Home › Industry Experience › Plant Managers
Plant Managers recruitingManufacturing Plant Manager Recruiter
We recruit plant managers and manufacturing operations leaders with safety, quality, delivery, cost, people and continuous-improvement experience. Manufacturing is the only thing we recruit for.
10 open searches for plant managers right now.
In Wisconsin, California, Texas and North Carolina. Titles on the board: Manager, Parts Manager, Operations/Plant/Production Control Manager, COO, Supply Chain Manager, Senior Buyer and Planner, Materials Manager, Operational Excellence Manager.
What we screen plant managers for.
Common skills, systems and technologies we use when sourcing and evaluating plant managers. The list is a starting point, not a requirement that one person have everything.
- P&L Ownership
- Safety
- Quality
- Delivery
- Cost
- OEE
- Capacity Planning
- Scheduling
- Production Management
- Multi-Shift Leadership
- Frontline Leadership
- Team Development
- Performance Management
- Succession Planning
- Labor Planning
- Culture Change
- Lean Manufacturing
- Six Sigma
- Kaizen
- 5S
- Value Stream Mapping
- TPM
- Waste Reduction
- Throughput Improvement
- ERP
- KPI Management
- Capital Planning
- Budgeting
- Customer Relations
- Supply Chain
- Maintenance Strategy
- Quality Systems
Hiring plant managers, start to offer.
- 01 · Understand
Define the real job
We learn the role, environment, compensation, must-haves and the reasons a strong person would make a move. For plant managers, that means the operations, leadership and continuous improvement behind the title.
- 02 · Search
Build the market
We search databases, networks and direct-source talent instead of relying only on active applicants, and we search by the work: P&L Ownership, Safety, Quality, not just a job title.
- 03 · Screen
Have the conversation
We evaluate experience, motivation, fit, location and the practical reasons the move does, or does not, make sense.
- 04 · Close
Stay involved
Interview coordination, feedback, offer communication and follow-through until both sides know where things stand.
Every candidate we present comes with an accurate, uninflated pay number, how we screened them, and what stands between them and a yes. Our hiring guide walks through it.
What plant managers earn, by state.
The closest federal wage groups, nationally and in every state where we have open searches. Industrial Production Managers first.
| Where | People in the job | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 246,250 | $98,000 | $126,000 | $162,000 |
| North Carolina | 9,640 | $97,000 | $126,000 | $161,000 |
| Texas | 21,200 | $98,000 | $131,000 | $166,000 |
| Pennsylvania | 10,200 | $87,000 | $109,000 | $143,000 |
| Minnesota | 5,080 | $98,000 | $124,000 | $161,000 |
| California | 25,130 | $103,000 | $133,000 | $174,000 |
| Washington | 4,760 | $135,000 | $145,000 | $172,000 |
| Illinois | 11,570 | $102,000 | $127,000 | $162,000 |
| Ohio | 14,290 | $89,000 | $109,000 | $139,000 |
| Georgia | Not published | $99,000 | $128,000 | $161,000 |
| Arizona | Not published | $101,000 | $125,000 | $155,000 |
| Oregon | Not published | $95,000 | $119,000 | $146,000 |
| Michigan | 14,320 | $97,000 | $121,000 | $148,000 |
| Montana | 270 | $97,000 | $121,000 | $155,000 |
Industrial Production Managers (SOC 11-3051), a year. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Yearly figures are the hourly figures times 2,080 hours, as BLS reports them.
The full plant manager salary guide →
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers
| Where | People in the job | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 673,430 | $28.19 | $35.79 | $44.08 |
| North Carolina | 22,240 | $27.30 | $33.48 | $39.99 |
| Wisconsin | 25,500 | $29.23 | $35.98 | $40.49 |
| Texas | 58,930 | $24.99 | $33.72 | $43.34 |
| Pennsylvania | 28,900 | $28.76 | $36.05 | $40.84 |
| Minnesota | 13,380 | $30.81 | $37.76 | $44.88 |
| California | 48,550 | $28.56 | $36.94 | $47.55 |
| Washington | 14,500 | $30.54 | $38.13 | $47.45 |
| Illinois | 29,640 | $28.43 | $36.16 | $43.88 |
| Ohio | 31,980 | $28.41 | $34.69 | $39.54 |
| Georgia | Not published | $27.09 | $33.25 | $40.91 |
| Arizona | Not published | $28.60 | $36.22 | $43.65 |
| Oregon | Not published | $28.35 | $35.38 | $42.18 |
| Michigan | 26,650 | $27.60 | $34.70 | $39.86 |
| Montana | 1,860 | $26.00 | $33.06 | $42.70 |
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers (SOC 51-1011), an hour. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Pick the agreement that fits the opening.
| Agreement | Fee | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Contingency | 25%, 30% or 33% | Success-based search with no upfront fee. The rate follows the guarantee: 60, 120 or 180 days. |
| Priority | By agreement | A higher-commitment search for urgent, difficult or high-impact openings. |
| Retained | 20%, 25% or 28% | A committed, exclusive search, 50% paid up front, five points under contingency. |
| Retained + Volume | 15% or 20% | More than five active openings, exclusive, with a 90 or 180-day guarantee. |
| RPO | By agreement | Large hiring projects, expansions, recurring hiring or many placements. |
From our published pricing and search agreements. Every public option pays through secure Stripe Instant Pay.
Hiring plant managers with Compass
How much does it cost to hire plant managers through Compass?
We publish our fees. Contingency searches are 25% with a 60-day guarantee, 30% with 120 days, or 33% with 180 days, with no upfront search fee. Retained searches are 20 to 28% with half up front. See pricing.
What do plant managers earn?
The closest federal wage group, industrial production managers, earned a median of $126,000 a year nationally in May 2025, with the middle half between $98,000 and $162,000. Of the states where we have open searches, Washington pays the most ($145,000) and Pennsylvania the least ($109,000). See every state.
Where do you recruit plant managers?
Across the United States, from our base in Missoula, Montana. We have open searches for plant managers right now in Wisconsin, California, Texas and North Carolina.
How do you find plant managers who are not applying to jobs?
We search databases, networks and direct-source talent instead of relying only on active applicants, and we recruit around the actual equipment, processes and responsibilities behind the title, so strong candidates are not missed because another plant calls the job something different.
What skills do you screen plant managers for?
It depends on the job, but we organize every search for plant managers around operations, leadership, continuous improvement and business systems: P&L Ownership, Safety, Quality; Multi-Shift Leadership, Frontline Leadership, Team Development; Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen; ERP, KPI Management, Capital Planning. A starting point, not a requirement that one person have everything.
Need Plant Managers?
Tell us what you need. We will tell you how we would attack it.