What are the responsibilities and job description for the Plant General Manager position at Uhuru Design?
Plant General Manager
Uhuru Design is a design-forward American contract furniture manufacturer delivering high-performance conference systems, private office programs, and large-scale workplace environments for institutional clients across North America.
Founded in 2004, Uhuru evolved from its design-led origins into a nationally recognized partner for complex B2B environments, serving financial institutions, technology firms, hospitality groups, and mission-driven organizations.
Uhuru operates our manufacturing facility in Denver, Pennsylvania, with a national rep network and growing institutional client base. We are entering our next chapter: scaling operations to support larger, faster, and more complex projects while maintaining the creative energy that defines our brand.
This is where design ambition meets operational excellence.
The Opportunity
We are seeking a Plant General Manager to lead Uhuru into our next chapter.
The Plant General Manager (GM) is the senior operational leader of Uhuru’s Denver, PA manufacturing facility and a core member of the executive leadership team.
This is a hands-on, on-site leadership role reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer.
This is a build-and-scale mandate, not a maintenance role.
You will oversee manufacturing operations across wood, metal, finishing, logistics, and outsourced partnerships — while helping architect the systems, structure, and leadership culture required to compete at a national contract level
Core Responsibilities
Operational Leadership
- Lead all day-to-day plant operations across production, scheduling, and fulfillment
- Build scalable systems for production planning, capacity forecasting, and cost control
- Improve throughput, margin performance, and on-time delivery metrics
- Establish KPIs and reporting structures aligned with executive goals
Quality & Execution
- Elevate quality control processes across wood, metal, finish, and outsourced components
- Implement process documentation and repeatability across product lines
- Reduce rework, warranty exposure, and inefficiencies
Team & Culture
- Lead, mentor, and develop plant leadership and production teams
- Create a culture of accountability, pride, and performance
- Build succession planning and organizational depth
- Recruit strategically as we scale
Cross-Functional Leadership
- Partner closely with design, engineering, and product teams to ensure manufacturability
- Collaborate with sales to improve quoting turnaround and feasibility evaluation
- Strengthen supplier and outsourced manufacturing relationships
Strategic Build-Out
- Evaluate layout, equipment, and workflow improvements
- Assess future capacity needs and expansion scenarios
- Support long-term scaling plans (including potential footprint expansion)
What We’re Looking For
- 15 years in furniture or adjacent contract manufacturing
- 5 years in senior operations or plant leadership
- Demonstrated experience scaling production for complex B2B projects
- Deep understanding of woodworking, metal fabrication, and finishing environments
- Strong financial and operational acumen (COGS, margins, capacity modeling)
- Experience implementing systems (ERP/MRP, lean manufacturing, SOP development)
- Executive-level communication and presence
- Entrepreneurial mindset and comfortable building structure in a growing company
- BA/BS in supply chain, engineering, or management preferred
Work Environment
This is a hands-on leadership role split between the factory floor and executive planning.
We expect operational intensity during peak project periods and are building systems that reduce reactive firefighting over time.
Why Uhuru
This is an opportunity to:
- Shape the future of an independent American design brand
- Build operational systems without corporate bureaucracy
- Compete head-to-head with legacy contract manufacturers
- Create a factory culture that balances craft, precision, and performance
- Leave a visible mark on the next phase of the business
We are building the next generation of American contract furniture.
UHURU is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Pay: $80,000.00 - $110,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
Salary : $80,000 - $110,000