General Manager - Norcross
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General Manager - Norcross
The General Manager is responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership for the Norcross, Georgia fiber manufacturing facility, ensuring the safe, efficient, and cost-effective delivery of business objectives. This role oversees all aspects of plant operations, including production, engineering, quality, supply chain, materials management, logistics, production planning and scheduling, safety, and human resources.
The General Manager is accountable for meeting customer demand, driving operational excellence, optimizing costs, improving productivity, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. This leader ensures compliance with all safety, quality, environmental, and regulatory requirements while developing and leading high-performing teams to achieve operational and organizational goals.
Working cross-functionally with corporate and plant leadership, the General Manager establishes operational strategies, drives performance against key metrics, and builds the capabilities necessary to support current and future business growth.
Location: This is a full-time, on-site leadership position based in Norcross, Georgia, requiring presence at the facility five days per week.
Primary Responsibilities
- Promote a safety culture to ensure no harm comes to employees in the course of doing their jobs. Ensure initiative-taking and disciplined safety management is occurring at all levels of the organization.
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Lead capital investment (CapEx) planning and execution, including the identification, justification, prioritization, and delivery of projects that enhance safety, capacity, quality, operational efficiency, and business growth.
- Participates in formulating and administering company policies, directing, and coordinating team activities to develop and implement long-range goals and objectives to meet business and profitability growth objectives.
- Reviews analyses of activities, costs, operations, and forecast data to determine progress toward stated goals and objectives.
- Confers with direct staff to review achievements and discuss required changes in goals or objectives resulting from the current state of the business and conditions.
- Develops, reviews, updates, and implements business planning, including financial performance, and status of business objectives.
- Oversees manufacturing and materials departments to review production and operating reports and resolve operational, manufacturing, and facility problems to ensure minimum costs and prevent operational delays and to meet future growth.
- Oversees key projects, processes, performance reports, data, and analysis.
- Reviews and supports engineering to ensure compliance with design concepts with fundamental or new technology used for new or existing products or improvements, to provide cost reduction, safety, business requirements, and growth.
- Reviews operations and plans to meet requirements for sales planning and to ascertain manufacturing or requirements.
- Reviews and approves preparation of accounting analysis for budgetary planning and implementation, production efficiency, financial reporting, budgetary planning, and submittal for capital expenditures.
Minimal travel and other duties and projects as assigned.
Core Competencies
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Demonstrated ability to effectively lead and influence within a complex, matrixed global organization, balancing local operational priorities with enterprise-wide business objectives and stakeholder requirements.
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Demonstrated ability to lead and influence at all levels of the organization, effectively managing upward with senior leadership, developing and engaging teams, and building strong cross-functional partnerships to achieve business objectives.
- Champions a strong safety culture and ensures adherence to safety standards in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
- Results-oriented leader with a proven ability to drive performance, accountability, and operational excellence.
- Skilled at managing multiple priorities and complex business challenges with precision, urgency, and sound judgment.
- Inspires and develops high-performing teams while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and operational discipline.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities with the ability to leverage data to drive informed decisions.
- Demonstrated success in talent leadership, employee development, succession planning, and team engagement.
- Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate across all levels of the organization.
- Strategic leader with strong planning, execution, and change management capabilities.
- Solid business acumen with a comprehensive understanding of financial, operational, and commercial principles.
- Proven ability to implement and sustain Lean Manufacturing methodologies, driving productivity, quality, and cost improvements.
- Adept at leading cross-functional teams and aligning operational priorities with broader business objectives.
- Committed to fostering a culture of accountability, engagement, innovation, and continuous growth.
Qualifications
- At least 10 years of experience in manufacturing operations at the supervisory/management level. Union experience is a plus.
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing Management, or a related discipline. Master’s Degree or MBA is a plus.
- Proven skill and demonstrated application of lean in a manufacturing environment.
General Expectations
- Demonstrate exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively engage and influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
- Maintain proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and related business tools.
- Exercise the highest level of professionalism, integrity, and discretion when handling confidential, sensitive, and proprietary information.
- Consistently comply with and champion all company safety policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
- Model and uphold Lightera’s Standards of Conduct, fostering a culture of accountability, respect, inclusion, and ethical behavior.
- Serve as a visible leader and role model for workplace safety by promoting safe work practices, maintaining a clean and organized work environment, ensuring proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and actively supporting employee health, safety, and well-being.
- Demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement, operational excellence, and delivering results aligned with business objectives.
- Foster collaboration across functions, locations, and global teams to support organizational goals and drive business success.
- Lead with a customer-focused mindset while balancing employee engagement, operational performance, quality, and safety priorities.