Job Description

Winpak Portion Packaging is seeking a Plant Manager to join their Plant Management team based out of South Chicago Heights, Illinois. In this role, you will lead overall plant operations and ensure safety, quality, productivity, cost control, compliance, and employee development objectives are achieved. This is a high-impact leadership opportunity for an experienced manufacturing professional who can align people, processes, equipment, and resources to support operational excellence and customer satisfaction.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and direct overall plant operations, including employees, equipment, materials, processes, capital resources, and facility performance to achieve productivity and efficiency goals.
• Manage controllable plant costs and support annual, three-year, capital, and operating budget planning in partnership with operational leaders.
• Oversee production, quality assurance, engineering, maintenance, production planning, purchasing, shipping, and receiving functions to ensure safe, efficient, and cost-effective operations.
• Drive plant performance against safety, quality, productivity, standard cost, customer service, inventory, and reliability objectives.
• Ensure finished products are inspected, tested, and produced in accordance with approved procedures, customer specifications, and company quality standards.
• Maintain compliance with applicable government, regulatory, food packaging safety, security, environmental, sanitation, and housekeeping requirements.
• Hire, train, direct, develop, and manage plant leadership and employees in alignment with company policies, procedures, and management practices.
• Build positive working relationships with corporate management, human resources, manufacturing, materials development, vendors, customers, and plant teams to support operational goals.
• Support new product development, customer satisfaction, contamination prevention, and continuous improvement efforts across the facility.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Engineering, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in production management, maintenance supervision, plant engineering, or overall manufacturing operations leadership.
• Experience leading people, developing teams, and driving results through managers and cross-functional plant employees.
• Experience managing plant budgets, operating costs, production standards, and operational performance objectives.
• Experience supporting quality, safety, sanitation, regulatory compliance, and customer specification requirements in a manufacturing environment.
• Ability to communicate clearly with employees, customers, suppliers, vendors, and leaders at all levels of the organization.
• Experience using Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, enterprise resource planning systems, and related business systems.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience leading operations in a food packaging, plastics, converting, or regulated manufacturing environment.
• Knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practices, sanitation, prerequisite programs, chemical control, and food safety plans.
• Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point training or the ability to complete required product safety training.
• Experience overseeing production planning, purchasing, quality assurance, maintenance, engineering, shipping, and receiving functions.
• Experience supporting capital planning, equipment reliability, facility maintenance, and new product development initiatives.

Additional Details:

• This is a full-time, salaried exempt position.
• This position is 100% onsite in South Chicago Heights, Illinois.
• Standard schedule is Monday-Friday, 7:30 AM-4:00 PM, with flexibility required to support a 24-hour operational facility.
• Intermittent customer travel is required, both domestic and international.
• This role reports to the Director of Manufacturing and supervises department managers.
• The Plant Manager must be available to support plant operations and business needs as required.

Compensation range:

The compensation range provided is a general guideline only. Pay will be determined based on the candidate’s experience and expertise and is subject to vary.

Why Winpak?

Winpak is committed to providing comprehensive benefits to support the physical, mental, financial and social well-being of our employees and their families. Our benefit package includes the following:

• Medical, dental, vision & prescription coverage
• Travel coverage
• Disability coverage
• Voluntary life insurance
• Life and accidental death & dismemberment insurance
• Tuition assistance program
• Retirement savings plans
• A comprehensive employee and family assistance program which includes short term counselling, wellbeing coaching, financial and legal consultations services.

Winpak’s vision is to provide the best packaging solutions for people and planet. We are a leading supplier of innovative packaging solutions, known for providing high-quality products that meet the needs of a variety of industries, including food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, and consumer products. With a commitment to sustainability, safety, and excellence, Winpak continues to grow as a global leader in the packaging industry.

At Winpak, inclusion is one of our core values. We believe that an inclusive culture fosters a sense of belonging, drives innovation, and provides our brand a competitive advantage. Our goal is to create an environment free from harassment and discrimination, and where every individual feels respected, valued, and appreciated.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we are committed to an equitable and inclusive recruitment process, evaluating applicants based on merit, capability, and qualifications related to the job - never on identity factors such as race, color, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, disability, national origin, or any other protected status. To support this commitment, if you require any accommodations during the recruitment process, please let us know and we will work with you to ensure your needs are met.