General Manager of Operations

General Manager of Operations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tMgKm_71qs (by clicking this link you are being referred to an external site that is not part of Panasonic) Meet the Recruiter: Eric Laffey Summary: Join us at Panasonic Energy as we expand to De Soto, Kansas, where we’re building the world’s largest lithium-ion battery factory. This is an exciting opportunity to grow your career while contributing to the future of electric vehicles. As part of our team, you’ll help push the limits of battery technology, enhancing performance and efficiency in sustainable transportation. Our state-of-the-art facility, just outside the Kansas City Metro, will be a hub for innovation in green energy solutions. If you're passionate about sustainability and eager to contribute to the electric vehicle revolution, we invite you to be part of our dynamic team. Join us and make a meaningful impact on the future of energy and transportation. Job Summary: The General Manager of Operations provides strategic and operational leadership for a major manufacturing function or group of production departments within a large-scale lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility. This role is responsible for achieving safety, quality, delivery, cost, and people objectives while ensuring alignment with plant strategy, operational priorities, and business goals. The General Manager leads through Production Managers and other operational leaders to drive operational excellence, workforce capability, continuous improvement, and sustainable manufacturing performance. This position is accountable for operational results, organizational effectiveness, workforce planning, budget management, and the successful execution of plant initiatives that support business growth and operational scalability. Essential Duties: Functional Leadership & Operations: Lead manufacturing operations to achieve safety, quality, delivery, cost, and people performance objectives across assigned production areas Direct and support Production Managers and operational leaders to ensure execution of manufacturing strategy, operational priorities, and performance expectations Establish operational goals, performance measures, and workforce plans that support plant objectives and customer

Manage operating budgets, labor utilization, productivity, and resource allocation within assigned areas Support capital planning, equipment strategy, and operational readiness initiatives to improve manufacturing performance Serve as the senior operational leader for assigned functions, resolving complex operational, organizational, and production issues Strategic Alignment & Continuous Improvement: Translate plant strategy and business priorities into operational objectives and action plans for assigned manufacturing areas Drive continuous improvement initiatives utilizing Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, operational excellence, and structured problem-solving methodologies Lead efforts to improve production efficiency, productivity, quality performance, and cost competitiveness Champion change management activities associated with business growth, operational transformation, production ramp-up, and new product introduction initiatives Monitor operational performance trends and identify opportunities to improve organizational effectiveness and business results Team Development & Knowledge Sharing: Develop, coach, and mentor Production Managers and operational leaders to strengthen organizational capability and succession readiness Foster a culture of accountability, engagement, collaboration, continuous improvement, and operational excellence Partner with Human Resources to support workforce planning, talent development, succession planning, and employee engagement initiatives Ensure leaders and employees receive the training, coaching, and development necessary to support performance and career growth Promote knowledge sharing, best-practice adoption, and operational standardization across manufacturing areas Cross-Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement: Partner with Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, Maintenance, Human Resources, Finance, Facilities, and EHS teams to achieve operational and business objectives Collaborate on production planning, capacity expansion, capital projects, continuous improvement initiatives, and operational readiness activities Provide operational insights, performance updates, and risk assessments to plant leadership and key stakeholders Support customer visits, operational reviews, audits, and business initiatives as needed Quality, Safety, Compliance, & Risk Management: Promote and reinforce a culture of safety, quality, compliance, and operational discipline across assigned manufacturing areas Ensure compliance with applicable regulatory, environmental, customer, and company

Drive accountability for quality systems, product standards, and operational performance expectations Identify and mitigate operational risks that may impact safety, quality, delivery, or business continuity Support continuous improvement of systems, processes, and controls to enhance operational performance and reduce risk Supervisory

Provide direct leadership to Production Managers and other operational leaders, with indirect responsibility for supervisors and hourly production personnel across assigned manufacturing areas Responsible for workforce planning, organizational design, talent development, succession planning, budget management, and performance management Establish departmental goals, performanc