Plant Manager - Franklin, WI

We are seeking a hands-on and strategic Plant manager to lead the start-up and long-term operations of our new manufacturing facility producing infrastructure products for data centers. This is a unique opportunity to help stand up a new plant from the ground up, setting the tone for operational excellence, building a high-performing team, and creating a culture centered on safety, quality, and continuous improvement.
The Plant Manager will be responsible for all aspects of plant operations, including production, maintenance, quality, and safety. This role will work closely with the executive team and cross-functional leaders to ensure successful ramp-up and ongoing scalability of the operation.

Travel requirements for this role will start at 50% (traveling to Calgary, Canada twice per month) and decrease to 10% as our Franklin, WI plant ramps up to production by end of calendar 2025. After the Franklin plant is occupied, intermittent travel will be required to meet with customers, suppliers, other facilities, and Regional and Corporate meetings.

Start-Up Execution and Leadership:

• Lead the start-up of a new manufacturing facility, including equipment installation, staffing, operational readiness, and initial production launch.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive plant start-up plan aligned with business objectives and production targets.
• Collaborate closely with engineering, HR, and supply chain teams to ensure seamless facility launch.

Operational Management:

• Lead and manage all day-to-day operations of the plant, ensuring safety, quality, and productivity targets are met.
• Ensure a safe working environment for all employees. Minimize the impact of operations to the Environment and comply with all external and internal Environmental requirements. Managing and maintaining relationships with customers and aligning the organization to meet the customer requirements with efficiency.
• Responsibility for the achievement of the KPI's including financial performance of the facility as well as the functional responsibilities of each Staff/Department Manager.

Strategy

• Development of short and long term operating and business plans that align and contribute to the Region and Company goals and objectives. Accurate planning, forecasting, analysis of variances, and implementation of corrective actions to achieve planned results.

• Management of a Plant Staff of direct reports to align responsibilities and expectations to Regional and Company goals and value system.

• Manage plant budgets, headcount, and resource planning to support business demands
• Collaborate with engineering, supply chain, HR, and quality to drive plant-wide initiatives.

Team Building & Talent Development:

• Recruit, hire, and develop the plant leadership team and hourly workforce in partnership with HR.
• Set clear expectations, drive accountability, and create a culture of empowerment and ownership throughout the facility.
• Partner with local schools, technical programs, and workforce agencies to support long-term talent pipeline development.

Compliance & Standards:

• Ensure full compliance with company standards, environmental regulations, and all applicable laws.
• Promote and enforce a safety-first culture through strong leadership, training, and behavior-based safety practices.

Leadership Responsibilities:

• Communicate effectively at all levels of the organization including written, verbal, and presentation techniques.
• Actively participate in all aspects of employee relations including managing the employee handbook, establishing skill requirements throughout the organization, development of employee skills, assessment of performance and behavior through regular utilization of the Performance & Development Process (PDP), and address required changes to meet performance targets.
• Represent the company as the local top executive, active participation in community affairs, organizational participation in civic affairs and associations, adherence to local, state, federal, and corporate laws and guidelines, and maintaining positive public relations in the community, achieve and continue a positive image externally and internally.

• Ensure compliance with company policies, regulatory standards, and environmental guidelines.
• Support talent development and performance management of plant employees.
• Foster a culture of accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement.
• Other job duties as assigned.

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Operations Management, or related field.
• 7+ years of manufacturing experience, with at least 3 years in a plant or operations leadership role.
• Prior experience with plant start-up or facility expansion strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and deliver results in a fast-paced, high-growth manufacturing environment.
• Proven experience in lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and KPI management.
• Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
• Ability to manage change, build culture, and influence across all levels of an organization.