Plant Manager

Please, apply only if you have experience in the food manufacturing industry.

Our client is a growing food manufacturing organization serving major retail, food service, and consumer markets across North America. The company operates in a fast‑paced, highly operational environment and is committed to quality, continuous improvement, and sustainable growth.

We are seeking a Plant Manager to lead all manufacturing operations within a food production environment.

This individual will be responsible for overseeing daily plant operations while driving improvements in production planning, supply chain coordination, workforce development, operational efficiency, and overall plant performance. The role requires a strong balance of strategic leadership and day‑to‑day execution, with a significant presence on the production floor.

• Lead day‑to‑day manufacturing operations, ensuring safe, efficient, and reliable production performance.
• Maintain a visible and hands‑on presence throughout the facility.
• Provide leadership, coaching, and development to production teams and frontline leaders.
• Ensure production schedules are executed effectively while meeting quality, service, and cost objectives.
• Drive accountability, operational discipline, and performance across all operational functions.
• Support workforce planning, talent development, and succession planning initiatives.
• Foster a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement throughout the organization.

• Partner closely with Supply Chain, Procurement, Planning, and Customer Service teams to ensure effective production execution.
• Drive improvements in forecasting, production scheduling, inventory management, and capacity planning.
• Develop structured planning processes that improve efficiency, customer service levels, and operational performance.
• Ensure alignment between customer demand, production capacity, labor planning, inventory requirements, and material availability.
• Support a proactive planning culture focused on anticipating operational needs and minimizing reactive decision‑making.
• Monitor operational performance and adjust priorities to support business objectives and customer expectations.

• Lead Continuous Improvement initiatives focused on productivity, efficiency, waste reduction, throughput, and overall plant performance.
• Analyze manufacturing processes and identify opportunities for optimization across production lines and support functions.
• Establish and monitor key operational KPIs and implement corrective actions when necessary.
• Support process standardization and implementation of best practices throughout the operation.

• Champion a culture of safety, quality, accountability, and operational ownership.
• Ensure compliance with FDA, USDA, HACCP, and all applicable food safety and regulatory requirements.
• Partner closely with Supply chain, Quality, Sanitation, Engineering, and Maintenance teams to support operational excellence.
• Lead operational responses to quality, food safety, and compliance‑related issues.
• Support audit readiness and successful interactions with regulatory agencies and customers.
• Ensure manufacturing operations consistently meet quality standards and customer expectations.

• Drive cost reduction and productivity improvement initiatives while maintaining operational performance and product quality.
• Support long‑range operational planning, capacity improvements, and future growth initiatives.

• 5-7 years of progressive leadership experience within food, beverage, protein, dairy, bakery, prepared foods, or consumer packaged goods manufacturing environments.
• Proven experience managing manufacturing operations in a fast‑paced production environment.
• Strong background in production planning, scheduling, forecasting, inventory management, and supply chain coordination.
• Experience developing teams, building organizational structure, and driving accountability.
• Strong understanding of FDA, USDA, HACCP, and food manufacturing regulatory requirements.
• Experience managing plant budgets, operational metrics, and performance improvement programs.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, Business, Food Science, or a related discipline preferred.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and manufacturing‑related systems.