Director of Plant Operations

Bilingual English - Spanish mandatory. Do not apply if you are not fluent in Spanish.

food and beverage or pet food manufacturing.

Our client is a well-established international food manufacturing company with a strong global presence and a rapidly growing footprint in the United States. The organization combines an entrepreneurial mindset with a fast-paced, highly operational environment focused on quality, innovation, and continuous improvement.

This is not a traditional corporate structure.
Leadership is deeply involved in day-to-day operations
, priorities may shift quickly, and successful individuals are those who thrive in ambiguity while maintaining strong ownership, accountability, and operational discipline.

The company strongly values:

• Stability and long-term commitment
• Adaptability and flexibility
• Initiative and ownership mentality
• Direct communication and transparency
• Humility and hands-on leadership style

We are seeking a highly operational and hands-on Director
of Plant Operations to lead multiple manufacturing operations and oversee the full production organization within a complex food manufacturing environment.

This role is responsible for driving operational excellence across production, safety, quality, efficiency, continuous improvement, and organizational development
.

The Plant director will serve as a key operational leader, ensuring alignment between manufacturing operations and overall business objectives while maintaining a strong

presence on the production floor.

This is a highly visible leadership role requiring both strategic thinking and daily operational execution.

• Lead day-to-day operations across 3 manufacturing facilities within a fast-paced food production environment
• Maintain a highly visible presence on the production floor and actively support daily operational execution
• Provide leadership, coaching, and mentorship to production leadership teams
• Ensure production schedules are executed safely, efficiently, and in alignment with business needs
• Drive accountability and operational discipline across all levels of manufacturing operations
• Support organizational development and succession planning within the operations team

• Lead and promote Continuous Improvement initiatives focused on productivity, efficiency, waste reduction, and operational performance
• Drive Lean Manufacturing, Operational Excellence, TPM, RCA, CAPA, and CI methodologies throughout the organization
• Analyze operational processes and identify opportunities for optimization across production lines and manufacturing systems
• Establish and monitor operational KPIs, implementing corrective actions when necessary
• Support implementation of operational improvements, process standardization, and efficiency initiatives

• Champion a culture of safety, quality, accountability, and operational ownership
• Ensure compliance with OSHA, FDA, USDA, GMP, HACCP, and internal food safety standards
• Partner closely with Quality, Sanitation, Maintenance, and Engineering teams to support operational excellence
• Lead operational response and follow-up related to safety, quality, and compliance issues
• Ensure manufacturing operations consistently meet quality standards and customer expectations

• Manage plant operating budgets and support capital expenditure planning
• Participate in long-range operational planning and future manufacturing expansion initiatives
• Drive cost reduction initiatives while maintaining operational performance and product quality
• Support operational strategies focused on profitability, efficiency, and sustainable growth