Assistant Plant Manager

CHEP•Wilmington, MA

32d•Onsite

About The Position

CHEP helps move more goods to more people, in more places than any other organization on earth via our 347 million pallets, crates and containers. We employ approximately 13,000 people and operate in 60 countries. Through our pioneering and sustainable share-and-reuse business model, the world’s biggest brands trust us to help them transport their goods more efficiently, safely and with less environmental impact. This role is a key operational leader responsible for driving daily production performance, workforce engagement, safety compliance, quality standards, and operational efficiency. The Assistant Plant Manager serves as the primary floor leader for the production team, providing direction to supervisors, team leads, and hourly employees while ensuring plant objectives are achieved. This role acts as the designated backup to the Plant Manager and must demonstrate strong leadership, operational agility, and financial awareness in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Requirements

Proven leadership experience in a manufacturing, production, distribution, or industrial environment.
Demonstrated success leading supervisors, team leads, and hourly workforces.
Strong track record of driving accountability and performance within a management team.
Experience managing production operations, workforce planning, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Working knowledge of safety, quality, environmental, and operational compliance programs.
Understanding of budget management, cost control measures, and plant financial performance metrics.
Strong communication, problem-solving, decision-making, and organizational skills.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and effectively adjust priorities to meet business needs.
Ability to train people and motivate a team
Have good working knowledge of all Microsoft Office products, especially Excel
Demonstrated solid decision making
Ability to provide new ideas- "think outside the box"
Willingness to work extended hours and weekends as necessary

Responsibilities

Ensure occupational health and safety compliance for all employees, contractors, and visitors, adhering to both corporate and legislative requirements.
Maintain environmental compliance by working within corporate and regulatory guidelines, ensuring the site meets all environmental standards.
In collaboration with the plant maintenance team oversee day-to-day machine operability and maintenance.
Provide effective leadership and direction to frontline managers (e.g., supervisors and team leaders), identifying training needs and supporting staff development to optimize performance.
Ensure compliance with all operational procedures and work instructions as outlined by CHEP, maintaining consistency and adherence to standards.
Manage workforce planning to ensure the plant is adequately staffed with appropriately trained personnel to meet production demands.
Ensure production processes run efficiently and effectively within budgetary constraints, identifying opportunities for improvement.
Collaborate with the Plant Manager to drive continuous improvement initiatives, focusing on enhancing safety, quality, and cost performance across plant operations.
Serve as the primary production floor leader, providing daily direction, coaching, and support to supervisors, team leads, and hourly employees.
Lead daily production meetings, communicate operational priorities, and ensure execution of production plans.
Foster a culture of accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement throughout the production organization.
Partner closely with the Office Manager to ensure payroll accuracy, inventory integrity, production reporting compliance, and administrative process adherence.
Monitor and drive performance against key operational metrics including safety, quality, productivity, service, and cost.
Support inventory control processes and ensure operational compliance with inventory management standards.
Act as the designated backup for the Plant Manager, assuming leadership responsibilities during absences and ensuring continuity of operations.
Demonstrate understanding of plant financial performance, including budget management, cost controls, and P&L drivers, to support sound operational decision-making.
Adapt quickly to changing priorities and business conditions, demonstrating strong organizational and operational agility in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.