Plant Manager - Food Manufacturing

Plant Manager - Food Manufacturing

Location: Office / Plant Floor / Lab / Warehouse

Department: Operations

Reports To: Vice President of Operations

Employment Type: Full-Time, Exempt

We are seeking an experienced Plant Manager to lead day-to-day plant operations across production, maintenance, scheduling, and warehouse functions. This role will be responsible for driving operational performance, safety, quality, continuous improvement, cost control, and team leadership within a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

The ideal candidate will bring strong manufacturing leadership experience in a food manufacturing or related environment, a continuous improvement mindset, and the ability to lead cross-functional teams while ensuring production goals, quality standards, and operational objectives are consistently met.

Key Responsibilities:

• Assist in the development and execution of short- and long-range planning, processes, programs, and operational objectives.
• Lead, inspire, motivate, and mentor managers and team members across manufacturing operations to ensure quality, safety, and production goals are achieved in a timely and cost-effective manner.
• Oversee plant operations, maintenance, scheduling, and warehouse functions, ensuring departmental efficiency and identifying opportunities for improvement, cost savings, and productivity gains.
• Develop, monitor, and report on operating costs within functional areas.
• Manage operational expenses and budgets while supporting short-, mid-, and long-term business objectives.
• Ensure orders are manufactured according to specifications and that quality standards are consistently met.
• Own and drive plant metrics and results, including quality, yield, productivity, safety, efficiency, and overall operational performance.
• Develop and manage facility production goals and key performance indicators.
• Identify, communicate, and drive implementation of capital investments and improvement projects.
• Support policy deployment and execution in the areas of employee involvement, cost reduction, safety, customer satisfaction, and continuous improvement.
• Manage compliance with applicable state and federal agencies.
• Partner closely with Quality Assurance, Accounting, Scheduling, Human Resources, Supply Chain, and other departments to support operational goals.
• Serve as a backup resource for key operational leadership roles as needed, including Operations Manager, Quality Manager, Regulatory Specialist, and/or Supply Chain Manager.
• Participate as part of the HACCP and Management Team to support food safety initiatives.
• Promote teamwork, chain of command, safety, quality, accountability, timely problem solving, and a positive example for all team members.
• Perform other duties as directed by the Vice President of Operations.

Required Qualifications:

• 10 years of manufacturing management experience.
• At least 5 years in a leadership role with direct-report managers.
• 5 years of experience in a managerial or equivalent role within a Lean environment, including Six Sigma, Lean, TPM, or a related continuous improvement discipline.
• 5 years of experience with significant responsibility working cross-functionally with Quality Assurance, Accounting, Scheduling, and Human Resources.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop a large cross-functional team.
• Strong personnel leadership and management skills.
• Proven ability to manage operational expenses, budgets, plant metrics, and production goals.
• Strong continuous improvement mindset with the ability to identify and implement process improvements.
• Ability to manage short-, mid-, and long-term objectives.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively in an office, plant floor, lab, and warehouse environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• MBA preferred.
• English and Spanish communication and/or writing skills a plus.
• Experience in food manufacturing or a regulated manufacturing environment preferred.
• Experience supporting HACCP, food safety, quality, and regulatory compliance initiatives preferred.

Leadership Expectations:

The Plant Manager will be expected to promote and model:

• Safety and quality in alignment with company expectations.
• Teamwork across all departments and staff.
• Respect for chain of command.
• Accountability and professionalism.
• A strong example for others to follow.
• The ability to take direction and execute effectively.
• Timely and practical problem solving.