Job Description

Responsibilities

Kito Crosby is seeking a highly motivated, hands-on, and results-driven leader to join its team as the General Manager (“GM”) for the flagship Longview, Texas manufacturing site. Reporting to the Vice President, Operations, the GM will be responsible for overseeing the overall performance of the Longview facility, managing day-to-day business operations and ensuring seamless execution of the strategic plan, while working closely with union leadership.

This leader will play an integral role in establishing the company’s strategic direction and will be instrumental in driving the future expansion of the business. The role requires a leader who can balance strategic thinking with operational execution to deliver measurable results that support the company’s growth trajectory.

The General Manager will ensure the business meets or exceeds annual revenue and profit targets, as well as prepare the business to achieve longer-term growth goals. This will include setting manufacturing strategies, prioritizing the allocation of resources and investments, and working collaboratively with the Kito Crosby functional management teams. In addition, the GM will be responsible for developing and mentoring a robust talent bench at all levels of the business.

Specific responsibilities will include:

• Provide direct leadership and oversight for day-to-day site operations, including manufacturing operations, manufacturing engineering, quality, continuous improvement, and planning, ensuring safety, efficiency, and productivity;
• Lead labor relations at the site, effectively understanding and managing the union relationship;
• Serve as strategic operations leader, cultivating best practices and increased process orientation, while also serving as a hands-on operations leader to further employee development;
• Execute strategic operational initiatives that support the company’s annual operating plan and long-term growth objectives;
• Align manufacturing capacity and performance with sales forecasts and customer demand through effective planning and resource management;
• Drive operational excellence through KPIs focused on safety, quality, delivery, and cost, supported by root cause analysis and corrective action processes;
• Implement Lean tools and continuous improvement practices to reduce cost, improve output, and increase production efficiency and speed;
• Manage production scheduling, resource allocation, and staffing levels to meet or exceed operational targets;
• Collaborate cross-functionally with commercial, product, finance, HR, and supply chain teams to align operations with broader business objectives;
• Foster a culture of safety, ownership, and continuous improvement throughout the plant and broader operations organization by building, developing, and retaining a high-performing site and operations leadership teams.

The person in this role will help the organization achieve:

• Increased accountability and consistency at all levels of the site through effective talent development and mentorship;
• Transparent and strong relations with union leadership, maintaining and strengthening what is already a positive relationship;
• Professionalized KPIs to drive accountability and continued operational improvements (efficiency, productivity, etc.) across the site;
• Improved process orientation through the deployment of Lean tools and continuous improvement methodology.

Professional Experiences and Qualities

The ideal candidate is an accomplished operations professional with demonstrated experience as the senior leader across a complex single-site or multi-site manufacturing business. This leader should have a demonstrated track record of success within a highly regarded, best-in-class, diversified manufacturing company, delivering excellence across innovation, financial performance, and continuous improvement. The candidate should have experience leading change in an established and mature production environment.

This individual will also be a dynamic and successful executive operations leader who has demonstrated the ability to implement Lean and continuous improvement initiatives within a world-class business system. The GM must have high expectations for themselves and Kito Crosby, coupled with a high work ethic, grit, and a bias for action. The successful candidate will be a hands-on leader who is able to enact transformation across the organization. Additionally, this individual will possess personal qualities of humility, integrity, credibility, and dedication to Kito Crosby’s mission, vision, and values

The ideal candidate should also possess, at minimum, the following qualifications and attributes:

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing operations, including P&L oversite of a manufacturing site;
• Proven success as an executive operations leader with a track record of implementing Lean and continuous improvement initiatives within a world-class manufacturing system;
• Proven track record in labor relations and leading a union workforce;
• Experience developing and executing strategic growth plans while maintaining operational excellence and meeting aggressive performance targets;
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to prioritize and drive root cause resolution using data, operational KPIs, and analytics;
• Highly effective in building and leading high-performing teams and known for developing talent and fostering a culture of accountability and collaboration;
• History of building robust, scalable processes and systems that enable operational efficiency and business growth;
• Excellent communicator with strong relationship-building skills across internal and external stakeholders, including customers, suppliers, and executive leadership;
• Demonstrates high integrity, humility, and credibility, which fosters trust and inspires workers across cross-functional departments;
• Brings a sense of urgency, grit, and a bias for action while maintaining high personal standards and expectations for team performance.

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, or other related technical discipline is preferred; MBA or other advanced degree is considered a plus.

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