Assistant Plant Manager

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The Opportunity

Ford North America Manufacturing is hiring exceptional talent for our Assistant Plant Manager role at our Livonia Transmission Plant. Our Assistant Plant Managers are critical to the success of Ford Motor Company and our ability to deliver innovative, high-quality vehicles that our customers want and need. These plant leaders are highly visible members of the local community and responsible for leading a team of area managers within one of our 40+ manufacturing plants in vehicle operations, powertrain, or stamping operations.

This role will be based in Livonia, Michigan.

The Team

The Assistant Plant Manager will report to the site Plant Manager and be part of the plant's Executive Leadership Team. The Assistant Plant Manager will indirectly lead a team of approximately 4+ functional manufacturing leaders (operating committee members) and have oversite for approximately 3,000 plant personnel in a single location.

The Person

The Assistant Plant Manager is the “COO” of the plant, has holistic understanding of manufacturing and business operations, taking full accountability of plant operations and culture aligned with Ford's leadership core values of Excellence, Focus, and Collaboration and a servant leadership mentality.

In addition to the domain expertise required (business, data and technical acumen along with manufacturing proficiency), the Assistant Plant Manager will demonstrate the following Ford Operating System and Servant Leadership capabilities:

Excellence
• Leverage data and insights to drive lean improvements that deliver on cost and quality targets.
• Continually seek opportunities to improve processes and outcomes, leveraging KPIs and the PDCA model
• Hold self and others accountable for excellence and adherence to operational and behavioral expectations
• Effectively collaborate with Area Managers, Production Supervisors and Hourly

Employees
• Develop “leaders as teachers” and prioritizes ongoing development and evaluation of employee performance to drive results.
• Lead implementation of the Ford Production System aligned with lean principles and behaviors.
• Lead transformation and change management efforts to advance the company's competitiveness.
• Elevate concerns/risks and recognizes achievements

Focus
• Serve as partner to Plant Manager and change agent driving results and leveraging relationships to get things done
• Establish and operationalize a local vision and mission through clear goal-setting and communication
• Ensure operational stability by implementing disciplined processes and standards, meeting jobs per hour, rolled-throughput-yield, quality, and other key metrics.
• Strong problem solver who can lead effectively under pressure and crisis manage when necessary.
• Manage costs and resources responsibly and for the betterment of the plant

Collaboration
• Has self-awareness and a deep understanding of employee's aspirations, strengths, and well-being, evidenced by employee engagement scores, regular check-ins, and time spent on the plant floor (80%).
• Partner with Plant Manager to build a positive and inclusive culture by leveraging diverse viewpoints and mutual respect.
• Foster collaboration on best practices, standardized work, and building networks across functional areas.
• Build strong relationships with employees, Employee Resource Groups, the union, suppliers, and cross-functional teams.
• Consistently demonstrate empathy and Gemba, engaging regularly with employees on the plant floor to listen and problem solve.
• Role model authenticity and inspires through charismatic communication and leading by example
• Bring a high level of energy and effort to all tasks

The minimum requirements we seek

• Associate's degree or equivalent experience in an engineering or technical field.
• 10+ years of progressive responsibilities and experience in operations leadership.
• Extensive experience in high-volume, complex, manufacturing environments.
• Expertise in lean, kaizen and TPS is a must.
• Basic understanding of managing a Profit and Loss statement, demonstrating strong financial acumen.
• Experience successfully leading a manufacturing function and directly overseeing 50+ hourly employees at once.
• Demonstrated track record of building trust and rapport with employees and stakeholders and creating positive and healthy cultures.
• Aspiration for continued career growth and new challenges.
• Must be open to relocation

Our preferred requirements

• A bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in an engineering or a technical field.
• Operational experience leading manufacturing processes across multiple areas (body, paint, final, etc.)
• Lean / Six Sigma certification or demonstrated equivalent experience applying lean manufacturing principles and standardized work.
• Experience partnering with the union during a negotiation / contract renewal.

This is a leadership level 4 position. For more information on salary and benefits, click here

Candidates for positions with Ford Motor Company must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at time of hire. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status or protected veteran status. In the United States, if you need a reasonable accommodation for the online application process due to a disability, please call 1-888-336-0660.