Plant Operations Manager

Big plant. Big impact. Plenty of moving parts, and yes, most of them eventually become someone's favorite T-shirt. Lakeshirts is looking for a hands-on Plant Manager to lead manufacturing operations at our Detroit Lakes facility. This role owns safety, quality, delivery, cost, people leadership, and continuous improvement across screenprint, embroidery, sublimation/DTFX, garment dyeing, and accessories printing.

You will lead five Production Managers and a manufacturing team of 250+ people, set a clear daily direction, and turn performance data into practical action. The right leader is visible on the floor, steady under pressure, serious about developing people, and comfortable using Lean manufacturing tools such as Kaizen, Standard Work, Visual Management, and 5S. Just as important, you bring humility, a sense of humor, and the kind of team-first leadership that fits our non-corporate culture.

Location: Detroit Lakes, MN headquarters; fully onsite.

Shift: Full-time leadership role. Schedule must flex with plant priorities and operating needs.

Pay: Competitive exempt salary. $120,000-$150,000 annually, depending on experience and qualifications, with flexibility for exceptional candidates.

• Lead all plant operations with clear accountability for safety, quality, delivery, cost, and people.
• Set the pace from the floor by driving Daily Direction Setting and the Daily Management Work System.
• Coach and develop Production Managers and front-line leaders through clear expectations, timely feedback, and consistent follow-through.
• Monitor productivity, efficiency, labor performance, throughput, downtime, quality, and on-time delivery; adjust priorities and resources to achieve the plan.
• Align with Planning and Customer Service on daily schedules, constraints, and customer priorities.
• Partner with Safety and Quality leaders on emerging issues, training needs, corrective actions, and process improvements.
• Build workforce plans with HR to support staffing, capability, engagement, and succession needs.
• Use Lean manufacturing, root-cause analysis, Kaizen, Standard Work, Visual Management, and 5S to reduce waste, improve flow, and strengthen product quality.
• Communicate plant performance weekly and monthly, including wins, gaps, risks, and action plans.
• Build strong partnerships across Production, Scheduling, Maintenance, Quality, Engineering, HR, and the broader manufacturing network.
• Lead change with practical plans, visible ownership, employee involvement, and a healthy respect for what actually works on the floor.
• Reinforce a positive, accountable, team-first environment that helps us wow customers every day.

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Operations, or a related field plus relevant manufacturing leadership experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 10 years of progressive operations leadership experience, including experience as a Plant Manager, Manufacturing Operations Manager, or comparable site leader.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through managers and supervisors in a complex, high-volume manufacturing environment.
• Proven success applying Lean manufacturing principles and building sustainable continuous improvement routines.
• Strong people leadership with the ability to set expectations, coach leaders, grow talent, address performance directly, and build trust across shifts and departments.
• Production planning and execution skills that balance labor, equipment, capacity, and customer priorities.
• Working knowledge of quality management, root-cause analysis, corrective action, and waste reduction.
• Confidence using KPIs and visual metrics to make decisions, communicate performance, and drive accountability.
• Effective control of staffing, overtime, labor utilization, and operating expenses.
• Visible safety leadership and a proactive approach to workplace hazards, training, and safe work practices.
• Clear, concise communication and strong cross-functional collaboration.
• Change leadership experience involving new processes, technology, equipment, or organizational growth.
• Humble, practical, energetic, and able to keep perspective when the day gets a little T-shirt-shaped.

OUR CULTURE is one-of-a-kind and truly sets us apart. We are proud of our humble beginnings and non-corporate style. We offer a unique atmosphere, unlike any other manufacturer. We work hard to be the best and we seek only committed individuals that will help move our company forward and embrace our values and culture. Lakeshirts | Blue 84 is one of the largest privately owned screenprint manufacturers in the United States, responsible for decorating and distribution of a wide variety of garments for the resort, college and K-12 markets. At our headquarters in Detroit Lakes, MN, we employ over 1000 great people, proudly producing 35,000+ garments daily. It's not just a job but a lifestyle. Our job descriptions help support and guide you in the role you play in making our company successful. LIFE'S BETTER IN A T-SHIRT. IT REALLY IS.

Employee must be able to see and hear, read and write. Requires good judgment, people-oriented, flexible, organized, diplomatic, reliable, enthusiastic, courteous, helpful, and patient. The role also requires adaptability, analyzing, assessing, calculating, decision-making, dependability, reading, speaking, following direction, handling multiple priorities, and reasoning.

NOTE: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive and should in no way be considered a contract or guarantee of employment. Employee may perform other related duties as needed, based on the ongoing needs of the business. Minnesota is an Employment-At-Will state and implies no specific length of employment.