Plant/Manufacturing Director

Maker's Pride Talent Acquisition Team•McComb, OH

6d•Onsite

About The Position

Maker’s Pride is seeking an enterprise-minded Plant Director to lead its largest manufacturing facility in McComb, Ohio, a site with more than 1,600 Team Members. The Plant Director is the senior leader on site and is accountable for the safety, quality, service, cost, and people performance of a large-scale co-manufacturing operation. The role represents the plant to customers, Team Members, and the community and partners with senior leadership and corporate functions to deliver the operating plan, drive operational excellence, and support sustained growth. The position leads plant operations across production, packaging, maintenance, engineering, quality, warehouse, and supply chain. It owns the plant operating plan, budget, and financial performance; develops multi-year strategy; and oversees production planning, capacity, capital investment, asset reliability, and continuous improvement. The Plant Director also ensures compliance with food safety, quality, and regulatory requirements; champions a zero-harm safety culture; and provides transparent KPI reporting to senior leadership. The role leads the plant leadership team and overall organization of more than 1,600 Team Members. It partners with HR on workforce strategy and labor relations, develops future leaders through coaching and succession planning, and fosters a culture of safety, quality, teamwork, accountability, respect, and continuous improvement. The Plant Director maintains a visible presence across shifts and represents Maker’s Pride in the McComb community.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
15 or more years of progressive manufacturing operations experience, including 7 or more years in a senior plant leadership role such as Plant Manager, Plant Director, or equivalent.
Demonstrated success leading large, complex, multi-shift plants with 1,000 or more Team Members and full P&L accountability.
Track record of measurable improvements in safety, quality, productivity, and cost.
Proven ability to lead, motivate, and develop a large, diverse workforce, with experience in staffing, retention, and employee and labor relations.
Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, food safety and quality standards, and regulatory requirements.
Proficiency in ERP systems and Microsoft Office Suite.
Strategic thinking, executive presence, communication, decision-making, and ability to influence at all organizational levels and with customers.
Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities with a focus on data-driven decision-making.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or MBA.
Experience in co-manufacturing, food, beverage, or other high-volume, regulated manufacturing environments.
Lean, Six Sigma, or similar certification.
Experience in a unionized environment.
Experience with manufacturing software such as SAP or Oracle.

Responsibilities

Lead plant operations across production, packaging, maintenance, engineering, quality, warehouse, and supply chain to achieve safety, quality, service, and cost targets across multiple shifts and lines.
Own the plant operating plan, budget, and financial performance, including labor, overtime, yield, waste, and capital spending; identify and execute cost-reduction and margin-improvement opportunities.
Develop and execute a multi-year plant strategy aligned with enterprise goals, including capacity, capital investment, automation, new business onboarding, and talent.
Partner with Supply Chain, Planning, and Customer teams to develop production schedules and resource plans that optimize throughput, labor utilization, and on-time, in-full performance.
Ensure compliance with quality, food safety, and regulatory requirements, including FDA, GMP, HACCP, and customer and third-party audit standards; drive corrective and preventive actions and maintain audit readiness.
Champion a zero-harm safety culture by enforcing safety policies, leading audits and incident reviews, and holding leaders accountable for hazard prevention and compliance.
Partner with HR to attract, retain, and engage the workforce; improve staffing stability, reduce turnover, manage overtime, foster positive Team Member and labor relations, and comply with applicable employment and labor laws and agreements.
Represent the site with co-manufacturing customers, host visits and audits, resolve escalations, and build long-term trust; collaborate with suppliers to ensure timely delivery of materials and finished goods.
Lead a data-driven operational excellence program using Lean, Six Sigma, or similar methods to eliminate waste, improve OEE and yield, and standardize practices across shifts.
Oversee capital planning, project execution, and asset reliability to ensure equipment, infrastructure, and facilities support safe, efficient, scalable operations.
Report safety, quality, production, financial, and workforce KPIs to senior leadership, including analysis, risks, and recommendations.
Represent Maker’s Pride in the McComb community and maintain a visible, accessible leadership presence on the plant floor across all shifts.
Lead the plant leadership team and overall organization of more than 1,600 Team Members, including managers, supervisors, technicians, and support staff.
Develop leadership talent through coaching, performance management, succession planning, and development of high-potential leaders.
Foster a culture of safety, quality, teamwork, accountability, respect, and continuous improvement.