Operations Manager

At Custom Foods, we employ Great Dough Heroes to create our SQF-certified, industry-leading, frozen dough. We are currently seeking an Operations Manager to oversee daily production operations at our multi-line frozen food manufacturing facility. This position is responsible for ensuring safe, efficient, consistent production while maintaining high standards for food safety, quality, employee performance, productivity, and customer commitments.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on manufacturing leader who can effectively balance production demands with employee development, food safety, quality, and continuous improvement.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Oversee daily production across three manufacturing lines and two 10-hour shifts.
• Ensure production meets schedules, quality standards, and customer requirements.
• Lead, coach, and develop production supervisors, leads, and hourly employees.
• Ensure employees follow safety, food safety, GMP, allergen-control, and sanitation requirements.
• Monitor production performance, including efficiency, yield, waste, downtime, and labor productivity.
• Identify and resolve production issues, bottlenecks, and recurring problems.
• Work closely with Production Planning, Quality/Food Safety, Maintenance, Warehouse, R&D, and company leadership.
• Support new product trials, customer samples, and first production runs.
• Coordinate staffing, materials, equipment needs, and production priorities.
• Participate in audits, corrective actions, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Maintain a professional, accountable, and team-oriented production environment.

Qualifications

Required:

• Demonstrated experience supervising or managing employees in a manufacturing, production, or food-processing environment for at least five years.
• Experience managing day-to-day production activities, including production priorities, staffing, productivity, quality, or operational issues.
• Ability to lead employees across multiple shifts and/or production areas.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively with hourly employees, supervisors, maintenance, quality, warehouse, planning, and leadership.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced manufacturing environment where priorities and production requirements can change quickly.
• Demonstrated commitment to workplace safety and food safety.
• Ability to read, understand, and follow production procedures, specifications, and food safety requirements.
• Computer proficiency, including the ability to use email, spreadsheets, production records, and other business systems. Proficient in Excel and Microsoft Office.

Preferred:

• Experience in food manufacturing, bakery, frozen foods, dough production, or a similar high-volume food-processing environment.
• Experience managing multiple production lines.
• Experience working in a facility operating extended shifts or six-day production schedules.
• Experience with SQF, FDA, HACCP, GMP, FSMA, or customer food-safety audits.
• Experience with production metrics, yield improvement, waste reduction, downtime reduction, or other continuous-improvement initiatives.
• Experience working with an ERP, MES, or manufacturing management system.

Education: A high school diploma or equivalent is preferred. A bachelor's degree is not required if the candidate possesses substantial relevant manufacturing leadership experience. A bakery science degree would be a plus.

Working Conditions

This is an on-site position in an active frozen food manufacturing facility. The role requires regular movement throughout production and warehouse areas and exposure to manufacturing equipment, noise, flour/dough dust, refrigeration/freezing conditions, temperature variations, and sanitation chemicals.

The Operations Manager must be available to work across both production shifts as needed and may occasionally be required to work weekends, extended hours, or holidays to address operational needs.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand and walk throughout the facility for extended periods.
• Ability to safely navigate active production areas, including stairs and wet or uneven surfaces.
• Ability to bend, stoop, reach, and move throughout production areas.
• Ability to occasionally lift or carry production-related materials or items.
• Ability to work in refrigerated/freezer environments when required.
• Ability to perform essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation.

Schedule: Primarily Monday–Friday, occasionally on Saturdays dictated by business needs as operation is Monday-Saturday

Note: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. The employee may perform other related duties as negotiated to meet the ongoing needs of the organization.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $75,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply

Shift availability:

• Day Shift (Required)
• Night Shift (Preferred)

Ability to Commute:

• De Soto, KS 66018 (Required)

Ability to Relocate:

• De Soto, KS 66018: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $75,000 - $85,000