Plant Manager

Plant Manager – Foundry Operations  

Location: Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Employment Type: Full-Time, Permanent

Industry: Industrial Manufacturing / Metal Casting


Who Are We?  

MT Talent Solutions is a strategic recruitment agency specializing in connecting skilled professionals with leading employers across Canada and the United States. Our customized approach ensures both technical expertise and cultural alignment, creating successful, long-term partnerships.  


Why Are We Looking for You?  

MT Talent is proud to partner with an established industrial manufacturing organization in the recruitment of an experienced Plant Manager for its foundry operations in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This is an exciting opportunity for a hands-on, results-driven operations leader who thrives in a fast-paced, heavy industrial manufacturing environment.  

The successful candidate will oversee daily foundry operations, including production, quality, safety, maintenance, staffing, and continuous improvement. Working closely with the General Manager and departmental leadership, the Plant Manager will play a critical role in driving operational efficiency, improving productivity, reducing waste, and building a strong culture of accountability.  

We are seeking a leader who is equally comfortable developing operational strategies, analyzing performance metrics, coaching supervisors, and spending meaningful time on the production floor.

Experience in foundry or metal casting operations is strongly preferred.    


What's In It for You?  

• Opportunity to take ownership of plant operations within an established industrial manufacturing organization.
• Key leadership role with direct influence on operational performance and continuous improvement.
• Opportunity to lead, mentor, and develop a team of production supervisors and frontline employees.
• Collaborative environment working closely with senior leadership and cross-functional teams.
• Hands-on leadership position where your ideas, expertise, and contributions can make a measurable impact.
• Opportunity to drive operational improvements and support long-term organizational success.

What Will You Do?

Production & Operations Management  

• Oversee daily operations across molding, melting and pouring, core room, shakeout, finishing, shipping, and receiving departments.
• Collaborate with supervisors and production planning teams to establish schedules, staffing requirements, and operational priorities.
• Lead daily production meetings to review performance, identify challenges, and implement solutions.
• Monitor production output, labour hours, overtime, scrap, rework, and missing castings.
• Ensure production and shipping targets are achieved while maintaining high standards of safety and quality.
• Identify opportunities to improve productivity, labour utilization, and operational efficiency.

Continuous Improvement & Lean Manufacturing

• Champion a culture of continuous improvement throughout the facility.
• Implement and reinforce Lean manufacturing principles, including 5S, Kanban, standardized work, and structured problem-solving.
• Maintain a strong presence on the production floor, using Gemba practices to identify opportunities and address operational challenges.
• Lead initiatives to reduce waste, minimize downtime, improve workflow, and increase overall productivity.
• Utilize performance data and root cause analysis to support effective decision-making.

Quality & Safety Leadership  

• Partner with the Quality Manager to address customer complaints, corrective actions, and process improvement opportunities.
• Support ISO 9001 quality management standards and ensure compliance with approved manufacturing processes.
• Collaborate with Quality, Engineering, and Pattern Shop teams to reduce scrap, rework, and production defects.
• Promote a safety-first culture through proactive hazard identification, training, housekeeping, and enforcement of safe work practices.
• Ensure employees and supervisors remain accountable for maintaining safe and efficient operations.

Maintenance & Equipment Reliability  

• Work closely with maintenance personnel to coordinate preventive maintenance programs and urgent equipment repairs.
• Monitor equipment downtime and identify opportunities to improve reliability and performance.
• Support maintenance planning to minimize production disruptions and ensure operational continuity.

People Leadership & Performance Management  

• Lead, coach, and develop departmental supervisors and team leads.
• Establish clear performance expectations, accountability measures, and operational objectives.
• Support hiring, employee development, training, cross-training, and retention initiatives.
• Foster a collaborative, solutions-oriented culture focused on employee engagement and operational excellence.
• Build a strong supervisory team capable of supporting both immediate production requirements and long-term operational goals.

Reporting & Operational Performance  

• Monitor and report on key performance indicators, including safety, quality, delivery, inventory, productivity, scrap, rework, and labour efficiency.
• Provide regular updates to the General Manager regarding operational performance, staffing, risks, and improvement initiatives.
• Drive measurable improvements in pounds shipped per labour hour, overtime management, scrap reduction, and equipment uptime.
• Ensure accurate and timely production reporting and resolution of operational issues.

What Do You Bring?  

• Proven experience leading production teams in an industrial manufacturing environment.
• Foundry or metal casting manufacturing experience is strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, production scheduling, labour management, quality systems, and industrial safety.
• Demonstrated experience implementing Lean manufacturing practices and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Knowledge of root cause analysis, process optimization, and performance management.
• Strong leadership capabilities with experience coaching, developing, and holding supervisors accountable.
• Ability to balance strategic operational objectives with hands-on, day-to-day plant management.
• Excellent communication, decision-making, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret operational KPIs and translate findings into measurable improvements.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Word, and Outlook.
• Experience with Steel ERP or comparable manufacturing ERP systems is considered an asset.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Operations Management, or a related discipline is preferred; equivalent practical experience will be considered.
• Willingness to maintain a regular presence on the production floor and work additional or varied hours as operational needs require.

MT Talent Solutions – Recruitment Process   MT Talent Solutions is committed to an inclusive, equitable, and accessible recruitment process. We welcome applications from qualified candidates of all backgrounds and are committed to providing accommodations throughout the recruitment and selection process.   We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support certain administrative aspects of our recruitment process. All candidate evaluations and hiring recommendations involve human oversight and decision-making.  

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