Plant Manager Job Albert Lea area,Minnesota USA,Management

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Chemistry, Food Science, Manufacturing, or a related technical field.
Experience: 8+ years of progressive food manufacturing leadership managing in a complex, regulated environment.
Leadership Capabilities: Proven track record of managing multi-departmental leadership teams, executing system-level changes, and mentoring talent.
Technical Proficiencies: Strong background in production logistics, scheduling, and GMP systems. APICS, Lean, or Six Sigma certifications.

Position Summary:

The Plant Manager leads day-to-day manufacturing operations, driving an agile, safety-first, and continuous-improvement culture. This role balances operational efficiency and cost management with safe, reliable delivery to meet customer demand. As the site’s key operational leader, you will align plant performance with corporate strategy, champion employee development, and lead site sustainability and capacity planning.

Key Responsibilities

Safety & Regulatory Compliance: Lead site-wide safety, food safety, and quality initiatives; enforce a procedures-based culture, regulatory compliance, and rapid CAPA resolution.
Operational Execution & Capacity: Own site capacity planning and S&OP integration; ensure adherence to production schedules while balancing unit costs against customer requirements.
Team Leadership & Talent Development: Cultivate a customer-centric, high-performing culture through effective change management, continuous coaching, performance reviews, and succession planning.
Performance Management: Track site KPIs against business goals, maintaining targeted scorecards and driving corrective action plans for any performance gaps.
Financial & Strategic Oversight: Develop and manage annual operating (OpEx) and capital expenditure (Cap Ex) plans.
Continuous Improvement & Sustainability: Drive site sustainability, waste reduction, and process optimization by leveraging Lean principles and regional/corporate resources.