Plant Manager

THE COMPANY

We have been retained to find a Plant Manager to lead the Tulsa, Oklahoma manufacturing plant for our client who is a high-growth, globally integrated aerostructures leader, delivering mission-critical components and assemblies to the world’s leading aerospace OEMs. With 13 operations across North America, the company combines deep engineering capability with world-class manufacturing in machining, fabrication, special processing, finishing, assembly, inspection, and advanced composites. Backed by a strong global group, the organization is entering a new phase of strategic growth and operational transformation, driven by increasing demand, supply chain realignment, and next-generation aerospace programs. This is an environment where performance, innovation, and leadership visibility directly impact business outcomes, and where strong leaders can have the opportunity to shape the future of a complex, multi-site industrial platform. Our client serves major commercial and military customers through a North American network of manufacturing and engineering operations.
The Tulsa, Oklahoma operation is a strategically important manufacturing site supporting complex aerospace programs. The facility operates in a demanding environment where production flow, equipment reliability, workforce capability, capacity management, quality, and on-time delivery directly impact customer commitments and business performance.

THE POSITION

Summary

The Plant Manager will have overall leadership responsibility for leading the turnaround for the Tulsa manufacturing operation (3 buildings) and accountability for the site’s performance across Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and People (SQDCP). This is a highly visible, hands-on leadership position requiring an executive who can move effectively between the shop floor, operational and financial reviews, leadership-team development, and direct interaction with aerospace customers.
The Plant Manager will translate business strategy into disciplined daily execution, establish accountability throughout the organization, remove operational constraints, improve throughput and delivery performance, strengthen financial results, and develop the leadership capabilities required for sustained performance.
The executive will lead and align the site’s cross-functional leadership team, including Production Operations, Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, Maintenance, Finance, Human Resources, and EHS, while creating a culture characterized by accountability, urgency, collaboration, continuous improvement, and respect for people.
A major priority will be improving production flow and throughput while strengthening quality, customer performance, and financial results. The Plant Manager must understand how operating decisions translate into financial outcomes and ensure improvement initiatives generate measurable and sustainable business results.
As a senior customer-facing leader, the Plant Manager will develop credible relationships with key aerospace customers and communicate performance, recovery plans, risks, corrective actions, and commitments with transparency and confidence.

Essential Job Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership for the Tulsa operation, including site strategy, annual operating plans, budgets, business commitments, and performance against company objectives.
• Lead and align the site management team across Operations, Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, Maintenance, Finance, Human Resources, and EHS.
• Deliver predictable Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and People performance through a disciplined daily management system with clear metrics, ownership, and escalation.
• Improve production flow, throughput, schedule adherence, capacity utilization, labor productivity, equipment reliability, standard work, and on-time delivery.
• Identify and eliminate manufacturing constraints involving equipment, staffing, processes, inspection, FAI, special processing, planning, and capacity.
• Ensure compliance with aerospace quality requirements, customer specifications, regulatory obligations, and internal procedures.
• Champion quality-at-source, FAI readiness, root-cause problem solving, and timely corrective-action closure.
• Own site financial performance, including labor and overtime, productivity, inventory, working capital, operating expenses, capital expenditures, and profitability.
• Develop and manage operating and capital plans based on business requirements, capacity, risk, customer needs, and expected return.
• Build strong relationships with aerospace customers and provide transparent communication regarding performance, risks, recovery plans, commitments, and corrective actions.
• Develop managers and front-line supervisors through clear expectations, coaching, performance management, succession planning, and talent development.
• Assess organizational structure and staffing requirements and build the capabilities necessary to support future program requirements and growth.
• Support program ramps, new-product industrialization, technology deployment, program transfers, and cross-site operational initiatives.
• Collaborate across the companies’ network to optimize enterprise performance and shared value streams.

THE CANDIDATE

Required Experience, Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Business, or a related discipline.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience within complex industrial operations.
• Prior leadership responsibility as a Plant Manager, Site Leader, General Manager, Operations Director, or Senior Operations Manager comparable operating executive, with direct accountability for plant or site results.
• Demonstrated ownership of operating budgets and financial performance, including labor, productivity, cost, capital investment, inventory, and profitability.
• Proven success improving operational performance through Lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, structured problem solving, and disciplined daily management systems.
• Ability to diagnose complex operational issues and distinguish among labor, equipment, process, planning, capacity, and quality constraints.
• Demonstrated success building and leading cross-functional teams in demanding, customer-focused manufacturing environments.
• Strong shop-floor leadership with the ability to use GEMBA, direct observation, employee engagement, and visible performance metrics to identify and resolve operational barriers.
• Proven ability to develop managers and front-line leaders, establish accountability, address performance gaps, and build stronger organizational capability.
• Strong business and financial acumen with the ability to connect operational decisions to measurable financial outcomes.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to interact effectively with hourly employees, managers, senior executives, customers, and suppliers.
• Demonstrated sound judgment and decision-making ability in high-pressure operating and customer situations.
• Periodic travel to customers, suppliers, and other company locations will be required.

Strongly Preferred

• Aerospace manufacturing experience or experience within a similarly regulated, high-mix, high-complexity manufacturing environment. Aerostructures experience is ideal.
• Experience with chemical or special processing and chemical milling, painting and finishing is very highly preferred. Experience with the following is a plus: CNC machining, fabrication, NDT, assembly, inspection, or related manufacturing processes.
• Working knowledge of AS9100, First Article Inspection (FAI), customer qualification requirements, configuration control, and aerospace traceability.
• Demonstrated success leading a plant turnaround, backlog recovery, production rate ramp, new-product introduction, capacity expansion, or operational transformation.
• Ability to demonstrate quantified improvements in delivery, throughput, quality, productivity, cost, working capital, or profitability.
• Direct experience working with major aerospace OEM customers and participating in executive-level customer reviews.
• Experience leading a manufacturing operation of comparable scale and workforce complexity.
• MBA, advanced technical degree, or formal Lean/Six Sigma certification.

The successful candidate will be a visible and decisive leader with an ownership mentality and a high degree of personal accountability. This individual will lead from the floor, anticipate issues, establish operating discipline, and move with urgency while protecting safety, quality, compliance, customer requirements, and the long-term health of the business.
Equally important will be the ability to develop people and build a high-performing organization. The Plant Manager will set high expectations, coach directly, recognize strong performance, address performance gaps, and strengthen leadership capability throughout the organization.
Above all, the company is seeking a customer-minded plant leader who can create predictable execution while building the systems, organization, and talent required for sustainable growth.

Why Join this Global Leader

• Lead a strategically important aerospace operation with direct impact on business and customer performance.
• Take on a high-visibility leadership role with meaningful autonomy and accountability.
• Drive transformation across operations, quality, capacity, talent, and financial performance.
• Gain broader exposure within an integrated North American network and global aerospace organization.
• Build a potential path toward expanded General Manager/VP or broader business leadership responsibilities.

Relocation assistance available depending on candidate circumstances and company policy.