Industries / Manufacturing and Industrial

Manufacturing and Industrial Executive Search

Manufacturers are hiring again, but tariffs, automation and a thin bench of experienced plant leaders make the right hire harder to find. Here's what makes each leadership search hard right now, what to look for, and what to watch out for.

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Across our careers, we've recruited for roles like these.

An automated production line on a factory floor — PLANT · OPERATIONS · QUALITY · SUPPLY CHAIN · EHS

Our placements include organizations like

The White House · NASA · Google · Boeing · Lockheed Martin · Big 4 firms · Fortune 100 companies · DoD programs · Oil and gas · Startups

The market right now

Hiring again, with a thin bench of plant leaders.

580,000

Manufacturing added 16,000 jobs in August 2026, and July job openings were up 36% from a year earlier to 580,000.

Manufacturing Dive, September 2026

54.6

The ISM Manufacturing PMI was 54.6 in August 2026, its eighth straight month of expansion.

ISM, September 2026

1.9 million

Manufacturers may need up to 3.8 million new employees from 2024 to 2033, and about 1.9 million of those jobs could go unfilled.

The Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte, April 2024

77%

77% of manufacturers are changing their physical supply chains in response to tariffs.

Manufacturers Alliance, January 2026

54%

54% have low confidence that their frontline leaders can lead AI-driven change.

PwC and The Manufacturing Institute, April 2026

HIRING IN MANUFACTURING?

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Tell us the role. We'll share what we'd look out for, whether or not you start a search with us.

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Leadership roles we recruit

The leaders manufacturers need most.

Every role links to our guide: why it's hard to hire right now, what to look for and what to watch out for.

Start a Search

Plant Manager and General Manager
VP of Manufacturing and VP of Operations
Director of Quality
Director of Supply Chain and Procurement
Director of Manufacturing, Process and Product Engineering
Director of Continuous Improvement and Operational Excellence
Director of Environment, Health and Safety
Director of Maintenance and Reliability
VP of Sales (industrial)

In demand now

Director of Automation and Industry 4.0
Director of Manufacturing IT/OT and OT Cybersecurity
Director of Trade Compliance
Director of New Plant Start-up
Director of Industrial Engineering
Director of Pricing and Commercial Excellence
Director of Workforce Development

How every search starts

We define what great looks like before we contact anyone.

Every search starts with an intake that goes deeper than the job description. Here's how a search brief reads for a Plant Manager in manufacturing and industrial, built from our role guide below.

Start a Search See a candidate website

Search brief · private

Search brief

Plant Manager

Manufacturing and Industrial

Must-haves

Several years of site P&L ownership with results on safety, quality, delivery and cost.
Labor relations experience that fits your site.
At least one launch, turnaround or automation program.
Builds up supervisors instead of doing their jobs.

Screen out

Gains that came only from headcount cuts.
Can't quote their plant's safety numbers.
A corporate-staff background with no line accountability.

Where we'll look

Plants in your process typePlants with your labor environmentYour suppliers and customersAutomation and equipment makersRecent plant start-upsLeaders who aren't looking

Pay dataThe BLS median for industrial production managers is $126,060 (May 2025).

Sample search brief, for illustration

Role guides

What to look for in every manufacturing leadership hire.

Plant Manager and General Manager

Why it's hard right now

BLS projects about 17,000 openings a year for industrial production managers, and the role typically requires five or more years of supervisory experience. (BLS, August 2026) Many companies have cut the assistant plant manager roles that used to supply successors, and relocation is a common sticking point.

What to look for

Several years of site P&L ownership with results on safety, quality, delivery and cost.
Labor relations experience that fits your site.
At least one launch, turnaround or automation program.
Builds up supervisors instead of doing their jobs.

Watch out for

Gains that came only from headcount cuts.
Can't quote their plant's safety numbers.
A corporate-staff background with no line accountability.

Pay dataThe BLS median for industrial production managers is $126,060 (May 2025).

Start a search for this role Or talk it through first with TAP

VP of Manufacturing and VP of Operations

Why it's hard right now

Operations leaders now own digital programs, with 51% of smart manufacturing initiatives owned by operations (Deloitte, May 2025), and tariffs are forcing footprint decisions: 44% of manufacturers report lower international competitiveness. (Manufacturers Alliance, January 2026)

What to look for

Multi-plant leadership.
Capex and footprint decisions such as consolidation, reshoring or nearshoring.
An operating system rolled out across sites.
A close working relationship with sales and operations planning.

Watch out for

Single-site experience described as network experience.
Digital pilots that never scaled.

Start a search for this role Or talk it through first with TAP

Director of Quality

Why it's hard right now

Quality salaries rose 5.2% year over year, and leadership skills increasingly determine who advances. (ASQ, 2025 Salary Survey)

What to look for

End-to-end ownership of the quality system.
Registrar or FDA audits they led.
CMQ/OE, CQE or Six Sigma Black Belt.
Experience with your industry's standard, such as IATF 16949, AS9100 or ISO 13485.
Supplier quality.

Watch out for

Claims of a personal "ISO certification." Inspection-only fixes.
A résumé full of acronyms with no evidence of owning the work.

Pay dataThe median for quality professionals is $115,000. (ASQ, 2024 survey)

Start a search for this role Or talk it through first with TAP

Director of Supply Chain and Procurement

Why it's hard right now

50% of chief supply chain officers say they lack the internal talent to implement AI (Gartner, April 2026), and tariffs have changed what the job requires.

What to look for

Supplier diversification under tariff pressure.
Landed cost and tariff classification.
Sales and operations planning.
ASCM CSCP or CPIM, or ISM CPSM.

Watch out for

Savings claims with no baseline.
Purely transactional buying.
A strategy built on one low-cost country.

Pay dataThe median supply chain salary is $103,000 including bonus, and certified professionals earn 20% more (ASCM, May 2025). The BLS median for purchasing managers is $148,080 (May 2025).

Start a search for this role Or talk it through first with TAP

Director of Engineering

Why it's hard right now

69% to 72% of manufacturers report difficulty hiring the IT, OT, data and cybersecurity talent that engineering teams now need. (Deloitte, May 2025)

What to look for

Experience matched to the role, whether process or product.
New products taken from launch to full production rate.
Capex project management.
PMP helps.

Watch out for

A product-design leader placed in a plant process role, or the reverse.
Strong individual engineers who have not led teams.

Pay dataThe BLS median for architectural and engineering managers in manufacturing is $169,690 (May 2025).

Start a search for this role Or talk it through first with TAP

Director of Continuous Improvement and Operational Excellence

Why it's hard right now

Continuous improvement now overlaps with digital. 78% of manufacturers put more than 20% of their improvement budgets into smart manufacturing (Deloitte, May 2025), and 45% blame failed AI initiatives on frontline leaders not being involved. (PwC and The Manufacturing Institute, April 2026)

What to look for

Savings that held for 12 months or more and that finance validated.
A daily management system they built.
Six Sigma Black Belt or Master Black Belt, or Shingo or SME lean certification.

Watch out for

Counting belts certified instead of dollars saved.
Kaizen events that didn't stick.

Start a search for this role Or talk it through first with TAP

Director of Environment, Health and Safety

Why it's hard right now

BLS projects 19% growth for occupational health and safety specialists from 2025 to 2035 (BLS), and new plants add environmental permitting to the job.

What to look for

CSP, plus CIH where industrial hygiene matters.
Environmental permitting for new plants.
Leading indicators, not just injury rates.

Watch out for

Tracking only lagging measures.
A "compliance cop" with no credibility in operations.
Little environmental depth when the role includes the E.

Pay dataThe CSP credential adds more than $30,000 to the salary of someone with no other credentials, and the median safety salary is $105,000. (BCSP and NSC, November 2023)

Start a search for this role Or talk it through first with TAP

Director of Maintenance and Reliability

Why it's hard right now

72% of maintenance roles take 60 days or more to fill, and 37% of maintenance teams are chronically understaffed. (MaintainX, a maintenance software company, September 2026)

What to look for

A measured shift from reactive to planned maintenance.
A maintenance management system they implemented.
CMRP.
An apprenticeship pipeline they built.

Watch out for

Firefighting heroics.
Can't state their planned-maintenance percentage.

Start a search for this role Or talk it through first with TAP

VP of Sales (industrial)

Why it's hard right now

61% of B2B buyers prefer to buy without a sales rep (Gartner, June 2025), and pricing around tariffs has become a core sales skill.

What to look for

Technical, application-level selling.
Distributor and channel management.
Disciplined pricing.
CRM and e-commerce integrated into the sales process.

Watch out for

A book of business that won't transfer.
Growth that came only from price increases.
SaaS or consumer sales leaders with no technical credibility.

Start a search for this role Or talk it through first with TAP

How TAP runs this search

Where we find manufacturing leaders.

We start with an intake that goes deeper than the job description, then map who is doing this job today at companies like yours, including leaders who've run plants in your process type and labor environment. Every candidate is interviewed in depth before you meet them, and you get a private website on each finalist: interview video, a rating on each of your requirements, compensation, timing and why we recommend them. Our goal is your hire from the first two candidates we present.

See how every search runs What's on a candidate website

Your process typeYour labor environmentSuppliers and customersAutomation and equipment makersContract manufacturersRecent plant start-ups

Your process type
Your labor environment
Suppliers and customers
Automation and equipment makers
Contract manufacturers
Recent plant start-ups

Leaders who aren't looking

01
Intake
Deeper than the job description.
02
Map
Who is doing this job today at companies like yours.
03
Interview
Every candidate, in depth, before you meet them.
04
Candidate website
Video, ratings on your requirements, pay and timing.
05
Hire
Our goal: your hire from the first two candidates we present.

Talk with TAP

Hiring for one of these roles, or want a second opinion on how to recruit for it?

Across our careers, we've recruited for roles like these. Tell us what you're hiring for and we'll share what we'd look out for, whether or not you start a search with us.

Start a Search Talk With TAP

Jonathan Tureau

Founder & Principal Recruiter

Founder-led, on every search. 17 years in recruiting, and a third-generation recruiter.

FAQ

Questions about manufacturing leadership searches.

Still have a question? Talk With TAP

Can TAP find a plant manager who will relocate?

Yes. We map leaders within commuting distance first, then candidates open to relocating. Every candidate website shows relocation needs and cost up front, so there are no surprises late in the process.

How long does a manufacturing leadership search take?

Most of our searches take 4 to 10 weeks, depending on the role and the market.

What does TAP charge for a manufacturing leadership search?

25% of the new leader's first-year compensation. On most packages, an engagement fee paid at the start is credited toward it, and the placement fee is invoiced on your new leader's start date. See the full fee guide.

Industries

Other industries we recruit for.

All Industries and Roles

A data center corridor lined with server racks

Technology and AI

CTOs, AI leaders, product, security and revenue executives.

Energy, Oil and Gas

Operations, engineering, HSE, projects, commercial and power leaders.

Aerospace, Defense and Government

Program, engineering, contracts, capture and cleared leaders.

A scientist working with a sample in a laboratory

Healthcare and Life Sciences

CEOs, CMOs, CNOs, revenue cycle, regulatory and IT leaders.

A resort pool and open-air lobby lit at dusk

Hospitality, Travel and Luxury

General managers, guest experience, revenue, brand and luxury retail leaders.

A high-rise under construction beside a city promenade at dusk

Construction, Infrastructure and Real Estate

Construction directors, superintendents, heavy civil and highway operators, development and estimating leaders.

Sources 16 citedLast reviewed September 2026

Manufacturing and Industrial Executive Search

Hiring again, with a thin bench of plant leaders.

Get a second opinion on your search before you start.

The leaders manufacturers need most.

We define what great looks like before we contact anyone.

Plant Manager

What to look for in every manufacturing leadership hire.

Where we find manufacturing leaders.

Intake

Map

Interview

Candidate website

Hire

Hiring for one of these roles, or want a second opinion on how to recruit for it?

Questions about manufacturing leadership searches.

Other industries we recruit for.

Technology and AI

Energy, Oil and Gas

Aerospace, Defense and Government

Healthcare and Life Sciences

Hospitality, Travel and Luxury

Construction, Infrastructure and Real Estate