Plant Manager – Tenneco (Blacksburg, VA)

Position Summary

The Plant Manager is responsible for providing overall leadership, direction, and strategic vision for the Blacksburg manufacturing facility. This role ensures safe, efficient, and cost-effective operations while driving a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, quality, employee engagement, and customer satisfaction. The Plant Manager partners closely with Operations, HR, Finance, Engineering, Maintenance, CI, Quality, and Union Leadership to achieve business objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

• - Lead day-to-day plant operations across all value streams, including Auto Lines, Material Prep, IROX, Bearings, and supporting departments.
• - Ensure production targets, cost controls, scrap reduction, and on-time delivery goals are met or exceeded.
• - Drive execution of daily Gemba walks, Tier meetings, production planning, and performance reviews.

People & Culture

• - Lead a workforce of ~300+ associates, including hourly union employees and salaried staff.
• - Promote a culture of safety, accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• - Partner with HR to drive staffing, training, succession planning, discipline, and performance management.
• - Maintain constructive relationships with the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (Local 2533) and ensure fair application of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Safety & Compliance

• - Ensure compliance with OSHA, environmental, corporate EHS standards, and internal safety policies.
• - Champion 5S, hazard reduction, incident investigations, and proactive safety programs.
• - Lead the plant’s response during audits, regulatory inspections, and internal compliance reviews.

Financial & Business Performance

• - Own full P&L responsibility for the facility.
• - Develop annual budgets, capital plans, staffing models, and cost savings initiatives.
• - Track daily/weekly performance metrics (OEE, labor efficiency, backlog, downtime, scrap, overtime).
• - Collaborate with Finance, Supply Chain, and Corporate Operations to forecast and manage performance.

Continuous Improvement & Lean Leadership

• - Drive Lean manufacturing initiatives—value stream mapping, Kaizen, 5S, TPM, SMED, and waste elimination.
• - Partner with the CI Manager to launch and sustain improvement projects that enhance productivity and quality.
• - Utilize data-driven decision-making and Plex/ERP systems for tracking performance.

Strategic Planning & Communication

• - Develop and execute long-term strategic plans aligned with Tenneco’s corporate goals.
• - Communicate plant status, risks, and achievements to Senior Leadership.
• - Lead plant-wide meetings to build morale, share progress, and reinforce business priorities.

Qualifications

Required

• - Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Operations Management, or related field.
• - Minimum 7–10 years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience; 3+ years in a Plant Manager or Operations Manager role.
• - Experience managing in a unionized environment and interpreting/working with CBAs.
• - Proven success in Lean/CI, production scheduling, safety leadership, and P&L oversight.

Preferred

• - Automotive or high-volume precision manufacturing experience.
• - Master’s degree (MBA, Engineering Management, or related).
• - Working knowledge of Plex or other ERP/MES systems.
• - Six Sigma or Lean Manufacturing certification (Green/Black Belt).

Key Competencies

• - Strong leadership and decision-making under pressure.
• - Excellent communication and ability to influence at all levels.
• - High emotional intelligence and ability to build trust with supervisors and hourly workforce.
• - Data-driven and results-oriented mindset.
• - Negotiation and conflict resolution skills, especially in union settings.
• - Adaptability in fast-paced, crisis-driven manufacturing environments.