Plant Manager

Palmer Candy is looking for a Plant Manager at our Bluff St. location. 

 Work Location: 311 Bluff St., Sioux City, IA

FLSA Status: Exempt

Reports to: VP of Operations

 Position Summary

The Plant Manager is responsible for the overall leadership, performance, and continuous improvement of a food manufacturing facility. As a key member of the Plant Leadership Team, this role provides strategic and operational direction across production, maintenance, sanitation, warehouse, and Team Member engagement functions.

The Plant Manager drives a culture centered on safety, quality, operational excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement while ensuring the facility consistently meets customer expectations, regulatory requirements, and financial objectives. The successful candidate will be a visible leader who inspires teams, develops talent, and fosters a high-performance culture focused on achieving world-class manufacturing results.

Essential Responsibilities

• Champion a safety-first culture and lead initiatives that drive a zero-incident workplace.
• Ensure compliance with all environmental, health, and safety (EHS) regulations, company policies, and industry standards.
• Ensure all manufacturing activities are conducted in accordance with established food safety, quality, regulatory, and customer requirements.
• Ensure facility readiness for internal, customer, and regulatory audits.
• Direct all plant operations to achieve key performance indicators (KPIs) related to safety, quality, food safety, productivity, customer service, cost, delivery, and Team Member engagement.
• Ensure production schedules are executed efficiently while meeting customer requirements and quality standards.
• Drive operational excellence through effective management of labor, materials, equipment, and facility resources.
• Monitor and improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), throughput, yield, downtime, and asset reliability.
• Lead plant maintenance team to ensure effective preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance programs.
• Lead and promote a culture of continuous improvement utilizing Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Root Cause Analysis, and other operational excellence methodologies.
• Identify and implement process improvements that enhance productivity, reduce waste, improve quality, and lower operating costs.
• Establish accountability measures and performance expectations across all departments.
• Utilize data-driven decision-making to identify opportunities and implement sustainable solutions.
• Build, develop, and retain a high-performing workforce through effective hiring, coaching, training, succession planning, and performance management.
• Foster a culture of engagement, accountability, teamwork, and inclusion.
• Maintain a strong presence on the production floor, building relationships and driving Team Member involvement.
• Provide leadership and development opportunities for supervisors, managers, and frontline Team Members.
• Support workforce planning and organizational development initiatives that align with business objectives.
• Aid with development and management of annual operating budgets, forecasts, and capital expenditure plans.
• Monitor plant financial performance and implement actions to achieve productivity, cost reduction, and profitability targets.
• Lead initiatives to reduce scrap, waste, rework, and other operational losses.
• Participate in strategic planning and contribute to long-term operational and business growth initiatives.
• Ensure resources are effectively allocated to support production demands and business objectives.
• Partner with Research & Development, Quality, and Resource Planning teams to support new product introductions and process development.
• Lead capital projects from planning through implementation, ensuring projects are completed safely, on time, and within budget.
• Provide timely reporting and communication regarding plant performance, operational challenges, and improvement initiatives.
• Support company-wide initiatives and collaborate across multiple facilities as needed.

 Additional Responsibilities

• Maintain regular and reliable attendance.
• Travel between local manufacturing and storage facilities as required.
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Food Science, Operations Management, Business, or a related technical field required.
• MBA or advanced degree preferred

Experience

• Minimum of 10 years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience, including at least 5 years in a plant leadership role.
• Food manufacturing experience required; confectionery, candy, chocolate, or consumer packaged goods (CPG) experience preferred.
• Proven success leading safety, quality, operational excellence, and Team Member engagement initiatives in a manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated experience managing budgets, capital projects, and continuous improvement programs.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong knowledge of food manufacturing operations, food safety systems, quality management systems, and regulatory compliance requirements.
• Expertise in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, TPM, OEE, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Strong financial acumen with the ability to manage budgets and analyze operational performance.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, coaching, and team-building skills.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and lead teams at all organizational levels.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
• Experience leading diverse and multicultural teams.
• Bilingual English/Spanish a plus
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications required.
• Experience with ERP and manufacturing systems such as SAP and Redzone preferred.

Physical and Working Conditions

• Regular presence on the manufacturing floor, including exposure to varying temperatures, noise levels, and food manufacturing environments.
• Ability to walk, stand, climb stairs, and occasionally lift up to 25 pounds.
• Ability to work flexible hours as business needs require.

Disclaimer

This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by individuals assigned to this position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications. Management reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties and responsibilities at any time, with or without notice.