Chief Manufacturing Officer

Chief Manufacturing Officer (CMO)

We represent a company that is a growing food and beverage manufacturing and co-packing facility specializing in bottled sauces, mixers, condiments, and specialty products. They partner with brands of all sizes to bring high-quality products to market through reliable production, rigorous food safety standards, and hands-on collaboration.

The company is entering a period of aggressive growth, adding new production capacity, expanding categories, and building the operational systems required to scale responsibly. We are looking for a hands-on Chief Manufacturing Officer (CMO) to lead that next phase.

Role Overview

The CMO is the senior operational leader responsible for turning growth into execution. This role owns day-to-day plant operations while building the systems, processes, and team structure needed to scale a bottling facility efficiently and safely.

This is not a desk role. The CMO will be on the floor, in production, working alongside leaders and crews while setting direction at a company level. The role reports directly to the Managing Partner and works closely with leadership on growth planning and execution.

What This Role Solves — Right Now

• Throughput constraints as demand increases
• Staffing, scheduling, and production planning gaps
• Operational systems that must mature to support scale
• Preparing the facility and team for new lines, higher speeds, and new product categories

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

• Own daily operations across production, QA, logistics, and R&D
• Ensure safe, efficient, and compliant bottling operations across all product lines
• Lead production planning, scheduling, and capacity management to meet client demand
• Drive consistency in SOPs, GMPs, sanitation, and food safety practices

Team & Leadership

• Directly manage and develop Production Crew Leaders and operational teams
• Own hiring, onboarding, performance management, and termination decisions for operations staff
• Build a strong floor culture rooted in accountability, communication, and safety
• Be a visible leader on the production floor — setting the tone by example

Systems & Scale

• Implement and improve operational systems for scheduling, throughput, labor efficiency, and quality
• Prepare the plant and team for new equipment, including a new high-speed line
• Support expansion into new categories, including refrigerated products
• Identify bottlenecks and drive continuous improvement initiatives

Financial & Strategic Partnership

• Influence capital expenditure decisions related to equipment, layout, and capacity
• Influence vendor relationships and operational purchasing decisions
• Partner with leadership on margin improvement, cost control, and operational forecasting
• Participate in select client-facing conversations related to production feasibility, timelines, and scaling

KPIs & Accountability

Success in year one will be measured by:

• Increased throughput and line efficiency
• Improved on-time delivery
• Reduced overtime and labor inefficiencies
• Strong safety and food safety compliance
• Improved operational margins

Experience & Profile

• Required: Food & beverage manufacturing experience
• Ideal: Co-packing or contract manufacturing experience
• Comfortable operating in either growth-stage or more established environments
• Proven ability to lead teams on the floor, not just manage from a distance
• Strong understanding of bottling operations, changeovers, staffing models, and production flow
• Practical, decisive, and execution-oriented

Hands-On Expectation

This role will be present in production daily. We are looking for a leader who understands that systems are built by being close to the work — especially in a bottling environment.

This growing company and exciting opportunity offers:

• Opportunity to help shape the future of a growing manufacturing operation
• Real authority to build teams and operational structure
• A collaborative leadership environment with direct access to ownership
• Competitive compensation and time-off benefits
• A company that values craftsmanship, safety, and people — not bureaucracy