Plant Manager

Our client is an established food manufacturing company seeking an experienced Plant Manager to lead day-to-day manufacturing operations and drive operational excellence, continuous improvement, and team development.

The Plant Manager will be responsible for all aspects of daily plant operations, leading a team of production and support employees to ensure safe, efficient manufacturing and the delivery of high-quality products on time and within budget.

This individual will be a hands-on, results-oriented leader who combines strong operational execution with the ability to develop people, improve processes, and build a culture of accountability.

A Lean thinker with a servant leadership mindset, the successful candidate will maintain a visible presence on the plant floor, demonstrate a strong sense of urgency, and actively engage employees in identifying and implementing improvements.

The Plant Manager must be able to prioritize competing demands, execute multiple initiatives, and establish sustainable operating practices that support the continued growth and success of the facility.

• Provide overall leadership and direction for daily manufacturing operations, ensuring alignment with company objectives.
• Lead, coach, and develop production and operations teams to achieve performance goals.
• Maintain a strong presence on the manufacturing floor, actively engaging employees and addressing operational challenges.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators across safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, and resource utilization.
• Drive operational improvements focused on efficiency, cost reduction, waste elimination, and manufacturing performance.
• Establish clear priorities, measure results, and hold team members accountable for performance.
• Support the development and execution of plant operating budgets.
• Collaborate effectively with Human Resources, Quality Assurance, R&D, Sales, Finance, and other functional partners.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, teamwork, accountability, and employee engagement.
• Oversee production activities to ensure customer requirements, production schedules, and delivery commitments are consistently met.
• Coordinate staffing, equipment, materials, and production resources to maximize operational efficiency.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives using Lean manufacturing principles and the Theory of Constraints.
• Identify and implement improvements in safety, quality, delivery, cost, equipment performance, and scrap reduction.
• Develop and maintain daily, weekly, and monthly operating reports, including performance metrics and corrective action plans.
• Partner with Human Resources to support workforce planning, staffing, training, and employee development.
• Implement process improvements and change management initiatives that strengthen operational performance and employee adoption.

• Ensure manufacturing operations comply with all applicable food safety, quality, customer, and regulatory requirements.
• Partner closely with Food Safety and Quality Assurance leadership to maintain SQF compliance and audit readiness.
• Support quality improvement initiatives, corrective actions, audit preparation, and employee training.
• Promote a culture in which food safety, product quality, and regulatory compliance are fundamental operating priorities.
• Ensure established policies, procedures, and work instructions are consistently followed.

• Oversee plant-level inventory management, material flow, warehousing, and shipping activities.
• Collaborate with appropriate departments to maintain accurate raw material, production, and finished goods inventories.
• Ensure inventory and shipment targets support…