Overview
Location: Knoxville, TN (on-site leadership role)
Relocation: A relocation package may be provided for the right candidate.
This role reports directly to the CEO and oversees all site operations for the Knoxville facility. The General Manager will lead a team of approximately 4 to 7 direct reports and up to 40 total personnel across production, maintenance, and supply chain.
Aqua Membranes is seeking a strategic and execution-focused General Manager (GM) to lead the successful launch and ramp-up of our Knoxville high-volume reverse osmosis (RO) membrane element manufacturing facility, which is currently completing equipment installation and entering its production startup phase. The GM will be accountable for site-level leadership across production, maintenance, supply chain, safety, and daily plant performance. This role is critical in delivering operational excellence, cost-effective scaling, and on-time production to support company growth. You won’t just manage a plant—you’ll shape how clean water technology is built and delivered at scale. As GM, you’ll play a critical leadership role in a high-impact, high-growth company.
Responsibilities
- Provide day-to-day leadership for all plant activities in Knoxville
- Ensure operational readiness, ramp-up milestones, and production targets are met
- Drive a culture of safety, accountability, continuous improvement, and employee development
- Lead and develop a high-performance team including Production, Maintenance, Supply Chain, and HR managers
- Partner with HR on staffing, training, and employee development initiatives
- Ensure execution of production plans aligned with customer demand and company goals
- Collaborate with QA Director to maintain quality systems and compliance (e.g., ISO, NSF)
- Champion continuous improvement, yield enhancement, and process control initiatives
- Collaborate with Engineering, Quality, and the Albuquerque Design Center to support scale-up, product validation, and sample builds
- Coordinate resources to support co-creation projects and customer evaluations
- Oversee equipment maintenance, facility upgrades, and operational expansion as required
- Lead cost control and efficiency programs in coordination with finance and operations leadership
Key Success Metrics (First 12 Months)
- Commissioning and qualification of all production equipment
- Yield improvement to >90% by end of steady-state ramp-up
- Implementation of lean initiatives with measurable cost or efficiency benefits
- Execution of on-time production aligned with sales forecasts
- Cross-functional alignment with Engineering and QA teams
Qualifications
- Experience: 10+ years in manufacturing leadership, preferably in membrane, water treatment, or high-precision assembly
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, or related field; MBA preferred
- Operations Expertise: Proven success managing production teams, implementing KPIs, and scaling operations
- People Leadership: Strong team development, conflict resolution, communication, cross-functional leadership skills, and stakeholder management skills
- Systems Knowledge: Proficiency with ERP systems (NetSuite preferred), quality systems (ISO 9001), lean methodologies, and performance dashboards
- Startup Agility: Experience launching or expanding facilities and navigating rapid growth phases with ability to operate hands-on while building scalable systems