Plant Manager

Location: Kingsville, Ontario

Vacancy: This posting is for a currently open position.

Salary Range: $120,000 – $140,000 base salary + bonus

COMPANY PROFILE

Our client is a fast-growing Canadian manufacturer of custom conveyor systems, material handling solutions, and precision metal products that has doubled their business in the past 2-years. They credit this success in large part to talented professionals who make up their world-class manufacturing team. They are committed to sustaining this period of growth, investing in the people, equipment, process improvements and technology the business needs to scale effectively.

As the business continues to expand its capabilities and production capacity, it is looking to strengthen its operational leadership with an experienced Plant Manager professional who can contribute to its next stage of growth.

POSITION OVERVIEW

Reporting to the General Manager, the Plant Manager will oversee operations across two manufacturing facilities, leading a team of departmental supervisors and approximately 80 production employees. This individual will drive operational performance, ensuring production efficiency, quality, and delivery objectives are consistently met.

The ideal candidate is an engaging, confident, and approachable leader who builds strong relationships, earns trust, and brings people together. Combining assertiveness, emotional intelligence, and strong interpersonal skills, they will foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Plant Operations: Oversee daily manufacturing activities across both facilities, ensuring production schedules, resources, and priorities are aligned to meet customer commitments and business objectives.
• Team Leadership: Lead, coach, and develop departmental supervisors, building a strong management team that promotes collaboration, accountability, employee engagement, and continuous development.
• Production & Performance: Drive production efficiency, workflow optimization, and on-time delivery. Monitor operational KPIs, costs, and budgets, addressing bottlenecks and identifying opportunities to improve overall performance.
• Quality & Safety: Ensure consistent product quality and compliance with industry standards, while promoting a safe working environment and maintaining strong health and safety practices across both facilities.
• Continuous Improvement: Lead initiatives to streamline manufacturing processes, reduce waste, improve productivity, and strengthen operational standards across all departments.
• Maintenance & Business Support: Oversee equipment reliability, preventive maintenance, facility upkeep, and after-sales service activities. Identify operational needs and recommend investments in equipment and resources to support business growth.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Post-secondary education in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, or a related discipline.
• 7+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience, ideally within custom fabrication, metalworking, or an engineered-to-order environment.
• Proven experience overseeing multi-department operations, leading supervisors, and managing production performance, budgets, and capacity.
• Strong technical understanding of welding, fabrication, machining, and manufacturing processes, with the ability to interpret engineering drawings.
• Solid knowledge of production planning, workflow optimization, bottleneck management, and continuous improvement practices.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build strong relationships, influence others, and engage effectively across all organizational levels.
• A confident, approachable, and assertive leadership style, with demonstrated ability to coach and develop teams, address performance issues, and foster accountability without being overly directive.
• Working knowledge of occupational health and safety requirements and manufacturing quality standards, including ISO 9001 and CWB. Experience with ERP systems, particularly Epicor, is an asset.

If you want to bring your leadership vision to life and help shape the next chapter of a growing manufacturing business, we’d love to hear from you. Please send your resume to lead executive search consultant, Charles Warren by selecting the “Apply” option and following required steps.

Thank you in advance for your interest, only individuals deemed to have the skill set and experience to fit the role will be contacted. Applicants must be legally entitled to work in Canada without sponsorship.

Lock Search Group is a National Executive Recruitment firm with 11 offices in Canada and one in the United States, a staff of more than 30 Consultants and Associates, and expertise in 11 major disciplines. Our mission is to provide exceptional Recruitment and Consulting Services to clients and candidates. We apply our experience and expertise to deliver solutions with a personalized approach that focuses on clients’ needs and candidates’ goals.

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