Plant manager

Centennial is partnering with a privately held automotive manufacturing company located in Madison, IN for a Plant Manager who serves as the senior operational leader responsible for the overall performance, profitability, and strategic direction of the facility. This role oversees all plant functions — including production, maintenance, engineering, quality, safety, shipping/receiving, and production control — ensuring the operation consistently delivers on commitments for safety, quality, delivery, cost, and customer satisfaction.

The Plant Manager is accountable for building a disciplined, high‑performance culture rooted in TPS principles, continuous improvement, and operational excellence. The Plant Manager sets the tone for leadership, drives cross‑functional alignment, and ensures the plant operates as a reliable, efficient, and scalable asset for the organization.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish the plant’s operational vision and translate it into clear priorities, performance expectations, and measurable outcomes.
• Champion a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and operational rigor across all departments.
• Serve as the primary decision‑maker for plant operations, balancing short‑term execution with long‑term strategic needs.
• Direct all plant functions to ensure consistent performance in production, maintenance, engineering, quality, safety, and logistics.
• Drive disciplined planning, daily management, and structured follow‑up to ensure objectives are achieved on schedule and within budget.
• Maintain and elevate plant performance standards across safety, throughput, quality, and delivery.
• Lead cost‑management strategies that optimize labor, materials, freight, consumables, and repair expenses.
• Implement effective controls over capital investments, operating expenditures, manpower planning, and wage structures.
• Use financial statements, budgets, and operational data to guide decisions and improve profitability.
• Advance TPS‑based methodologies including kaizen, JIT, Kanban, and visual management to strengthen operational discipline and eliminate waste.
• Ensure manufacturing systems, processes, and materials are optimized for efficiency, stability, and scalability.
• Sponsor improvement initiatives that enhance productivity, reduce variability, and elevate overall plant capability.
• Ensure products consistently meet or exceed customer expectations for quality, cost, and delivery.
• Strengthen quality systems and corrective‑action processes to maintain compliance and protect customer relationships.
• Oversee timely and accurate shipment of products, reinforcing the plant’s reputation for reliability and service excellence.
• Provide direction, coaching, and development to the management team, building strong leaders who can execute with discipline and autonomy.
• Foster a collaborative environment that encourages employee engagement, problem‑solving, and ownership at all levels.
• Execute company goals and initiatives through effective leadership and communication.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business, finance, or related field preferred.
• Minimum 3–5 years of leadership experience in a multi‑functional manufacturing environment.
• Strong working knowledge of budgets, financial statements, and cost‑control methodologies.
• Deep understanding of the Toyota Production System (TPS) and its application in modern manufacturing.
• Hands‑on technical capability with manufacturing systems, processes, and materials.
• Demonstrated ability to lead in both team‑oriented and independent environments.
• Proven leadership experience across multiple functional areas within a manufacturing organization.