Smart4Sciences are looking to recruit a Plant Manager to oversee operations across two manufacturing facilities including in Barberton, Ohio for a leading global manufacturer within the specialty materials and industrial coatings sector. This is a senior site leadership position with responsibility for production, maintenance, quality, logistics, safety and continuous improvement, ensuring both facilities meet their operational, customer, safety and financial objectives. The successful candidate will lead large teams, drive operational excellence and develop a strong culture of safety, accountability and continuous improvement across the sites. To be considered, you will need a Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management or a related discipline, alongside 10+ years' experience managing manufacturing plant operations and large teams. Experience managing a unionised workforce, including collective bargaining, grievances and industrial relations, is essential.
Key Responsibilities:
Oversee day-to-day operations across production, maintenance, quality and logistics.
Ensure plants consistently achieve safety, quality, delivery and cost objectives.
Lead and develop large plant teams, promoting a culture of accountability and high performance.
Manage unionised employees and maintain effective labour and industrial relations.
Ensure compliance with OSHA PSM, environmental regulations and other applicable industry standards.
Oversee quality systems and ensure compliance with ISO 9000 requirements.
Drive corrective actions, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma and continuous improvement initiatives.
Monitor throughput, scrap, downtime and OEE, identifying opportunities to improve productivity and reduce costs.
Ensure production schedules support customer requirements and on-time delivery.
Maintain strong customer relationships through consistent quality and delivery performance.
Identify and implement plant-wide productivity and operational improvement projects.
Coach and develop plant leadership and operational teams to achieve performance objectives.
Key Requirements:
Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management or a related field.10+ years' experience in plant/manufacturing operations leadership.
Proven experience managing large manufacturing teams.
Strong experience managing a unionised workforce, including collective bargaining, grievances and industrial relations.
Experience across production, maintenance, quality and logistics within a manufacturing environment.
Strong understanding of OSHA PSM and environmental compliance.
Experience with ISO 9000 quality systems.
Demonstrated experience delivering Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma and continuous improvement programmes.
Experience in specialty materials, polymers, coatings, membranes, films or engineered sheet products is highly desirable.
Experience with phosgene-derived specialty chemical products would be advantageous.
Strong leadership, communication and problem-solving skills.
Ability to operate effectively in a senior, hands-on plant leadership position.
