Plant Manager

Alliance Recruiting Inc is partnering with a cutting-edge manufacturer to find a strategic Plant Manager who can help scale their workforce and elevate performance across their manufacturing organization in the DFW Texas area. This company is a high growth manufacturer of data center infrastructure, experiencing unprecedented demand—and they’re investing in people to meet it. Alliance Recruiting Inc is a trusted executive search firm with 30+ years of experience, specializing in placing top-tier professionals from Management to VP levels.The Plant Manager owns full operational leadership of a high-mix metal fabrication facility, with direct accountability for safety, quality, throughput, and on-time-in-full (OTIF) delivery. This role leads a workforce of approximately 200 FTEs, from front-line supervisors to direct labor, and is responsible for building a stable, predictable production system that consistently meets daily operating targets while directly supporting the site's P&L. The ideal candidate combines strong shop floor presence and hands-on leadership with the discipline to translate operational execution into measurable financial results.Key ResponsibilitiesShop Floor Execution & LeadershipRun daily production operations, proactively identify and resolve bottlenecks, and engage the workforce directly on the shop floor.Manage a metal fabrication facility to consistently meet daily operational targets.Apply deep, hands-on experience in a high-mix environment to deliver against throughput, OTIF, safety, and quality goals.Lead and develop a team of ~200 FTEs, spanning management, supervisors, and direct labor.Establish and maintain a daily operating cadence — tier meetings, visual management boards, and escalation processes — while maintaining high, visible presence on the shop floor and leading through supervisors and operators.Drive the core production system, including scheduling, WIP management, and labor allocation, to improve OEE, schedule attainment, and labor productivity.Enforce safety discipline, quality standards, and standard work across all shifts and product lines.Operational Stability & Continuous ImprovementOptimize inconsistent or variable operations into stable, repeatable performance.Stabilize production schedules, reduce lead times, and enhance labor productivity.Drive predictable output across shifts and product mix.Apply practical lean principles (flow, waste reduction) within a complex job shop context.Lead root cause resolution for downtime, scrap, and schedule delays.Optimize plant flow, layout, and labor utilization while improving uptime, changeover performance, and process capability.Own and execute a KPI-driven continuous improvement roadmap, ensuring gains are sustained over time.P&L Alignment with Operational PerformanceSupport overall plant P&L outcomes through disciplined operational execution.Demonstrate the ability to translate operational actions into measurable financial results.Connect shop floor decisions to cost, margin, and cash flow — and translate financial targets into daily operating priorities.Contribute directly to margin improvement and cash flow through operational performance.Manage key cost drivers, including labor, scrap, overtime, and downtime.Build and reinforce a culture of cost discipline, and lead initiatives focused on waste elimination.Sustaining Long-Term PerformanceBuild and maintain a steady-state operating system anchored by consistent, reliable KPIs.Successfully take ownership of a partially ramped-up site and drive it to full operational maturity.Stabilize and optimize previously inconsistent operations.Implement controlled, repeatable production systems and mature core operational capabilities over time.Develop front-line leaders (supervisors and team leads) to sustain results independent of direct oversight.QualificationsRequired:Proven track record running production operations in a metal fabrication or comparable high-mix manufacturing environment.Demonstrated leadership of a workforce of 150–250+ FTEs, including multiple layers of supervision.Hands-on experience managing throughput, OTIF, safety, and quality performance in a job shop or make-to-order setting.Practical experience with lean manufacturing tools and methodology applied to complex, variable production flows.Track record of connecting operational execution to financial performance (cost, margin, cash).Experience establishing daily management systems (tiered meetings, visual boards, escalation processes).Strong root-cause problem-solving skills applied to downtime, scrap, and schedule performance.Preferred:Experience stabilizing or ramping up a newly established or partially matured facility.Familiarity with OEE, schedule attainment, and labor productivity metrics and improvement methods.Experience developing front-line leadership talent (supervisors, team leads) to build organizational depth.Experience in metal bending, welding and cutting is highly valued.Key Performance IndicatorsSafety incident rateOTIF / schedule attainmentOEE and uptimeLabor productivityScrap and rework rateOvertime and cost per unitMargin and cash flow contributionRelocation assistance available.