Complex Plant Manager ( Full-time ) Defiance, OH - DK

Central Business Solutions•Defiance, OH

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Plant Manager is responsible for leading one of JM’s largest, most complex, and most visible manufacturing complexes. This role has full responsibility for a multi-site, capital-intensive operation with over 600 hourly and 60+ salaried employees, multiple unions, and diverse product lines. The Plant Manager will drive major capital investments, including furnace rebuilds, automation, and potential expansion, shaping the future of the plant. This is a high-visibility, high-impact role with significant interaction with senior leadership and corporate stakeholders, offering a career-defining challenge for a proven leader seeking complexity, influence, and the chance to leave a lasting operational and cultural legacy.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required (engineering or technical related degree preferred)
12+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience
5+ years as a Plant Manager or equivalent senior site leadership role
Demonstrated success leading large, complex, multi-line manufacturing operations with union and salaried workforces.
Proven ability to deliver measurable improvements in safety, productivity, quality, cost, and employee engagement.
Strong financial acumen with experience managing P&L performance and capital programs.
Deep knowledge of continuous improvement disciplines (Lean, Six Sigma, Kepner-Tregoe, or similar).
Experience with environmental permitting, regulatory agencies, and safety program leadership.
Strong technical and mechanical aptitude with the ability to challenge and improve manufacturing systems.
Highly effective communicator and collaborator, capable of influencing at all levels of the organization.
Demonstrated ability to set clear direction, prioritize competing demands, and drive disciplined execution.
Willingness to travel periodically (11–29 days per year).
Security Clearance Required: No
Visa Candidate Considered: No

Responsibilities

Achieve year-over-year improvement in safety metrics, ensuring the Defiance complex meets or exceeds JM safety, health, and environmental commitments.
Maintain full regulatory compliance while reducing risk through proactive hazard identification, strong safety culture, and disciplined operating practices.
Improve plant productivity, throughput, yield, and uptime through disciplined execution of lean manufacturing and continuous improvement systems.
Ensure Defiance remains a reliable, high-quality supplier to internal JM plants and external customers, improving customer satisfaction and reducing quality escapes.
Balance short-term operational demands with long-term process stability and asset reliability.
Build and sustain an engaged, accountable, performance-driven culture aligned with JM values.
Develop leaders and succession pipelines by coaching, setting clear expectations, and holding leaders accountable for results.
Effectively lead within a union environment, maintaining productive labor relations while driving performance.
Deliver annual operating results against budget and forecast, including cost, working capital, and inventory performance.
Translate financial analysis into actionable operating decisions that improve profitability and asset efficiency.
Lead major capital programs—including furnace rebuilds, automation, and capacity expansions—delivering projects safely, on schedule, and within approved funding.
Improve plant efficiency and strategic flexibility through disciplined evaluation and execution of capital investments.
Establish and maintain robust operating metrics, management routines, and reporting systems that drive accountability and continuous improvement.
Partner with senior leadership to align site execution with both near-term business priorities and long-range strategic objectives.
Serve as the primary representative of JM for the Defiance complex with community stakeholders, regulatory agencies, customers, and corporate leadership.