Plant Operations Senior Manager

Clorox • Wheeling, IL

2d • $109,400 - $258,500 • Onsite

About The Position

In this role, you will be a key member of the Plant Leadership Team, responsible for leading manufacturing operations, developing people, and delivering strong business results at our Hidden Valley Ranch plant. Reporting to the Plant Manager, you will lead multiple production teams while building the capabilities, culture, and systems needed to support the plant’s long-term success. The Operations Senior Manager partners closely with Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, Logistics, Safety, Supply Chain, and Continuous Improvement to improve performance across Safety, Quality, Service, Cost, and People. This role combines day-to-day operational leadership with a strong focus on talent development, continuous improvement, and organizational change.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Business, or a related field, or equivalent leadership experience in manufacturing.
• At least 10 years of experience in industrial manufacturing environments, including a minimum of 5 years leading teams within the CPG industry.
• Cross-functional experience across areas such as Production, Supply Chain, Planning, or related functions is strongly preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of SAP EWM, SAP S/4.
• Proven track record of leading teams, developing talent, and delivering business results.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional initiatives and organizational change.
• Experience using operational metrics and performance management systems to drive results.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence at all levels of the organization.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, Total Productive Maintenance, World Class Manufacturing, Operational Excellence, Six Sigma, or similar methodologies preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead People & Build Capability: Create a culture of ownership, accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement. Build, coach, and develop a high-performing team of frontline leaders and hourly employees. Drive talent development, succession planning, performance management, and workforce capability growth. Develop future leaders through coaching, mentorship, stretch assignments, and structured development opportunities. Champion inclusion, collaboration, and employee engagement while fostering a positive, high-performance work environment. Lead change effectively by aligning teams around business priorities and helping employees successfully navigate transformation initiatives.
• Drive Operational Excellence: Lead daily manufacturing operations to achieve strong Safety, Quality, Service, and Cost performance. Drive improvements in equipment effectiveness, labor productivity, waste reduction, material yield, schedule attainment, and equipment reliability. Lead structured problem-solving and loss-elimination efforts to improve operational performance and reduce manufacturing costs. Implement and sustain standard work, visual management, and operational excellence practices across the manufacturing organization. Use data, analytics, and digital tools to identify opportunities, solve problems, and improve decision-making. Ensure manufacturing operations consistently comply with regulatory, environmental, food safety, and company standards.
• Shape the Future of the Plant: Partner with the Plant Leadership Team to develop and execute site strategy, annual business plans, and long-term capability roadmaps. Lead key transformation initiatives that support both short-term results and long-term business growth. Provide leadership and operational readiness support for capital projects, new technologies, and network investments. Collaborate with internal and external technical experts to support innovation, process improvements, and manufacturing capability development. Recommend operational investments that improve safety, capacity, quality, reliability, and financial performance. Serve as a key contributor to site planning, risk management, and strategic decision-making.
• Partner Across the Business: Collaborate closely with Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, Logistics, Safety, Supply Chain, and Continuous Improvement teams to improve end-to-end business performance. Drive alignment across functions to ensure resources, priorities, and execution plans support plant objectives. Lead operational reviews and performance discussions using metrics and insights to drive accountability and results. Ensure transparency of key performance indicators while escalating risks and opportunities as needed.

Benefits

• Robust health plans
• Market-leading 401(k) program with a company match
• Flexible time off benefits (including half-day summer Fridays depending on location)
• Inclusive fertility/adoption benefits
• Incentive plans

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager