Plant Manager, Arktura Job

​Primary location: Carson, California
Relocation offered: No
Employment status: Full-Time
Travel: <10%
Non-compete: No

The estimated base salary range for this role is $200,000 to $235,000 per year, plus an annual incentive bonus and equity.
Individual pay is based upon location, skills and expertise, experience and other relevant factors

​What does it mean to work at Arktura LLC, a subsidiary of Armstrong World Industries?

It means being immersed in a supportive culture that recognizes you as a key player in Armstrong's future. We are a large company with a local feel, where you will get to know and collaborate with leadership and your colleagues across the company. Arktura LLC is a widely published company headquartered in a fast-paced design office and manufacturing facility in Los Angeles, CA. We design, develop, and manufacture a variety of façade systems, interior wall and ceiling systems, custom art installations on a full range of state-of-the-art equipment, in our 100,000 sf facility.

Working at Arktura is the best! Benefits include 401k with employee match, robust health care options, paid time off and professional development. We have a casual dress code, free snacks, and quarterly events! As a company, we love to engage in community service activities with our local organizations. We provide access to 100’s of discounts, specialty savings and voluntary benefits through LifeMart such as car and hotel rentals and auto, home, and pet insurance, legal services, and childcare We support Employee Resource Groups created to connect employees with common interests to promote inclusion and provide perspective.

We’re looking for an experienced Plant Manager to lead Arktura’s manufacturing operations in Carson, California. This is an opportunity for a hands-on, people-focused leader who thrives in a custom, high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environment and enjoys being close to the operation and the teams who make it happen. Reporting to the General Manager, you’ll lead plant performance across safety, quality, service, cost, people, technology, and continuous improvement while building the capabilities and culture needed to support continued growth.

What’s in It for You

- Make an impact. Lead a complex manufacturing operation where your decisions directly influence safety, quality, customer service, cost, productivity, inventory, and overall plant performance.

- Lead and develop a talented team. Build an engaged, accountable culture while coaching leaders and developing organizational capability at all levels.

- Shape the future of the operation. Champion continuous improvement, introduce better processes and systems, and help create a more scalable, sustainable manufacturing environment.

- Work across the business. Partner with senior leadership and cross-functional teams spanning manufacturing, engineering, quality, supply chain, EHS, and IT.

- Stay close to the action. This is a visible, hands-on leadership role where you’ll be connected to the manufacturing floor, your team, and the day-to-day opportunities to make the operation better.

What You’ll Do

- Provide overall leadership for plant operations, delivering results across safety, quality, service, cost, inventory, productivity, and organizational capability.

- Lead, coach, mentor, and develop plant leaders and employees, establishing clear expectations, strengthening accountability, and creating a positive, high-performing work environment.

- Maintain a strong, visible presence on the manufacturing floor, building relationships with employees and staying closely connected to safety, production priorities, and operational challenges.

- Champion continuous improvement and change management, using Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, structured problem-solving, and other improvement methodologies to simplify processes, improve performance, and create sustainable results.

- Build a strong problem-solving culture that enables teams to quickly address operational challenges, identify root causes, and continuously improve.

- Oversee staffing, talent development, performance management, goal alignment, project execution, resource allocation, and plant-wide policy deployment.

- Provide leadership and oversight of the site IT function, including the IT Manager and supporting team, ensuring ERP systems, reporting capabilities, and manufacturing technology effectively support plant operations and business needs.

- Partner across production, engineering, quality, supply chain/planning, EHS, and IT to align resources, systems, and priorities around plant and business objectives.

- Own plant financial performance by developing and managing budgets, maintaining appropriate financial controls, participating in operational and financial reviews, and taking corrective action when necessary.

- Partner with senior leadership to plan and implement new products, services, manufacturing capabilities, and the supporting processes needed for successful execution.

- Ensure compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, company policies, safety programs, and business ethics standards while fostering a culture of safety and respect for people.

What Will Make You Successful

- Hands-on manufacturing leadership with the ability to balance strategic business priorities with a strong presence on the plant floor.

- Proven people leadership, including building, coaching, and developing strong teams, establishing accountability, and creating a high-performance culture.

- Strong understanding of custom, make-to-order or high-mix, low-volume manufacturing, where priorities, materials, schedules, and customer requirements can change quickly.

- Demonstrated ability to lead change, challenge the status quo, build buy-in, implement new processes and systems, and sustain improvements over time.

- Strong understanding of ERP systems and manufacturing technology, with the ability to leverage systems, reporting, and data to improve planning, visibility, decision-making, and execution.

- Solid knowledge of supply chain, materials planning, inventory, and production, particularly within a custom manufacturing environment.

- Strong cross-functional leadership and collaboration skills, with the ability to influence across organizational lines while remaining willing to roll up your sleeves and solve problems alongside the team

Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in a business or technical discipline, with engineering preferred.

- 10+ years of progressive production/manufacturing management experience, including significant leadership responsibility within a manufacturing operation.

- Demonstrated business leadership with the ability to understand and drive P&L and operational performance.

- Proven success building and leading cross-functional manufacturing teams.

- Strong knowledge of continuous improvement tools and methodologies, including Lean Manufacturing and Kaizen.

- Strong business acumen with excellent communication, presentation, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.

- Demonstrated ability to work across organizational boundaries and translate business priorities into operational execution.

What Will Make You Stand Out

- Experience leading a custom, build-to-order, high-mix/low-volume manufacturing environment.

- Demonstrated success leading significant operational change, process improvement, or manufacturing transformation initiatives.

- Strong experience with ERP systems, manufacturing technology, and data/reporting, including the ability to use technology to improve operational visibility and execution.

- Strong working knowledge of supply chain, inventory management, materials planning, and just-in-time concepts.

- Experience working successfully within a matrixed organization.

- Lean and/or Six Sigma certification.

- Bilingual Spanish/English capabilities

Why should you join Arktura LLC, a subsidiary of Armstrong World Industries?

About Arktura LLC

At Arktura, we make design happen. Creativity, expert knowledge and cutting-edge technology shape everything we do whether it's exploring form and function in our standard architectural product, adapting our pre-configured architectural systems to meet project needs, or partnering with clients through our Solutions Studio. Our multidisciplinary team brings together architects, designers, programmers, engineers and artists with a deep understanding of the creative process. We use our collective ingenuity to bridge the gaps between design intent and manufacturing capabilities, creating proprietary software and machinery to meet evolving demands.

Please visit our website at www.arktura.com to learn more about us.

About Armstrong World Industries, Inc.

Armstrong World Industries (AWI) is a leader in the design and manufacture of innovative commercial and residential ceiling, wall and suspension system solutions in the Americas. With approximately $1.3B in revenue, AWI has about 3,600 employees and a manufacturing network of twenty-one facilities in North America.

At home, at work, in healthcare facilities, classrooms, stores, or restaurants, we offer interior solutions that help to enhance comfort, save time, improve building efficiency and overall performance, and create beautiful spaces.

For more than 160 years, we have built our business on trust and integrity. It set us apart then, and it sets us apart now, along with our ability to collaborate with and innovate for the people we're here to serve - our customers, our shareholders, our communities and our employees.

We are committed to developing new and sustainable ceiling solutions, with design and performance possibilities that make a positive difference in spaces where we live, work, learn, heal and play. It's an exciting, rewarding business to be in, and we're committed to continue to grow and prosper for the benefit of all of our stakeholders. We hope you join us.

Our Sustainability Ambition

"Bringing our Purpose to Life" - lead a transformation in the design and building of spaces fit for today and tomorrow. We are committed to:

Engaging a diverse, purpose-driven workforce; Transforming buildings from structures that shelter into structures that serve and preserve the health and well-being of people and planet; Pursuing sustainable, innovative solutions for spaces where we live, work, learn heal and play; Being a catalyst for change with all of our stakeholders; and Making a positive difference in the environments and communities we impact.

About the location (Carson, CA)

Carson is a city in the South Bay and the Harbor regions of Los Angeles County, California, located 13 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. Carson is a thriving, diverse, destination city - a great place to live, work and play with an unlimited future. While Carson is well known as an industrial center with unparalleled access to transportation and the Pacific Rim, it is also a culturally diverse community that is an attractive place to live and work. The city has more than 120 acres of park land divided into 12 parks, 2 mini-parks and sports/recreational facilities that include 3 swimming pools, a boxing center, a state-of-the art sports complex and the Carson Community Center.

Arktura LLC is committed to engaging a diverse, purpose-driven workforce. As part of our dedication to diversity, AWI is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity and all qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard for race, sex, color, national origin, ethnicity, gender, protected veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion. We are also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at by email at [email protected] and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Requests for accommodation will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address.

Come and build your future with us and apply today!