Director - Fresno Hygiene Operations

The Plant Manager has full accountability for the safe, compliant, and efficient operation of a hygiene manufacturing facility. This role leads all plant functions—production, quality, maintenance, safety, supply chain, and people development—to deliver consistent product quality, high service levels, competitive cost performance, and continuous improvement.
The Plant Manager creates a strong safety-first culture, ensures strict adherence to hygiene, GMP, and regulatory standards, and drives operational excellence through disciplined execution and engaged leadership.

Plant Leadership & Performance

• Own overall plant performance, including safety, quality, service, cost, and employee engagement.

• Translate business objectives into clear operational plans, KPIs, and daily management routines.

• Lead cross-functional plant leadership team to deliver reliable, high-quality hygiene products.

Safety, Quality & Compliance (Non-Negotiable)

• Champion a zero-incident safety culture and ensure full compliance with health, safety, and environmental regulations.

• Ensure strict adherence to hygiene standards, GMP, sanitation protocols, and product safety requirements.

• Lead internal and external audits (GMP, ISO, customer, regulatory) and close corrective actions effectively.

• Maintain readiness for customer and regulatory inspections at all times.

Manufacturing Excellence

• Drive operational excellence through Lean, Six Sigma, TPM, or similar continuous improvement systems.

• Improve OEE, throughput, yield, and asset utilization while reducing waste, rework, and downtime.

• Ensure effective maintenance strategies to support equipment reliability and hygiene compliance.

• Lead root cause analysis for quality, safety, and performance issues and ensure sustainable solutions.

Cost & Financial Management

• Own plant P&L performance, including labor, materials, utilities, maintenance, and overhead.

• Identify and execute cost-reduction and productivity initiatives without compromising safety or quality.

• Develop and justify capital investment proposals to improve capacity, automation, quality, or compliance.

People Leadership & Culture

• Build a strong, accountable leadership team through coaching, development, and performance management.

• Foster a culture of ownership, continuous improvement, and collaboration across all shifts.

• Lead workforce planning, succession, training, and skills development to support long-term capability.

• Promote employee engagement, inclusion, and clear communication at all levels of the plant.

Supply Chain & Customer Service

• Partner with planning, procurement, and logistics to ensure reliable production and on-time delivery.

• Support new product introductions, scale-ups, and customer-specific hygiene requirements.

• Act as the senior site representative for key customer interactions and escalations.

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, or Business (required).

• 7–10 years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience, including full plant responsibility.

• Experience in hygiene, personal care, tissue, wipes, chemicals, food, or other GMP-regulated environments strongly preferred.

• Proven track record in safety leadership, quality systems, and operational excellence.

• Strong financial acumen with experience managing plant budgets and capital investments.

• Hands-on leader with the ability to balance shop-floor presence and strategic thinking.

What Success Looks Like:

• A visibly safe, clean, audit-ready plant with strong hygiene discipline.

• Stable, predictable production performance and improving OEE.

• High employee engagement with low turnover and strong leadership bench.

• Consistent product quality and customer satisfaction.

• Continuous improvement is embedded in daily operations—not just projects

The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $115,000 - $145,000 per year.  GEA Group has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States. The pay range is not a guarantee of compensation or salary.  The estimated range is the budgeted amount for the position. Final offers are based on various factors, including skill set, experience, location, qualifications, and other job-related reasons.  You may be eligible for additional rewards, such as discretionary bonus (based on eligibility) and/or equity awards.

Please note: This position is based in the United States and does not offer visa or work sponsorship. Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without current or future sponsorship.

GEA is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will therefore receive consideration for employment without regard to age, sex, race, color, religion, world view, national origin, genetics, disability, gender identity, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other protected characteristic required by applicable law. Applicants with disabilities are welcome and will be given special consideration if they are equally qualified.

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