Manufacturing Plant Manager

The purpose of your role as a Manufacturing Plant Manager

The Plant Manager for the new integrated manufacturing plant will lead the build, launch, and scale of end-to-end operations at a state-of-the-art facility designed to expand enterprise-wide manufacturing capacity and drive disciplined, repeatable execution. This new plant represents a critical step in our industrialized construction strategy—introducing advanced prefabrication and modular production methods to deliver consistent, scalable, and high-quality solutions for one of the nation’s top 10 MEP contractors.

 Initially reporting to the Vice President of Industrialized Construction, this role will have full accountability for safety, quality, delivery, cost, financial performance, and people, with direct ownership of the plant operating budget, P&L performance, and capital investment planning and execution. Day-one operations will focus on plumbing and piping fabrication, with the facility designed to scale and expand into sheet metal manufacturing as capacity, demand, and capital investment plans mature. The Plant Manager will ensure financial discipline, cost transparency, and strong return on invested capital as the facility ramps and scales.

The Plant Manager will champion standardized systems, lean manufacturing principles, and continuous improvement to establish operational stability, maximize throughput, and ensure reliability, including readiness for ISO 9001:2015 certification. Success in this role requires a strong manufacturing mindset, deep understanding of quality systems, and the ability to lead teams through change toward sustained operational excellence in a high-growth, innovation-driven environment.

Plant Startup, Scale-Up, and Operational Leadership

• Lead the startup, stabilization, and scale-up of a new integrated manufacturing facility, establishing operating rhythms, production readiness, and performance discipline

• Own end-to-end plant performance, including safety, quality, delivery, cost, P&L performance, and workforce execution across multiple fabrication disciplines.
• Translate enterprise growth objectives into executable production plans that support predictable output and on-time delivery

Manufacturing Strategy & Production System Design

• Establish capacity models, line layouts, material flow, and scheduling methods to support modular and prefabricated construction solutions
• Drive data-based decision-making through defined KPIs, visual management, and performance reporting
• Translate enterprise production plans and forecasts into executable schedules
• Balance labor, equipment, and materials to meet production commitments
• Identify capacity constraints and proactively develop mitigation plans

Lean Manufacturing & Continuous Improvement

• Champion lean manufacturing principles to improve throughput, reduce waste, and increase operational reliability
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on productivity, cost reduction, and process stability. Develop a culture of problem-solving and accountability through structured improvement methodologies

People Leadership:

• Establish connections with others to build trust, share ideas, and accomplish work
• Help others become more effective through strengths development, clear expectations, encouragement, and coaching
• Provide growth and development opportunities to the team through training and continuing education
• Identify the consequences of actions and hold yourself and others responsible for performance
• Listen, share information concisely and with purpose, and be open to hearing opinions
• Encourage others through positivity, vision, confidence, challenge, and recognition
• Support timely and effective implementation of business-required changes. Utilize the ADKAR model to lead change within teams/departments supervising
• Motivate and support employee engagement by creating a positive and motivating working environment, aligning work according to employee motivation, giving others appropriate latitude to get work done, and making people feel that their contributions are visible and valuable
• Develop, coach, advise and mentor team members to:
  • Manage change, inspire confidence, be empowered, hold team members accountable,
  • Support the strategic direction and operational needs of the company while meeting their own internal objectives,
  • build collaborative relationships across the company to assist in managing through the employee life cycle (e.g., plan, attract, retain, develop, measure, and advance employees)
  • And to cultivate and foster the desired Harris culture, values and competencies
• Model and be an example for the Harris culture, values and competencies.
• Emphasize a strong safety culture at all times
• Safety, Quality, and Regulatory Compliance
• Build a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory, environmental, and company standards
• Establish and maintain robust quality management systems, including readiness for ISO 9001:2015 certification
• Ensure consistent product quality through standardized work, inspection processes, and root-cause corrective actions

Cross-Functional Integration & Value Stream Alignment

• Partner with engineering, supply chain, and operations to align design intent, material availability, and production schedules
• Enable seamless handoffs between upstream planning and downstream installation through coordinated workflows and feedback loops
• Serve as the primary manufacturing interface for enterprise stakeholders supporting industrialized construction initiatives

What we’re looking for in you

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, construction, management, or a related field required
• 8+ years in manufacturing operations experience, including leadership roles with full accountability for safety, quality, Throughput, delivery, cost, and people
• 5+ years of leadership experience in a manufacturing, fabrication, or industrialized production environment
• 5+ years of experience leading supervisors, plant managers, or shop leadership teams
• Demonstrated ability to manage end-to-end manufacturing operations
• Experience leading supervisors, plant managers, or shop leadership teams
• Strong understanding of production planning, workflow management, and operational performance metrics
• Background in transitioning operations from construction-style processes to manufacturing models
• Demonstrated experience starting up, scaling, or transforming manufacturing operations, preferably in a greenfield or rapidly evolving environment
• Experience in mechanical fabrication, modular construction, or industrialized construction environments
• Proven track record implementing standardized production systems, lean manufacturing principles, and continuous improvement initiatives
• Experience with lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, or operational excellence programs
• Experience leading multi-discipline or complex fabrication operations, such as piping, plumbing, sheet metal, mechanical systems, or similar industrial environments
• Strong history of cross-functional leadership, partnering effectively with engineering, supply chain, and downstream execution teams
• Hands-on experience establishing or operating within formal quality management systems
• Familiarity with DfMA/prefab and modular construction workflows
• Experience standing up, scaling, or transforming a plant including standardizing production systems and introducing automation

Your life at Harris

As one of the country's leading mechanical contractors, Harris offers the stability, resources, and opportunities of a national company along with the team culture, creative spirit, and customer loyalty of a local business. If you thrive on variety and enjoy new challenges, we want to meet you. From stadiums to manufacturing facilities, power plants to hospitals, and concert halls to classrooms, we handle projects of all sizes and complexity across multiple regional locations throughout the country.

Harris Benefits + Compensation

• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance
• 401K with company match
• Vacation time, sick time, and paid holidays
• Paid Parental leave
• Sales Incentive Plan

Visit our Careers Page for additional benefit details: https://www.harriscompany.com/careers/employee-benefits-at-a-glance

Pay Range: $94,402 - $141,602

The actual salary offer will vary by candidate based on a wide range of factors such as specific skills, qualifications, experience, and location.