Plant Manager

Novolex is a leader in packaging innovation, choice and sustainability. We manufacture products in paper, plastic and sustainable materials for the food, retail, health and industrial markets.

The Novolex sustainability vision is built upon three pillars: our products, our operations and our people. Each is critically important to our growth and future as a business. These pillars form the foundation of our company-wide commitment to sustainability, helping us achieve our ambitious goals through our wide-ranging initiatives.

This position is responsible for the overall day-to-day operation, leadership and management of our Franklin, OH plant. This position reports to the Director of Operations and regularly reports on plant performance.

Direct reports to this position include all plant salaried staff including but not limited to Production Manager/Converting Manager, Logistics Manager, Maintenance Manager, Quality Manager, etc. Indirect reports include all hourly employees at the plant.

• Champion Safety and Compliance: Promote a world-class safety culture that ensures compliance with OSHA, environmental, and corporate safety standards across all operations.
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  Drive Lean Transformation: Embed Lean Manufacturing principles through 5S, Kaizen, visual management, value stream mapping, and waste elimination to strengthen efficiency and performance.

  
  
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  Ensure Operational Excellence: Oversee production activities to deliver consistent product quality, customer satisfaction, and on-time fulfillment.

  
  
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  Continuous Improvement: Lead cross-functional teams to identify, implement, and sustain improvements in productivity, equipment reliability, and workflow optimization.

  
  
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  People Leadership: Coach and develop salaried and hourly team members to build a high-performance, empowered, and accountable culture.

  
  
• Controls & Maintenance Oversight: Ensure proactive maintenance and reliability of equipment, facilities, and utilities to minimize downtime
• Inventory & Materials Management: Optimize raw material, work-in-progress, and finished goods flow to support production schedules and cost targets
• Financial Stewardship: Manage plant operating budgets, headcount, and capital expenditures to achieve financial and performance goals.
• Strategic Execution: Partner with corporate and regional leadership to align plant objectives with broader business strategies and KPIs.
• Employee Engagement: Foster collaboration, communication, and ownership through daily management systems (DMS) and structured problem-solving processes.

• College degree in Engineering or Business typically required.
• A minimum of 10 years of plant management level experience in high volume, fast-paced manufacturing and operations.
• Well-rounded operations management experience including a deep understanding and experience with operations tactics, lean manufacturing, and continuous improvement, strategies and best practices and process discipline.
• Knowledge of production processes, raw materials, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Track record of excellent judgment and decision-making ability.
• Ability to successfully work to reach company goals in an environment in which a wide degree of creativity and latitude is required.
• Ability to effectively set and communicate expectations & directives to manufacturing staff.
• Results driven, analytical, self-motivated and detail oriented with the ability to logically identify alternative solutions or approaches to complex problems.
• Demonstrated presentation skills, as this role will be interfacing with executive level management, along with large customers.

Note: This position description is not meant to include all duties and responsibilities of the aforementioned position but is meant to give a generalized description of the duties and responsibilities of the position.

Benefits

With safety as our top priority and a commitment to employee well-being an important focus, we offer comprehensive and competitive benefits that include medical, dental and vision insurance (including Telehealth options) as well as a variety of other well-being resources focused on mental, physical and financial health. Specific benefits and well-being programs may vary depending on where you work.

Community Engagement

At Novolex, giving back to the local communities that support us is important. Our Focused Giving Program prioritizes support for organizations whose missions promote sustainability initiatives or address food and hunger needs. We also encourage facility level support of activities in the communities where our employees live and work.

Training and Development

We offer constant opportunities for advancement. From skills development to advanced education programs, training and development programs and courses are available through Novolex University. Programs include company and industry training curricula, support for formal education through the Tuition Reimbursement Program, and a Learning Management System that supports and enhances employee skills at all levels of the organization.

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