Plant Manager

Dart Container•Conyers, GA

10d

About The Position

Dart Container is seeking an experienced Plant Manager to lead its Conyers manufacturing operation and improve its performance. The role involves assessing the operation, identifying and prioritizing opportunities, developing the team, and turning strategy into sustainable, measurable results. The Plant Manager leads the facility’s overall performance and direction, including operational improvement, maintenance effectiveness, employee engagement, safety, and GMP. The work is split between an office environment, production facility, and/or warehouse. Exposure to extreme heat, loud noise, dirt, dust, odors, and fumes is probable, and personal protective equipment is required in designated areas. The role requires availability on-call 24/7. Dart Container is a family-owned company with 12,000 employees and 30 locations in three countries. It makes food and beverage packaging and related products and is headquartered in Mason, Michigan.

Requirements

Proven plant leadership experience in a manufacturing environment.
Demonstrated success improving or turning around manufacturing operations.
Strong knowledge of predictive and preventive maintenance and effective implementation of maintenance programs.
Strong business acumen, including understanding of financial performance and P&L.
Ability to assess an operation quickly, identify gaps, and turn priorities into an actionable plan.
Track record of developing and leading high-performing teams.
Strong communication and motivational leadership skills.
Ability to build trust at all levels of an organization, especially with employees on the manufacturing floor.
Leadership style combining urgency, accountability, integrity, and respect for people.
Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business, or a related field, with seven years of manufacturing operations management or leadership assignments demonstrating increased scope and responsibility; an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
Five years of experience managing employees with supervisory responsibilities.
Prior Plant Manager experience.
Experience managing multi-shift or continuous operations.
Knowledge of business and management principles involving planning, resource allocation, cost analysis and budgeting, people management, and leadership guidance.
Strong interpersonal skills and an accessible, approachable manner.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills to persuade and influence individuals, groups, or work teams.
Ability to use business sense and creativity to develop new ideas, approaches, and solutions.
Ability to use logic and reasoning to identify strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Experience using Microsoft Office, including creating basic reports, documents, presentations, and spreadsheets in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Demonstrated project management experience.
Ability to be on-call 24/7.

Nice To Haves

Thermoforming experience.
Paper converting, chemical or plastics processing, or packaging industrial experience.
Lean manufacturing experience.

Responsibilities

Lead the overall performance and direction of the manufacturing facility.
Develop and execute a turnaround and continuous-improvement plan with measurable goals, owners, and timelines.
Improve OEE and operational performance, particularly within thermoforming.
Strengthen predictive and preventive maintenance practices and ensure their effective execution.
Use business and financial acumen, including understanding of P&L, to guide decisions and improve plant performance.
Build, develop, and motivate a high-performing leadership team.
Spend time on the manufacturing floor to understand challenges firsthand and build trust with employees.
Identify operational gaps, prioritize solutions, and drive change with urgency.
Strengthen employee engagement while creating accountability throughout the organization.
Lead change in a way that brings employees along and builds confidence in the plant’s direction.
Establish clear KPIs and use them to measure progress and drive continuous improvement.
Facilitate regular improvement-planning sessions to identify strategic opportunities and develop action plans with measurable outcomes.
Support and reinforce effective application of the Daily Management System to validate that actions lead to desired performance improvements.
Lead by example to promote employee commitment to safety and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices).
Understand, support, and follow management expectations in alignment with company values.