What are the responsibilities and job description for the Plant Manager position at Steffes?
Position: Plant Manager Reports To: Director of Manufacturing FLSA Status: Exempt
The Manufacturing Plant Manager is responsible for overseeing day-to-day plant operations to ensure safe, efficient, and cost-effective production. This role executes manufacturing strategies through disciplined operational management, continuous improvement, and effective people leadership. The Plant Manager drives performance across safety, quality, delivery, and cost while developing teams, optimizing resources, and partnering cross-functionally to meet customer and business objectives. Steffes
Core Values
•Trust: We promote growth and long-term success by making wise decisions with trust as an essential component.
•Respect: We unleash creative talents of our diverse workforce by treating each other the way we would like to be treated.
•Teamwork: We believe people achieve much more by working together.
•Integrity: We follow through and keep our word while being open, honest, ethical, and fair.
•Safety: We view our co-workers as family members of our business and strive to ensure safety for all.
•Humility: We recognize and appreciate strengths and contributions beyond oneself. We are modest, genuine, and authentic.
Key Responsibilities
1. Lead daily plant operations to meet safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity targets while ensuring effective deployment and adherence to plant operating systems.
2. Execute site improvement strategies and production plans aligned with company objectives.
3. Drive Lean manufacturing, Kaizen, visual management, and continuous improvement initiatives.
4. Ensure consistent compliance with safety, quality, and regulatory requirements (OSHA, ISO, ASME, API, UL, DOT, etc.).
5. Optimize utilization of labor, equipment, and facilities to meet customer demand.
6. Identify plant operational risks and implement contingency and mitigation plans.
7. Support implementation of automation, advanced manufacturing technologies, and data systems.
8. Track and manage plant KPIs, dashboards, and performance metrics to drive results.
9. Lead, develop, and retain plant leadership and hourly teams through coaching and accountability.
10. Manage plant operating budgets, labor costs, and support capital project execution.
11. Partner cross-functionally with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, EHS, CI, HR, and Finance to deliver customer-focused solutions.
12. May serve as the plant’s customer advocate, proactively supporting customer needs, resolving issues and ensuring a reliable, high-service experience.
13. Other duties may be assigned.
Decision-Making Authority
The Manufacturing Plant Manager has authority to make day-to-day operational decisions to achieve safety, quality, delivery, and cost targets, including setting production priorities and allocating labor and equipment. The role manages plant operating expenses within approved budgets, approves routine expenditures and overtime, and makes recommendations on staffing, capital investments, and improvement initiatives. Enterprise-wide decisions, major capital approvals, and policy changes are made in collaboration with senior leadership.
Measures of Success
Success is measured by the plant’s ability to consistently meet safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost targets while maintaining full regulatory compliance. Additional measures include sustained continuous improvement, effective cost control, strong team engagement and retention, successful adoption of new technologies, and positive cross-functional collaboration.
Core Expectations
•Customer Service - Demonstrate excellent customer service and display a positive attitude and behavior consistent with the Steffes Code of Conduct and Core Values.
•Environmental, Health, Safety (EHS) – Perform work in compliance with EHS training and identified procedures/standard work. Report any EHS incident or concern to your supervisor immediately. Cooperate and contribute to the overall success of the EHS program.
•Quality – Participate in job-specific training. Complete work as indicated by standard work, processes, and/or procedures. If your work can’t be completed as required, notify your supervisor immediately for guidance.
•Conduct - Demonstrate and support the Steffes Code of Conduct.
•Policies and Procedures - Demonstrate and support Steffes Policies and Procedures by:
o Using tact, sound judgement, and maintaining a professional attitude in communication and relationships with others.
o Striving to deliver the best quality in daily work.
o Promoting a positive image of Steffes and its products.
o Being timely and punctual in attendance and following all policies and procedures.