
Leadership Profile
The ideal candidate is someone who sees the entire operation—not just the production line. We are looking for a practical, hands-on leader who enjoys solving problems, supporting employees, and working collaboratively across departments.
This is an opportunity for an experienced manufacturing professional who is ready to take the next step in their career and develop the broader operational and leadership skills needed to ultimately manage a manufacturing plant.
This position is intended to provide a strong development path toward future Plant Manager responsibilities. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to progressively take on broader operational leadership as their experience, performance, and leadership capabilities develop.
Pay: $85,000.00 - $95,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
