Plant Manager

Job Summary:

The Plant Manager is responsible for all safety, product quality, food safety, company culture/values, operational performance, environmental health and safety compliance and all local, state and federal standards. Responsibilities also include recruiting, hiring, and training personnel and facility/physical plant up-keep and capital improvements. In addition, the Plant Manager will be responsible for annual budget planning and execution. This position will work closely with the system wide production team to increase productivity and profitability.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide leadership for the successful day-to-day operation of the facility.
• Coordinate plant activities through the planning with departmental managers to ensure the total manufacturing objectives are accomplished in a timely and cost-effective manner.
• Responsible for developing a strategic vision and operational budget for the facility and communicating the plan to the facility.
• Monitor operation expenses and implement cost effective systems of control over capital, operating expenditures, manpower, wages and salaries in line with corporate guidelines.
• Establish and monitor overall plant performance for production and quality standards, BRC, and HACCP.
• Control and minimize labor overtime, premium freight and repair expenses.
• Responsible for existing plant facilities and equipment.
• Work closely with quality personnel to review product consistency while monitoring rework and shrink rates to determine trends and areas of improvement.
• Review established production schedules for all manufacturing departments to ensure established inventory levels are met while operating at the highest efficiency possible.
• Partner with Human Resources to manage workforce requirements, hiring and training of all manufacturing personnel.
• Work closely with the Environmental Health and Safety Manager to ensure all members of the manufacturing team are aware of safety policies to provide a safe workplace for our employees.
• Maintain Inventory levels and control flow of product.
• Maintain and support metrics demonstrating the success of superior safety and housekeeping programs.
• Champion timely communication initiatives.
• Conduct performance appraisals and provide coaching and guidance to all operations employees.
• Encourage and promote operating in a continuous improvement environment.
• Remove production constraints; allocate human and equipment resources and direct production employees to attain all established goals.
• Remove waste and constraints from the production process to improve efficiency and enhance productivity.
• Communicate with research and development as well as product management personnel to develop new product strategies.
• Coordinate and develop the relationship with our workforce.
• Maintain security and sanitation initiatives for the facility.
• Perform other duties as assigned to support business needs.
  
  

Required Skills and Abilities:

• Excellent verbal/written communication skills.
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills.
• Write professional reports, prepare presentations and other business correspondences.
• Work as a collaborative member of a team.
• Define problems, collect data, establish facts, draw valid conclusions and act upon them.
• Time management skills.
• Document management.
• Uphold confidentiality of sensitive information.
• Microsoft Office proficiency.
• High attention to detail.
• Demonstrated strong leadership, team building and advanced coaching skills.
• Demonstrated ability to motivate people and develop employees.
  
  

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in related field or 5 years plant/general management experience in a manufacturing environment directly supervising a production work force preferably with food companies.
• 5 years’ experience engaging employees and developing a strong safety culture.
• Experience of budgetary processes, cost center ownership and cost control.
• Knowledge of State and Federal regulations as they pertain to cheese production.
• Knowledge of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point applications to a food production facility.
• Experience with interviewing, hiring, retaining, and terminating workforce.