What are the responsibilities and job description for the Plant Manager position at NEXT LEVEL Partners®, LLC?
We are seeking a Plant Manager to lead a manufacturing facility in Fostoria, Ohio, a ~$45M operation with approximately 130 employees supporting highly engineered, small-batch, engineered-to-order production for demanding rail and OEM customers.
This role is ideal for a hands-on manufacturing leader who excels in lean manufacturing, operational discipline, and people leadership within complex, high-mix environments.
The Opportunity
The Fostoria plant launched as a greenfield operation in 2019 and has experienced rapid growth, including nearly 80% headcount expansion in the past year. As the site has scaled, operational complexity has increased—creating the need for strong leadership, standardized systems, and embedded lean practices.
The Plant Manager will lead a cultural and operational reset—bringing structure, predictability, and accountability while preserving a close-knit, long-tenured workforce culture.
Key Responsibilities
- Serve as the senior site leader with full accountability for safety, quality, delivery, cost, and people
- Lead and sustain lean manufacturing systems, standard work, and visual management
- Establish and reinforce Lean Daily Management, tiered meetings, and KPI accountability
- Stabilize operations in a high-mix, engineered-to-order manufacturing environment
- Drive a safety-first and quality-driven culture aligned with customer expectations
- Develop and coach leaders to operate with clarity, accountability, and data-driven decision-making
- Improve throughput, on-time delivery, and cost performance through continuous improvement
- Partner with HR, Quality, Engineering, and corporate operations while ensuring strong local execution
What Success Looks Like
- A calm, organized, and predictable operation with clear expectations
- Lean embedded into daily work—not treated as one-time initiatives
- Improved safety, quality, and on-time delivery performance
- Stronger leadership accountability and reduced reliance on tribal knowledge
- A site that is stable, scalable, and “humming again”
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor’s degree (engineering preferred)
- 10 years of manufacturing leadership experience
- Proven success leading lean manufacturing transformations
- Experience in complex, high-mix manufacturing environments
- Strong knowledge of standard work, SOPs, visual management, and daily accountability systems
- Experience in automotive or automotive-like quality environments
- Confident, steady leadership style with strong influence skills
Preferred
- Experience in engineered-to-order, rail, or heavy industrial manufacturing
- Background in scaling operations following rapid growth
- Engineering background