Distillery Manager Jobs in Kansas (NOW HIRING)

Conestoga Energy Partners is seeking a highly experienced Plant Manager with a proven track record of leading ethanol production facilities. This role is responsible for full plant operational leadership, production performance, safety excellence, and the development of front-line leadership across the facility. This position requires a leader who understands fermentation, distillation, yields, uptime, and plant optimization while building a culture of accountability, safety, and operational discipline.

Position Summary

The Plant Manager is accountable for the safe, efficient, and reliable operation of the ethanol facility. This role provides leadership across all plant departments including Production, Maintenance, Grains/Rail, and Lab, with a strong emphasis on maximizing plant performance, optimizing yields, and strengthening front-line leadership.

A key expectation of this role is driving production excellence while coaching and elevating supervisors and shift leaders to ensure consistent execution across all shifts.

Core Responsibilities

Plant Production & Operational Leadership

• Lead all daily plant production operations to achieve throughput, yield, and efficiency targets
• Monitor fermentation, distillation, and overall process performance to optimize production output
• Drive uptime, reliability, and process consistency across all shifts
• Identify and implement operational improvements that enhance plant performance and reduce downtime
• Ensure standardized operating practices and strong shift-to-shift accountability

Ethanol Facility Management

• Oversee the full operational performance of an ethanol production facility
• Maintain deep awareness of plant KPIs, including yield, grind rates, energy usage, and CI impacts
• Partner with Commercial and Corporate leadership on carbon intensity (CI) optimization and pathway management
• Understand operational decisions that impact CI scores and end market pathways

Leadership & Supervisor Development

• Directly coach and develop Production Managers, Maintenance Managers, and shift leadership
• Strengthen supervisor capability in directing crews, enforcing standards, and managing performance
• Lead structured leadership meetings focused on accountability, problem-solving, and operational discipline
• Build a strong internal leadership pipeline through mentoring and succession planning

Safety, Environmental & Regulatory Compliance

• Champion a world-class safety culture and lead by example in all safety practices
• Ensure full compliance with OSHA, environmental permits, and company safety policies
• Partner closely with EHS to drive proactive safety initiatives and corrective actions

Maintenance & Reliability Alignment

• Collaborate with Maintenance leadership to ensure preventive and corrective maintenance supports production uptime
• Balance operational demands with long-term asset reliability strategies

Financial & Performance Management

• Manage plant budgets including labor, overtime, maintenance, and operational expenses
• Identify cost improvement opportunities without compromising safety, reliability, or quality
• Drive operational efficiency and responsible resource management

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Serve as the operational bridge between corporate leadership and plant operations
• Collaborate with HR, Safety, Lab/Quality, Procurement, Accounting, and Commercial teams
• Ensure clear, consistent communication across departments and across all shifts

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience managing or leading an ethanol production facility
• Proven success in plant production leadership and operational optimization
• Demonstrated experience managing supervisors, managers, and multi-department teams
• Strong expertise in ethanol plant processes (fermentation, distillation, yields, and plant performance metrics)
• Experience with safety, environmental, and regulatory compliance in an industrial setting
• Strong leadership presence, decision-making ability, and operational accountability

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, Industrial Management, or a related field
• Experience with carbon intensity (CI) awareness and pathway optimization
• Continuous improvement, Lean, or operational excellence experience in process manufacturing

Conestoga Energy Partners is committed to operational excellence, safety, and developing strong plant leadership. We are seeking a results-driven leader who values accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement while maintaining the highest standards of safety and performance. If you are an experienced ethanol operations leader who is passionate about building high-performing teams and optimizing plant operations, we encourage you to apply and be part of a growing organization dedicated to excellence in production and people.