Plant Manager, HVAC Manufacturing

CONFIDENTIAL RETAINED SEARCH

We are conducting a confidential, retained search for an HVAC plant manager at a well-established Mexico manufacturer of precision thermal management equipment for data centers. The plant manager will lead all site operations, in partnership with corporate and business unit leadership. We seek executives with 15+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership, including 5+ years leading a full site or large value stream.

Search Reference: TNF-HVAC-PM-2026 | Plant General Manager Mandate, Mexico Manufacturing

About This Search

Top Notch Finders holds an exclusive, strictly confidential retained search for a Plant General Manager at a well-established manufacturer in Mexico. To protect our client and every candidate, we disclose the company’s identity and the location of its operations only to qualified candidates under a confidentiality agreement. In addition, Top Notch Finders receives and manages every inquiry and application directly.

The HVAC Plant Manager Opportunity

The plant manager leads all site operations for a plant that produces precision HVAC and thermal management equipment, including CRAH and CRAC units, chillers, and in-row and liquid cooling systems for data center customers. The role carries accountability for safety, quality, delivery, people, and site cost performance, specifically cost per hour, SLR, and the cost improvement pipeline.

As a result, this leader runs a safe, reliable, cost-competitive, and scalable operation in an engineered-to-order environment. Large project-based orders, aggressive lead times, and customer witness testing define the work. Because commercial and full P&L responsibility sits at the business unit level, the mandate centers on building an accountable, high-performance culture.

Market Context

Demand for data center cooling continues to grow, driven by hyperscale and AI infrastructure expansion. As a result, plants must add headcount, shifts, production lines, and facilities while they hold or improve cost per hour. In addition, a late shipment can delay a customer’s data center commissioning, so on-time delivery and quality matter as much as cost.

Key Responsibilities

• Own site cost metrics: cost per hour, SLR, and labor efficiency and utilization.
• Lead the annual site cost budget and deliver monthly performance against plan, with clear variance analysis and recovery actions.
• Build and execute a funded cost improvement pipeline that covers productivity, scrap and rework reduction, indirect cost-out, and energy efficiency.
• Manage headcount plans, overtime, and shift structures to balance delivery commitments against cost-per-hour targets.
• Champion a zero-harm safety culture and own EHS performance, regulatory compliance, and environmental permits.
• Guarantee product quality and reliability for critical infrastructure customers, including witness test success rates and corrective action systems.
• Maintain ISO 9001, 14001, and 45001 and UL, ETL, and CE certifications, and keep the site ready for third-party and customer audits.
• Ensure on-time delivery against project schedules and oversee material availability for long-lead components.
• Drive capacity expansion and ramp-up plans within approved cost frameworks.
• Deploy and sustain a Lean operating system that ties every kaizen and project to cost per hour, SLR, or quality and delivery performance.
• Build the leadership bench, succession plans, and technical talent pipelines, and own labor relations.
• Act as the executive face of the plant for customer visits, factory acceptance tests, and hyperscaler supplier audits.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Industrial, Mechanical, or Electromechanical); a Master’s in Operations Management or an MBA is preferred.
• 15+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership, including 5+ years leading a full site or large value stream.
• Experience in complex electromechanical, HVAC and refrigeration, energy, or capital equipment manufacturing, ideally engineered-to-order or configure-to-order.
• Demonstrated command of conversion cost management, including cost-per-hour models, labor efficiency, absorption, variance analysis, and structured cost-out programs.
• Plant startup, expansion, or ramp-up experience under high demand growth.
• Deep Lean and operational excellence background, with evidence of sustained cultural transformation.
• Bilingual English and Spanish.
• Preferred: exposure to data center or mission-critical infrastructure customers and their audit and witness test regimes.
• Preferred: experience scaling headcount rapidly while holding or improving cost per hour.
• Preferred: multi-site or matrix-organization experience, and a Six Sigma Black Belt, Shingo, or equivalent credential.

How to Apply in Confidence

This is a discreet, retained engagement. We will never present your candidacy to any organization without your explicit prior authorization. In addition, the hiring company cannot see any application at this stage.

If you are an accomplished plant leader and want to be considered as our next HVAC plant manager, please submit your resume in confidence through the Top Notch Finders website. Reference search code TNF-HVAC-PM-2026 in your submission. However, do not include export-controlled technical data or other proprietary information of any kind in your application materials. We will contact only the candidates whose backgrounds align closely with the mandate.