Entry Level Plant Manager Jobs
New grad plant manager jobs open doors for recent graduates and entry level candidates with zero to two years of experience, where strong internship work or hands-on coursework in operations can matter more than a long resume. Most openings are on-site roles across Chemicals & Materials, Manufacturing, and Education, with employers like O-I, Croell, and Jobot hiring at this level now.
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Showing 5 of 13+ Entry Level Plant Manager jobs
Company Description
About O-I
Remember the last time you opened a bottle of champagne? A cold beer after a hard day’s work or a bottle of sparkling mineral water to quench your thirst? Well, it was probably made by us. We are O-I and we love that we make more glass containers than anyone in the world. O-I has more than a century of experience crafting pure, sustainable, brand-building glass packaging for many of the world’s best-known food and beverage brands. We are proud to provide high quality glass packaging for beer, wine, spirits, food, non-alcoholic beverages, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
Why do you want to apply?
Our Lapel plant is a great location because you can experience the strong sense of community found in a small Midwestern town, while being less than an hour from Indianapolis and having access to everything that a major city has to offer.
Job Description
The Plant Quality Manager is responsible for managing and continuously improving all internal and external plant assurance of quality systems. They will work with plant management to develop the plant’s quality plan that will create and maintain a customer-focused organization.
The Plant Quality Manager Will
- Work with plant management in setting and maintaining quality objectives, and assuring those objectives are being met.
- Establish customer relationships, make customer visits as appropriate, and assist in implementing customer quality management systems.
- Work directly with all departments on quality issues and on preventative and corrective actions.
- Facilitate problem solving activity through Total Quality Management (TQM), team building, and quality systems tools and methods.
- Work with the line and process supervisors in identifying negative quality trends and repetitive defects.
- Effectively communicate customer issues and perspectives to all plant personnel, including floor level, on a routine and timely basis.
The Plant Quality Manager Should Have
- Experience developing and maintaining a Quality Management System.
- The ability to investigate customer complaints, prepare customer complaint responses, and maintain a database on all customer complaints.
- Experience working with a plant management team to develop standard operating procedures.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent years of experience
- Previous experience with a quality management system in a manufacturing environment
- Glass manufacturing experience preferred
- Strong communication and data analytics skills
- Demonstrated project management skills
Additional Information
What we offer at O-I:
Salary Range: The expected salary range for this position is between $115,000 - $125,000 and includes a possible quarterly incentive bonus. Actual pay will be adjusted based upon candidate experience and other job-related factors permitted by law.
O-I offers a very generous benefit package – some of the highlights are:
- Vacation time and paid holidays
- Health, dental, prescription and vision care coverage
- Generous insurance discounts with participation in Company wellness program
- Wellness incentive where you can earn money for your HSA or HRA
- Group life insurance
- Accidental death & dismemberment insurance
- Voluntary employee and dependent life insurance
- Weekly disability insurance
- Paid sick time
- Parental leave benefits
- 401(k) retirement saving plans with defined contributions
All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines. O-I is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer committed to building a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or other protected category. Qualified individuals with disabilities or disabled veterans who are unable or limited in their ability to apply on this site may request reasonable accommodations by emailing hr.recruiters@o-i.com.
Company Description
About O-I
Remember the last time you opened a bottle of champagne? A cold beer after a hard day’s work or a bottle of sparkling mineral water to quench your thirst? Well, it was probably made by us. We are O-I and we love that we make more glass containers than anyone in the world. O-I has more than a century of experience crafting pure, sustainable, brand-building glass packaging for many of the world’s best-known food and beverage brands. We are proud to provide high quality glass packaging for beer, wine, spirits, food, non-alcoholic beverages, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
Why do you want to apply?
Our Lapel plant is a great location because you can experience the strong sense of community found in a small Midwestern town, while being less than an hour from Indianapolis and having access to everything that a major city has to offer.
Job Description
The Plant Quality Manager is responsible for managing and continuously improving all internal and external plant assurance of quality systems. They will work with plant management to develop the plant’s quality plan that will create and maintain a customer-focused organization.
The Plant Quality Manager Will
- Work with plant management in setting and maintaining quality objectives, and assuring those objectives are being met.
- Establish customer relationships, make customer visits as appropriate, and assist in implementing customer quality management systems.
- Work directly with all departments on quality issues and on preventative and corrective actions.
- Facilitate problem solving activity through Total Quality Management (TQM), team building, and quality systems tools and methods.
- Work with the line and process supervisors in identifying negative quality trends and repetitive defects.
- Effectively communicate customer issues and perspectives to all plant personnel, including floor level, on a routine and timely basis.
The Plant Quality Manager Should Have
- Experience developing and maintaining a Quality Management System.
- The ability to investigate customer complaints, prepare customer complaint responses, and maintain a database on all customer complaints.
- Experience working with a plant management team to develop standard operating procedures.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent years of experience
- Previous experience with a quality management system in a manufacturing environment
- Glass manufacturing experience preferred
- Strong communication and data analytics skills
- Demonstrated project management skills
Additional Information
What we offer at O-I:
Salary Range: The expected salary range for this position is between $115,000 - $125,000 and includes a possible quarterly incentive bonus. Actual pay will be adjusted based upon candidate experience and other job-related factors permitted by law.
O-I offers a very generous benefit package – some of the highlights are:
- Vacation time and paid holidays
- Health, dental, prescription and vision care coverage
- Generous insurance discounts with participation in Company wellness program
- Wellness incentive where you can earn money for your HSA or HRA
- Group life insurance
- Accidental death & dismemberment insurance
- Voluntary employee and dependent life insurance
- Weekly disability insurance
- Paid sick time
- Parental leave benefits
- 401(k) retirement saving plans with defined contributions
All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines. O-I is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer committed to building a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or other protected category. Qualified individuals with disabilities or disabled veterans who are unable or limited in their ability to apply on this site may request reasonable accommodations by emailing hr.recruiters@o-i.com.
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Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Chemicals & Materials
- Manufacturing
- Education
- Food & Beverage
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Entry Level Plant Manager Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get an entry level plant manager job?
Focus on demonstrating hands-on operations experience, even from internships, co-ops, or lab coursework. Employers hiring at this level look for candidates who understand production workflows, safety protocols, and basic team coordination. A degree in industrial engineering, operations management, or a related field gives you a strong foundation. Highlight any project where you improved a process, reduced waste, or led a small team.
Which companies hire entry level plant managers?
Companies hiring entry level plant managers right now include O-I, Croell, and Jobot, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. Manufacturing firms, food and beverage producers, and consumer goods companies tend to build out junior management pipelines and actively post roles for candidates who are newer to the field.
Are there remote entry level plant manager jobs?
Yes, though fully remote roles are limited at this level since plant management is largely on-site work. About 0% of entry level plant manager openings are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, and those tend to involve planning, scheduling, or coordinator functions rather than direct floor supervision.
Are these new grad plant manager jobs?
Yes, many of these openings are new grad and junior roles that welcome recent graduates with little or no professional experience. A new grad-friendly posting typically welcomes zero to two years of experience, accepts internships or school projects as qualifying background, and may offer training or rotational programs to help candidates grow into full management responsibilities.
Which industries hire the most entry level plant managers?
Entry Level plant manager roles concentrate in Chemicals & Materials, Manufacturing, and Education, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. These sectors maintain large physical operations with ongoing turnover in supervisory roles, making them consistent sources of junior openings for candidates who are just starting out in production and operations management.