Plant Manager - RockGen Energy Center (Cambridge, WI)

DairyNet Cooperative · Cambridge, WI

Level: Manager
Team: Production
Base pay: $152k–$228k
Degree: Required (or equivalent experience)
Experience asked: 6+ years
Industry: Industrial
Posted: Recently

The role in 30 seconds

A management production role at DairyNet Cooperative (industrial) in Cambridge, WI. Organize, lead and/or attend management meetings and other company functions.

They ask for: 6+ years · degree required (or equivalent experience)
Tools it names: EHS / safety
Base pay: $152k–$228k
Day to day: some off-shift / weekend coverage

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026

Production Engineer roles in Wisconsin: typical posted base $118k–$178k. This one lists $152k–$228k.

Median of the low and high ends of 7 live postings that list pay, out of 23 production engineer openings in Wisconsin, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.

Wisconsin plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →

How this role compares

Against 22 other live production postings in Wisconsin.

Base pay: About 34% above similar roles
Experience asked: Less than usual (6+ vs 7+)

Skills these teams ask for most

Lean 52%
✓ Team leadership 48%
Root cause 35%
Six Sigma 26%
Value stream mapping 26%
✓ EHS / safety 22%

✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.

It asks for 6+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone doing this work there first.

At a glance

Off-shift / weekend coverage

Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.

How to get in at this plant

Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.

1
Pick 2–3 people on the Production team at DairyNet Cooperative
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- How does off-shift and weekend coverage work?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.

Full description from DairyNet CooperativeAs posted on their careers site.Show

The impact you will make in this role

This position is responsible for the management and operations of a 503MW Combustion Turbine plant with three GE 7FA.03 peaking units ensuring safe and reliable operations across multiple functions and areas while driving the efficient and cost-effective use of numerous resources. Ensure site-wide compliance with safety, budgetary, environmental, operational, and regulatory requirements. Support attainment of corporate and business unit strategies, goals and objectives, and process and performance metrics. Serve as a strong communicator of key strategic and operational changes. The Plant Manager is responsible for directing all Operations and Maintenance (O&M) activities at the plant ensuring adequate supply of manpower, tools, equipment, and spare parts to provide for the safe and efficient operation of the plant.

Qualifications

Education & Experience: Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or related field with minimum of 6 years progressive experience in a Heavy Gas Turbine electric power plant or related experience. At least 3 years of experience supervising technical maintenance and/or operations personnel. MBA and/or Professional Engineer's License preferred. Equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.

Skills: • Knowledge of operations, maintenance, design, and construction of site generating facilities • Strong verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to interface effectively with individuals at various levels, both internal and external• Proficient computer skills in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Power Point)• Strong organizational, time, project management skills • Demonstrated strategic thinking, planning, problem-solving, and resolution skills• Strong business acumen and technical skills• High work ethic and self-initiative• Must know the hazards involved and the safety precautions to be practiced in the operation and maintenance of power plant equipment and machinery. • Leadership skills

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand/sit; walk; use hands/fingers to handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms. Ability to wear hard hat, safety glasses, hearing protection and breathing apparatus (35 lbs). Requires working extended working hours, varied shifts or 12 hour shifts with weekend and holiday work as required by schedules, workload, and plant conditions. On call status (day and night) may be required. Includes working indoors and outdoors. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Other Job Characteristics: On-call 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

Show full description ↓

Plant Manager

Essential Job Functions

•Manage overall operations of the site to ensure adequate energy supply to meet demands, profitably produce electrical energy with minimum environmental impact, maintain system reliability and profitably participate in the bulk power market.
•Analyze and recommend strategic initiatives to address long-term station needs and improvements.
•Develop and implement strategies, plans, projects, and local practices resulting in a continual improvement process for higher levels of availability and reliability on all units under direct control.
•Develop site goals, objectives, and performance expectations, annually, reporting frequently on performance against these goals and developing short and long-term corrective action plans.
•Ensure departments performance by setting and communicating expectations consistent with station annual goals.
•Lead in the development of safe and improved operational and maintenance processes.
•Direct and assist in the preparation of site annual budgets, annual work plans, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and station goals.
•Responsible for forming and leading the reliability strategy at the station.
•Identify and communicate broad scope issues which impact station values, vision, or mission.
•Implement training and qualification programs to assure that plant procedures are understood and properly followed by all plant personnel.
•Facilitate the continual use and effectiveness of standard problem-solving procedures for the station. Ensure all procedures are in conformance with organization and regulatory guidelines.
•Organize, lead and/or attend management meetings and other company functions.
•Manage and oversee the performance of planned and unplanned plant outages to include emergent troubleshooting and operability determination.
•Conduct periodic reviews of plant policies and procedures to assure that they reflect current plant operating requirements.
•Administer, on-site, a comprehensive safety program to achieve safety performance levels at or above performance targets.
•Facilitate the full utilization of established work processes to ensure all necessary information for the efficient, effective, reliable operation of the station is accurate, timely and accessible.
•Prepare and report, as requested, on all aspects of station equipment, personnel and budgetary compliance.
•Ensure compliance with all applicable laws, permits and regulations governing generation facilities including NERC and Environmental requirements.
•Ensure that the morale and motivation of plant personnel is maintained at a high level at all times.
•Perform other duties as assigned.