Plant Superintendent

Hampton Lumber • Great Falls, VA

6h

About The Position

The Production Manager is responsible for leading all daily operations across the mill’s operations to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient production. This role is critical to the successful startup and long-term performance of Hampton’s new sawmill, driving throughput, quality, and cost performance while building a high-accountability, high-engagement culture.

Requirements

• 7+ years of production leadership experience in sawmilling or heavy industrial manufacturing; startup experience strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of sawmill flow, recovery drivers, optimization systems, and product quality.
• Proven leadership skills with the ability to build high-performing teams.
• Solid decision-making and troubleshooting skills under pressure.
• Proficiency with production reporting systems, optimization software, and KPI dashboards.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with maintenance, safety, HR, log procurement, and planning.

Responsibilities

• Drive a zero-injury culture; ensure all production activities follow Hampton safety standards, OSHA regulations, and environmental compliance requirements.
• Lead daily safety huddles, near-miss reviews, and corrective actions.
• Partner with maintenance and reliability teams to eliminate hazards and unsafe conditions.
• Own daily and weekly production startup plans for the new mill.
• Stabilize processes, identify bottlenecks, and implement corrective actions during early ramp-up.
• Work closely with OEMs (e.g., Comact) and contractors to troubleshoot startup issues.
• Meet or exceed production targets (green lumber throughput, kiln performance, grade recovery, uptime).
• Monitor KPIs: uptime, recovery, quality defects, cost per MBF, labor productivity.
• Ensure a consistent flow of fiber through the mill, coordinating with the log yard, dry kilns, and shipping.
• Lead, coach, and develop Green and Dry End, Dry End Supervisors, and their teams.
• Ensure clear expectations, accountability, and follow-through.
• Build a positive, performance-focused culture aligned with Hampton values.
• Collaborate with the Maintenance Superintendent to schedule preventative maintenance, equipment repairs, and planned outages.
• Ensure production teams follow basic care practices (cleaning, lubrication checks, operator inspections).
• Support root cause analysis for recurring downtime issues.
• Ensure lumber quality meets grade standards and customer requirements.
• Partner with QC to identify defect patterns and implement process changes to prevent recurrence.
• Drive continuous improvement in recovery and consistency.
• Lead focused improvements in throughput, waste reduction, uptime, and labor efficiency.
• Use data to identify improvement opportunities and remove production barriers.
• Manage operating budgets, overtime, and variable costs.

Benefits

• Substantial company-paid assistance for Medical and Dental insurance premiums; mental health coverage; cost effective co-pays and deductibles
• 401(k) with 5% annual company contribution and generous company matching contributions vested over three years
• Paid time off, including eight paid holidays
• Participation in the employee bonus program
• Employee wellness program that includes free counseling sessions, financial and legal guidance, and more
• Opportunities for paid training to support career advancement and personal development

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees