Plant Manager

Position Summary:

The position of Plant Manager leads and coordinates the manufacturing and related activities to meet safety and quality requirements, as well as business and internal customer needs.  The position requires strong leadership and interpersonal skills, as well as a solid technical understanding of food plant processes, equipment, OSHA standards, cGMPs, HACCP and SQF requirements.  A keen ability to work collaboratively across organizational levels and functions is a foundational element for problem-solving and continuous improvement in this role.  The ideal candidate is focused on and effective in building employee engagement, a continuous improvement culture and a drive toward best practices and imbedding safety in technical operations.  

Typical Responsibilities:

• Develop Supervisory, Lead and Hourly staff to reach their highest potential, with an engaged and positive contribution to the organization.
• Follow best practices for performance management, including managing to Expectations, providing regular feedback and year end Evaluations that differentiate, emphasize constructive accountability, and pay for performance.
• Develop and maintain Key Performance Indicators and other metrics that align with business goals and are understood and regularly communicated to the teams.
• Lead or support operational improvement initiatives, including capital investment, ERP development, safety programs and others.
• Work collaboratively with EHS staff, Dir of Operations, and others to build and maintain a strong safety culture - with program development, training improvements, and tangible evidence of safety being imbedded into the operations.
• Lead or support CAPAs, CARs (corrective actions), customer and regulatory audit follow-ups and requirements.
• Develop Capital budgets and project plans to meet operational targets and requirements in Safety, First Pass Quality and business development.
• Develop and manage to expense budgets, with an emphasis on plant performance and business growth, while maintaining prudent cost control measures
• Foster an effective communications environment, with an emphasis on employee engagement, using shift change, employee meetings, open-door policy, as well as communication boards and other tools.
• Develop or expand on the application of Lean and Continuous Improvement concepts.
• Accelerate activities to move toward Operational Excellence, including robust technical references (P IDs, PFDs, etc.), process control (HMI, Alarms, etc.) improvements, preventative maintenance, and down time analysis. 
• Adhere to all government and company safety, sanitation and GMP policies and regulations.

Education and/or Experiences:

Engineering or BS degree in a relevant scientific discipline and > 7 years’ experience in a leadership role in technical operations.  A passion for building high-performance teams and a solid history of coaching and mentoring, with a track record for leading operational improvement.  Strong analytical skills required, including a high proficiency in the use of Excel and other MS applications.  Malting or grain processing technical knowledge is preferred, with an understanding of a process technologies a requirement.