Plant Manager

HELIOS TECHNOLOGIES INC•Buffalo Grove, IL

12d•$150,000 - $180,000•Onsite

About The Position

Schultes Precision Manufacturing is seeking a hands-on Plant Manager to lead the overall performance of its manufacturing facility. The role has direct responsibility for manufacturing operations, production execution, and plant throughput. The Plant Manager leads and works closely with managers responsible for Operations, Quality/Engineering, Maintenance, and Scheduling/Purchasing. Those managers continue to run their departments’ daily activities; the Plant Manager aligns priorities, removes cross-functional barriers, supports improvement activities, and ensures improvements are implemented and sustained. This is a highly visible, floor-focused leadership role. The successful candidate engages directly with managers and employees to resolve issues affecting safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and throughput. Sales, Quoting, and Customer Service are outside the role’s direct responsibility, but the Plant Manager collaborates with those teams to ensure customer commitments are supported by plant capacity and operational performance. The Plant Manager leads cross-functional operational improvements, develops plant leaders, strengthens accountability and teamwork, and partners with Human Resources on staffing, training, retention, performance management, and employee relations. Success may be measured through safety, throughput, schedule attainment, on-time delivery, labor productivity, equipment uptime and utilization, scrap and rework, manufacturing lead time, overtime usage, preventive maintenance completion, sustained improvement results, and leadership and employee development. The job involves regular standing, walking, hand and finger use, reaching, talking, and hearing; frequent sitting and walking; and occasional bending, pushing, pulling, reaching above shoulder level, kneeling, squatting, or crouching. The employee may occasionally lift or move up to 50 pounds. The work environment includes moving mechanical parts and fumes or airborne particles, with usually moderate noise. The facility handles export-controlled technical data and materials under ITAR. Applicants for positions requiring access must qualify as a U.S. Person under ITAR or otherwise be authorized to access the applicable information under U.S. law.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Manufacturing, Business, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
At least 10 years of progressive manufacturing experience, including significant leadership responsibility.
At least 5 years of experience leading manufacturing operations, multiple plant functions, or an entire facility.
Experience leading through functional managers in areas such as Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, Scheduling, or Purchasing.
Demonstrated success improving throughput, productivity, quality, cost, and on-time delivery.
Experience in machining, metalworking, engineered products, or precision manufacturing.
Strong knowledge of Lean manufacturing, root-cause analysis, and continuous-improvement practices.
Experience using ERP/MRP systems and manufacturing performance data.
Strong communication, business judgment, and people-leadership skills.
Ability to qualify as a U.S. Person under ITAR or otherwise be authorized under U.S. law to access applicable export-controlled information, for positions requiring such access.
Ability to perform the stated physical duties, including occasionally lifting or moving up to 50 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a high-mix, low-volume precision-machining environment.
Working knowledge of CNC mill and lathe operations.
Experience in a make-to-order or engineered-to-order environment.
Familiarity with ISO-based quality management systems.
Lean, Six Sigma, or similar continuous-improvement certification.
Experience leading a facility through growth, operational improvement, or organizational change.

Responsibilities

Lead overall manufacturing performance, with direct accountability for production execution and plant throughput.
Maintain a visible presence on the manufacturing floor and ensure production priorities are clearly communicated and executed.
Identify and remove constraints involving labor, equipment, materials, tooling, quality, engineering, or scheduling.
Improve throughput, schedule attainment, productivity, equipment utilization, lead time, and on-time delivery.
Develop and lead recovery plans when production or delivery performance falls behind expectations.
Address root causes to reduce reliance on expediting, excessive overtime, and short-term workarounds.
Lead, coach, and develop managers responsible for Quality and Engineering, Maintenance, and Scheduling and Purchasing.
Establish plant-level priorities and align departmental activities with overall business needs.
Work with functional managers to define actions, owners, timelines, and expected results; hold managers accountable for performance, employee development, and improvement-plan execution.
Support functional managers without unnecessarily taking over their daily responsibilities and ensure departments work together effectively.
Lead cross-functional improvement efforts focused on safety, quality, delivery, cost, and throughput.
Use performance data and structured problem-solving to identify and address operational issues.
Ensure improvement work has clear owners, deadlines, and measurable outcomes; remove barriers to its completion.
Incorporate solutions into standard work, procedures, training, or maintenance plans and follow up to ensure sustainable results.
Build a culture of accountability, teamwork, urgency, and continuous improvement, and set clear expectations for leaders and employees.
Develop the plant’s leadership team and strengthen succession planning for critical roles.
Partner with Human Resources on staffing, training, retention, performance management, and employee relations.
Promote a safe, respectful workplace where employees are encouraged to identify problems and recommend solutions.
Collaborate with Sales, Quoting, and Customer Service to ensure customer commitments are supported by plant capacity and operational performance.