This position reports directly to the COO and has direct responsibility for the operations of the company in our poultry processing facilities. This highly collaborative position is a member of the executive team, works cross-functionally across the organization and plays a key role in driving our culture.

The Vice President of Operations provides leadership and vision that aligns our operations’ strategy with company goals driven by the voice of the customer and directs the successful implementation of initiatives necessary to drive our performance. In this role you will oversee company operations while prioritizing team member safety, food safety, quality, and financial impact while advocating the organization’s priority to foster a culture of continuous improvement through Lean and Six Sigma principles.

Responsibilities/Functions

The ideal candidate for the VP of Operations role will have a diverse background encompassing multi-site operations leadership, manufacturing, lean concepts, and business management within food production. S/he will have a proven track record meeting or exceeding company operational and financial goals while assuring compliance with the company’s core values and key expectations as related to strategy, safety, quality, staffing, culture, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Multi-Site and Operational Support Leadership

• Strategically lead cross-functional, multi-site teams in breaking down barriers, developing genuine trust, and driving operational excellence while serving, by example, as a key champion for the Butterball Way.
• Lead execution of operational strategies, including developing scalable processes that deliver the financial, cost, quality, safety, staffing, and service levels required to meet business objectives and customer expectations while ensuring financial strength and operating effectiveness.
• Ensure local site objectives and outcomes align with and deliver results specific to the strategic objectives set forth in Butterball’s Annual Operating (AOP) and Long-Range Plans (LRP).
• Successfully lead and engender the trust of Butterball’s largest operations asset, our people! Starting with six direct reports and over 5,000 team members working across six poultry processing facilities in North Carolina, Arkansas, and Missouri, you will develop, motivate, and lead multi-site plant operations and leadership teams.

Operating Analytics and Performance

• Lead the design, implementation, and analysis of key performance indicators, metrics, goal setting, scorecards, and communication processes that effectively translate strategy into action goals and performance objectives.
• Meet or exceed performance expectations as related to such KPIs as yield, pounds per man hour, team member turnover, zero to positive variances, quality scores, safety scores, and customer service scores.
• Use data driven, fact-based decisions to maximize integrated profitability while participating as a key leader in budget development and capital planning.
• Develop and manage long-range, annual, plans through an accurate and experience-based understanding of the P&L, complex operational financial planning, and accounting principles.
• Strategically and constantly monitor the competitive landscape and market conditions to identify opportunities, issues, and risks in support of recommending relevant tactics and strategies, as well as delivering measurable impacts.

Safety and Quality

• Oversee company operations while always prioritizing our team members’ safety, food safety, product quality, and the integrated financial impact to the company.
• Working in conjunction with Safety, Health, and Security as well as Food Safety and Public Affairs, implement, analyze, and optimize safety programs, quality standards, and legal compliance of manufactured products.
• Seek out, implement, and drive best practices, procedures and programs supporting safety, supply, food safety, labor management, quality, and people/coaching.
• Ensures that product quality, service, and reliability meet or exceeds our customers’ expectations.

Innovation and Continuous Improvement

• Challenge status quo within operations and across organization.
• Lead the operations strategic vision that is in alignment with the organization’s short and long-term goals; is driven by the voice of the customer; and increases operational performance, drives continuous improvement, and mitigates risk.
• Maintain and apply knowledge of emerging technologies and best practices in operations management; use that knowledge to identify, analyze, recommend, and implement new processes, programs, technologies, and systems to improve and streamline the organization and its use of resources and materials.
• Champion the organization’s drive to implement a culture of continuous improvement through Lean and Six Sigma principles while promoting a continuous improvement mindset in operational processes and innovations at all levels.
• Lead cross-functionally and partner with Live Operations, Marketing, Innovation, Sales, R&D and Quality on new products and packaging initiatives.
• Drive key initiatives in the areas of quality, safety, sustainability, cost, and service through continuous improvement management; ensure consistency and standardization throughout the facilities.

People and Culture Leadership 

• Build a positive, progressive, collaborative, diverse, and results-oriented culture marked by employee growth, inclusion, opportunity, and trust in leadership.
• Serve as a leader and role model creating a proactive and empowering culture where employees are trained, equipped, empowered, and driven to succeed.
• Serve as champion for optimal talent recruiting and retention in operations. Work with POD and HR teams to engage in operations-based workforce planning, succession planning, early-stage leadership development, apprenticeship, and training programs, as well as to develop a culture that results in greater retention.
• Work with direct reports to identify proper structure to leverage talent and capabilities throughout the operations function while identifying, coaching, and mentoring current and future leaders within multiple levels of the current leadership structure.

Processes and Enabling Technologies

• Deliver and optimize use of key operations management and manufacturing execution systems critical to the success of the operation such as BOSS and CAT².
• Provide leadership and guidance towards identifying and implementing automation technology throughout Butterball plants to standardize manufacturing practices. 
• Identify process constraints and develop/deploy refinements to measurably improve results.
• Provide leadership and direction for future manufacturing requirements and capabilities in processes, products, facilities, training, tools, and technologies.

Qualifications

• A proven track record of success and experience leading efforts across multiple manufacturing facilities to include establishing and achieving KPIs across all operations’ activities, managing key manufacturing processes, implementing best practices, and driving innovation and improvements to meet changing business needs in context of the company’s operating strategies.
• 15 years progressive experience in manufacturing and a minimum of 5 years in director-level or above leadership position having operational and P&L oversight in a large, multi-site food manufacturing environment.
• Deep industry knowledge in turkey, poultry, other proteins (beef, pork), and/or food production required.
• Senior leadership experience managing cross-functional teams with demonstrated ability of building a strong, collaborative culture driving and exceeding projected results.
• Must have the knowledge, experience, and skills to be an effective leader and the ability to manage, influence, and create trust at all levels of the organization. In doing so, drive a spirit of continuous improvement, open thinking, and appreciation for a job well done.
• Demonstrated commitment to prioritize actions based upon workplace safety, food safety, quality, and integrated financial impact to the company.
• Demonstrated ability to blend previous experiences and make data-driven, fact-based decisions relevant to the current situation and business needs; and have the skills and ability to work at the strategic level and then translate those ideas into tactical actions.
• Must know and manage to the numbers; proven financial and accounting acumen including P&L responsibility, inventory, costs, margins, and operational performance analytics.
• Demonstrated experience delivering key enabling technologies, such as operations management and manufacturing execution systems, across multiple sites.
• Demonstrated track record and reputation as a future-thinker and innovator with a clear vision of and ability to deliver on what can be (potential) vs. being held back by what is or what has been.
• Must be a fast, critical thinker capable of isolating the chaos and noise while problem solving and serving as a calm voice and steadying influence for the operation.
• Expert at managing urgent, unanticipated events without losing focus of short and long-term goals.
• Proven and demonstrated record of success in the development and progression of employees.
• Lean, Six Sigma background in manufacturing and/or product development desired.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Ability to effectively communicate to all parts of the organization and our external customers and partners. Must be able to facilitate meetings onsite and remotely.

Summary Education and Experience

• 15 years of Operations or Manufacturing experience, with 5 years at the director-level or above in the consumer goods, food production, or food and beverage industries.
• Experience leading large multi-site food manufacturing operations.
• Minimum of bachelor’s degree or a preference for a master’s degree in Operations Management, Engineering or related field, Logistics, and/or equivalent industry experience.