Skills & Competencies for Plant Manager

JOB SUMMARY for Plant Manager

Directs a plant or production facility's overall operations.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES for Plant Manager

Sets and implements policies and procedures that guide plant operations' productivity, quality, and cost efficiency. Utilizes operational metrics to analyze productivity and set performance targets to achieve production goals. Develops and deploys manufacturing practices focused on quality and continuous improvement. Develops and implements plant safety and security inspections, auditing, and training procedures to meet OSHA and other required regulations. Collaborates with multi-functional plant teams, including finance, engineering, materials, quality assurance, and human resources. Leads or participates in labor relations negotiations and engages with union leadership involving plant operations.

Plant Manager SALARY RANGE

BASE 50%
$199,664
TOTAL 50%
$233,374
Job Level
M04
Job Code
SC16000260
Education/Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Reports To
Senior Management

Plant Manager Skills and Competencies List

Proficiency Levels and Behavioural Indicators
Salary.com identifies five increasing levels of proficiency for each skill/competency. Some jobs require only a relatively low level of proficiency in each skill/competency, while other jobs will require a more advanced level of proficiency in the same skill/competency. These levels rate the degree of proficiency (skill level, expertise) we expect the incumbent to perform in the given skill/competency for the given job. Note that we intentionally do not associate timeframes or years of experience in performing the skill/competency because that can be misleading. Proficiency levels identify what the incumbent knows and can do rather than how long they have been doing it. Also, note that the proficiency levels are cumulative, e.g., a level 4 proficiency implies the ability to perform all the behaviors at the lower levels.
Check each Plant Manager skill and competencie below to view definitions.

10 hard skills or competencies (industry competencies) for Plant Manager

1 Industry Competency – Capacity Planning and Management
Proficiency Level -3
Skill definition-Determining and evaluating available production resources to meet demand and remain market competitive with a view toward long-term growth.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Explains the importance of capacity planning and management in allocating production resources.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Reports manufacturing issues and challenges that impact capacity planning and management.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Organizes production schedule according to manufacturing resources to meet customer demands.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Optimizes resource planning and allocations to meet capacity requirements and demands.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Leads planning strategies to monitor actual market trends and facilitate capacity adjustments accordingly.
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2 Industry Competency – Manufacturing Industry
Proficiency Level -3
Skill definition-Applying the knowledge of Manufacturing industry's concepts, techniques, regulations and trends to diverse situations.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Identifies the limitations and restrictions of manufacturing processes.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Supports the execution of manufacturing processes to ensure alignment with industry standards.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Monitors the manufacturing process to comply with rules and regulations.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Outlines the importance of equipment, downtime, yield, inventory, and maintenance metrics when designing KPIs.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Fosters an organization-wide environment that strives for continuous efficiency and manufacturing improvements.
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3 Plant Manager - Skill and Competency
Proficiency Level - 3
4 Skill and Competency - Plant Manager
Proficiency Level - 4
5 Competency for - Plant Manager
Proficiency Level - 5

4 general skills or competencies (Job family competencies) for Plant Manager

1 Job Family Competencies – Operations Management
Proficiency Level -3
Skill definition-Planning, controlling, organizing, and directing different operations within a business to achieve the highest level of efficiency.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Explains the operations protocols to be able to contribute to its goals and objectives.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Gathers insights to support the continuous improvement of business operations.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Submits regular operations performance reports to evaluate the production performance.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Partners with the operations management team to ensure various plans are executed as designed.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Establishes strategies to drive effective operations management and improve company profits.
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2 Job Family Competencies – Lean Manufacturing
Proficiency Level -4
Skill definition-Executing Lean project management techniques and tools by utilizing a manufacturing production system to eliminate waste and maximize productivity.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Follows the key principles and techniques in Lean manufacturing.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Shows the design of manufacturing processes using Lean concepts to improve material flow and labor utilization.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Participates in various lean manufacturing activities to meet business needs.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Oversees all Lean manufacturing activities to ensure on-time delivery and meet customer expectations.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Promotes and fosters a Lean manufacturing philosophy to drive ongoing process improvement and waste elimination.
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3 Plant Manager - Skill and Competency
Proficiency Level - 3
4 Skill and Competency - Plant Manager
Proficiency Level - 4
5 Competency for - Plant Manager
Proficiency Level - 5

10 soft skills or competencies (core competencies) for Plant Manager

1 Core Competencies – Budgeting
Proficiency Level -4
Skill definition-Applying specific policies, tools and practices to plan and prepare projected revenues, expenses, cash flows, and capital expenditures.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Explains the importance of budget reporting and forecasting in our workplace.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Produces budget reports showing planned vs. actual variances highlighted and explained.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Reviews and helps approve major budget adjustments to negotiate and reconcile line variances.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Provides in-depth training to our entire organization about the zero based budgeting methodology.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Forecasts asset needs to leverage available inventory and data compilation for annual budgeting.
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2 Core Competencies – Quality Management
Proficiency Level -4
Skill definition-The process of planning, controlling and improving of product/service quality to maintain a desired and consistent level.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Explains the evolution and popular methodologies of quality management.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Identifies quality assurance issues per defined process and prepares appropriate reporting to management.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Participates in the design and development of an overall quality management plan.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Oversees current quality improvement plans, policies, procedures, and programs; identifies improvement opportunities.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Leads the quality metrics design and improvement initiatives to enable a robust quality control environment.
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3 Plant Manager - Skill and Competency
Proficiency Level - 3
4 Skill and Competency - Plant Manager
Proficiency Level - 4
5 Competency for - Plant Manager
Proficiency Level - 5

Summary of Plant Manager skills and competencies

There are 10 hard skills for Plant Manager, Capacity Planning and Management, Manufacturing Industry, Manufacturing Management, etc.
4 general skills for Plant Manager, Operations Management, Lean Manufacturing, Inventory Management, etc.
10 soft skills for Plant Manager, Budgeting, Quality Management, Planning and Organizing, etc.
While the list totals 24 distinct skills, it's important to note that not all are required to be mastered to the same degree. Some skills may only need a basic understanding, whereas others demand a higher level of expertise.
For instance, as a Plant Manager, he or she needs to be skilled in Budgeting, be skilled in Quality Management, and be an expert in Planning and Organizing.

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