Plant Director

Pacific International is partnered with a leader in the packaging sector, an organization generating $5 billion in revenue.

The group is driving a culture of operational excellence, with entirely new standards being established in safety, delivery, and efficiency. This site is the flagship location, characterized by significant complexity and a workforce of over 500 employees.

As a result, we are seeking a Plant Director to lead this critical site, serving numerous well-known brands and holding full P&L responsibility. This is a key location, with over 80% of the company’s product manufactured here. The implementation of Lean and operational excellence principles is central to the organization’s cultural vision, with a new, tailored OpEx program being developed on-site. This individual will also play a key role in fostering a culture of excellence within the manufacturing environment.

The ideal candidate will be a hands-on yet strategic leader, with strong experience in Lean manufacturing processes and safety initiatives. This is a highly visible role with significant development opportunities both regionally and globally.

Job Responsibilities

• Oversee on-site operations with a focus on safety, financial oversight, and workforce management, ensuring alignment with established standards for product quality, timely delivery, and efficiency.
• Help to embed and improve the safety program across the shop floor.
• Implement innovative solutions to the floor, especially in regards to Operational Excellence.
• Recruit, mentor, and retain skilled team members to help achieve organizational goals and meet client expectations.
• Lead efforts aimed at refining processes and driving ongoing improvements.
• Develop operational budgets and manage expenditures tied to labor, variable costs, and manufacturing performance.
• Collaborate with departments such as Supply Chain, Purchasing, Quality Assurance, and Environmental Health & Safety.
• Guide team members through technical problem-solving related to both products and processes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in engineering.
• A strong demonstration of both Six Sigma and TPM in a manufacturing setting throughout your career.
• More than 7 years of site leadership experience of over 200 people, in regulated (GMP) settings, with a strong track record of fostering a culture focused on compliance and quality standards.
• Hands-on involvement in the creation and development of a safety culture.
• Proven history of leading lean manufacturing initiatives and driving continuous improvement efforts, including the use of structured problem-solving tools like the 5 Whys and root cause analysis.
• Background in representing manufacturing functions during production and sales planning (PSI/S&OP).
• Familiarity with quality management systems.

For further information, please contact claire.butcher@pacific-international.com

At Pacific International, diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the core of who we are and what we do. Our commitment to these values is unwavering and we proudly champion diversity on behalf of our clients in every Executive Search mandate we undertake.

Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law. In pursuit of these objectives, we actively encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds and identities.