Plant Manager

First Quality was founded in 1989 and has grown to be a global privately held company with over 4,000 employees. Its corporate offices are located in Great Neck, New York, with manufacturing facilities and offices in Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Georgia, and Canada. First Quality is a diversified family of companies manufacturing consumer products ranging from Absorbent Hygiene (adult incontinence, feminine care, and baby care), Tissue (bath and towel), and Industrial (print and packaging materials), serving institutional and retail markets throughout the world. First Quality focuses on private label and branded product lines.

We are seeking an experienced Plant Manager for our state-of-the-art baby and infant products (baby diapers & toddler training pants) manufacturing facility located in Macon, GA.

This key leadership position is ultimately accountable for the entire site and for overseeing the team, systems, and equipment necessary to meet the business needs and objectives, as well as financial controls, safety, cost, quality, equipment reliability, organizational development, and product initiatives.

The successful candidate will bring a significant focus on safety and personal responsibility to prevent accidents and injuries by observing established rules and will set an example for others. This role will collaborate cross functionally with product development, finance, IT, HR and supply chain to ensure that the plant remains productive and successful, while supporting the growth objectives of the Absorbent Hygiene Division of First Quality.

Primary responsibilities include:

• Adheres to all Safe Work Practices (SWP) and organizational policies and procedures. Must abide by all safety requirements and attain safety goals.
• Responsible for Production Operations, Maintenance/Reliability, Plant Engineering, Safety, and Planning/Scheduling.
• Supervises plant personnel directly and through subordinate managers and/or supervisors. Fully supports all corporate initiatives and directives.
• Ensures a comprehensive safety program for the facility.
• Ensures that the facility meets the corporate expectations for Quality Control, including validations, process capability, and the CAPA process.
• Prepares and maintains long- and short-range plans. Creates facility vision that complies with company objectives. Ensures clear and concise objectives are in place for all employees and accountability against stated objectives.
• Promotes good relations with community, government agencies, and customers.
• Collaborates cross-functionally with other key function - Marketing, Finance, R&D, and Logistics.
• Coordinates with Human Resources for all employee relations programs and policies. Ensures that all associates are treated fairly and that policies and programs are administered consistently.
• Ensures the integrity of all financial reporting and financial controls in accordance with corporate policies and guidelines.
• Oversees operational excellence programs to ensure plant meets goals and objectives.
• Reviews, evaluates, and approves promotion and transfer of exempt personnel.
• Actively participates in the development of the organization by supporting the employee training, development, and promotion.
• Creates and maintains an environment of continuous improvement throughout the entire plant and campus.
• Supports customer visits and audits as required.

The ideal candidate should possess the following skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or other related discipline preferred
• Minimum of 7 years of manufacturing/production experience, preferably within the consumer products industry or other related industry
• Minimum of 5 years of managerial/team leadership experience
• Experience working closely with other key functions that are critical to site and business unit success - Human Resources, Finance, R&D, IT, etc.
• Demonstrated problem solving skills with the ability to develop and implement solutions
• Collaborative and engaging leadership skills – ability to connect across all levels, functions, internally & externally

First Quality is committed to protecting information under the care of First Quality Enterprises commensurate with leading industry standards and applicable regulations. As such, First Quality provides at least annual training regarding data privacy and security to employees who, as a result of their role specifications, may come in to contact with sensitive data.

First Quality is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identification, or protected Veteran status.