Plastic Extrusion Manager - PSR30926

Plastic Extrusion Manager - PSR30926

Compensation: $110,000–$130,000 Base Salary
Industry: Plastics / Extrusion Manufacturing
Location: California
Schedule/Type: Full-Time | Permanent
Relocation: Available for qualified candidates

Position Summary

Plastic Staffing is conducting a confidential search for an experienced Plastic Extrusion Manager to provide technical and operational leadership for an established extrusion manufacturing operation.

This is a hands-on, player-coach leadership position with responsibility for extrusion performance across safety, quality, productivity, process optimization, continuous improvement, and workforce development. The selected Manager will combine deep extrusion processing knowledge with proven manufacturing leadership to improve current operations while developing the people, processes, and technical capabilities needed to support continued growth.

This is not an office-based management position or a first-time leadership opportunity. The successful candidate must be equally comfortable leading people and stepping onto the manufacturing floor to diagnose extrusion problems, optimize process conditions, support startups and changeovers, and teach operators and technicians how to become stronger troubleshooters.

Longer term, the opportunity is to help build a more structured and scalable extrusion operation by improving process standards, throughput, product quality, documentation, operator capability, and overall manufacturing performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day technical and operational performance of plastic extrusion manufacturing.

• Provide hands-on leadership and technical support to extrusion operators and production personnel.

• Coach, train, and develop the extrusion workforce to increase technical capability and reduce dependency on management for routine process execution.

• Support and troubleshoot extrusion machine startups, shutdowns, production changeovers, and die changes.

• Diagnose extrusion problems involving process conditions, materials, tooling, equipment, and finished-product quality.

• Make and guide appropriate process adjustments to improve product quality, process stability, throughput, and repeatability.

• Establish and optimize extrusion processing parameters based on material behavior, equipment conditions, tooling, and product requirements.

• Support tubing and other technically demanding extrusion processes, including applications utilizing vacuum sizing or calibration equipment.

• Identify root causes of defects, scrap, downtime, process variation, and other manufacturing inefficiencies.

• Lead corrective actions and process improvements that increase throughput, quality, consistency, and overall manufacturing performance.

• Evaluate tooling and die performance and recommend modifications or improvements when appropriate.

• Develop, improve, and maintain SOPs, standardized work, process documentation, operating parameters, and visual work instructions.

• Establish greater process discipline and consistency while preserving manufacturing practices that are already effective.

• Identify opportunities to improve workflow, setup practices, production methods, and operator effectiveness.

• Support safety, quality, continuous improvement, and 5S/6S initiatives throughout the operation.

• Partner with other manufacturing leaders and operational functions to achieve production, quality, safety, and business objectives.

• Help establish the technical standards and workforce capabilities necessary to support continued growth of the extrusion operation.

Qualifications

• Significant hands-on plastic extrusion processing experience within a manufacturing environment.

• Previous experience leading extrusion, plastics, or manufacturing personnel; this is not intended as a first-time management opportunity.

• Demonstrated ability to personally set up, start, troubleshoot, adjust, and optimize extrusion processes.

• Strong understanding of the relationship between extrusion process parameters, material behavior, tooling, equipment conditions, product quality, and throughput.

• Experience diagnosing extrusion defects and process instability and implementing appropriate corrective adjustments.

• Experience working with thermoplastic materials such as polyethylene, PVC, or comparable extrusion materials.

• Hands-on experience with extrusion changeovers and die changes.

• Strong troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, and manufacturing problem-solving capabilities.

• Demonstrated experience improving extrusion process stability, quality, throughput, scrap, or overall manufacturing efficiency.

• Experience establishing, documenting, or improving SOPs, process parameters, standardized work, or manufacturing procedures.

• Proven ability to lead, coach, train, and develop production employees.

• Ability to transfer technical extrusion knowledge to less-experienced operators and develop greater team independence.

• Comfortable operating as a hands-on player-coach with a regular presence on the manufacturing floor.

• Ability to introduce greater structure and process discipline within a developing or evolving manufacturing environment.

• Strong communication and leadership skills with the ability to work effectively across production, technical, and management functions.

• Legally authorized to work in the United States and able to successfully complete required employment verification.

Preferred Experience

• Tubing extrusion experience.

• Vacuum sizing or vacuum calibration experience.

• Experience processing LLDPE, flexible PVC, rigid PVC, or comparable thermoplastic materials.

• Automotive extrusion experience.

• Industrial, irrigation, tubing, profile, or other technically demanding extrusion manufacturing experience.

• Experience improving or standardizing an extrusion operation rather than solely maintaining established processes.

• Experience developing extrusion operators into more technically capable processors or technicians.

• Tooling and die troubleshooting or process-improvement experience.

• Lean Manufacturing, 5S/6S, continuous improvement, standardized work, or similar manufacturing-improvement experience.

Candidates with strong profile or other extrusion backgrounds are encouraged to apply when they possess significant hands-on process knowledge, troubleshooting ability, leadership experience, and exposure to vacuum sizing/calibration or similarly technical extrusion processes.

Leadership Profile

The organization is seeking more than someone who can keep production running.

The right individual will be comfortable entering an operation, learning what currently works, identifying where additional structure or technical discipline is needed, and working directly with the team to implement practical improvements.

Early success will require a willingness to be hands-on; supporting startups, troubleshooting processes, making adjustments, and teaching operators directly on the manufacturing floor.

Long-term success will be measured by the Manager's ability to build a stronger operation: more capable employees, better-documented processes, improved troubleshooting capability, greater process consistency, stronger quality, increased throughput, and less dependence on a single individual for routine technical decisions.

For an experienced extrusion leader who enjoys developing people and improving manufacturing operations, this is an opportunity to have a visible impact on how the extrusion function operates and grows.

Compensation & Relocation

• Base salary of $110,000–$130,000.

• Relocation assistance available for qualified candidates.

• Compensation flexibility may be considered for an exceptional candidate based on technical depth, leadership experience, and overall alignment with the position.

Confidential Application

This is a confidential Plastic Staffing search. The client name and other identifying information will be discussed with qualified candidates during the recruiting process. No candidate information will be shared with the client without your knowledge and approval.

If your background aligns with this Plastic Extrusion Manager opportunity and you are interested in learning more, we encourage you to apply for confidential consideration.

Maria Abelardo | Recruiting Director
Plastic Staffing | A Division of National Search Group, Inc.
Direct: (754) 241-9507
Email: [email protected]

Plastic Staffing is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified candidates.
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