Sr. Plant Director

Overview

At Ferrara, Ferrero, Fox’s Burton’s, and The Fine Biscuits Company, we’re loved by people of all generations for the joy we bring—and that joy is crafted by our people. Join us and explore a whole world to discover, where your passion will find its place.

Today, Ferrara is the #1 sugar confectioner in the U.S., with global sales in more than 40 countries. Ferrara boasts a passionate team of over 9,000 employees around the world who deliver and create hundreds of iconic and beloved products. In the U.S., more than 67 million households annually enjoy our popular brands like NERDS®, Brach’s®, Jelly Belly®, SweeTARTS®, Laffy Taffy®, and Trolli®.

In Brazil, Dori has become a household name with snacking products that include brands such as Dori, Gomets, Pettiz, and Yogurte 100. And, in France, Carambar & Co have earned generations of loyal customers through the timeless appeal of iconic candy and chocolate brands such as Carambar, Lutti, Krema, Poulain, Vichy and Terry’s. A privately held company, Ferrara Group is headquartered in Chicago.

Ferrara boasts a network of over 30 locations in North America, South America, Europe and Asia Pacific that includes manufacturing, distribution, sales, and R&D facilities.

Due to the highly interactive nature of this manufacturing position, in-person attendance and flexibility are essential for supporting production schedules, effective communication and collaboration, real-time problem solving, and participation in cross-functional initiatives. Schedules may vary and are subject to change.

The Senior Plant Director is a hands-on leadership position that manages all facility operations with overall responsibilities for team, production, maintenance, facilities, and safety. The Senior Plant Director is a critical component of the leadership team, ensuring that our plant operations deliver safe, high-quality products efficiently. We are seeking a proven leader, team player, who is focused on people development, safety, quality, efficiencies, understands TPM methodologies, has a Lean mindset, and delivers solid financial performance for the facility.

This is a challenging and rewarding opportunity for the operations professional who understands that in this role 95%+ of the plant team reports indirectly up to this leader, and that they will be ultimately responsible for total plant performance.

This position is based at the Jelly Belly Manufacturing Site in Fairfield, CA, an acquired organization now part of the Ferrara Group.

This position reports to the Vice President of Manufacturing, North America.

• Manage facility production, packaging, and storage of quality food products including food safety, quality, employee and asset safety, and operational efficiencies
• Champion continuous improvement and TPM methodologies with a Lean mindset across the facility and train/support managers and supervisors as necessary
• Oversee production planning to ensure efficient schedules are delivered that drive lowest cost and meet customer demands
• Manage daily and long-term production activities to meet or exceed budgeted production goals and drive optimum equipment efficiency and productivity
• Directly manage and develop Production, Maintenance, and Factory Supply Chain Managers, providing developmental, coaching, and mentoring opportunities
• Lead and partner with the facility leadership team to ensure the total manufacturing objectives are accomplished in a timely and cost-effective manner. Success is defined as no food safety or quality issues, zero accidents, and an overall cost-effective operation.
• Manage monthly plant reviews and management report-outs to accurately determine operational efficiency, financial performance, improvement plans, and safety
• Guide the plant floor data standardization, collection, utilization, and management to drive continuous improvement
• Implement effective systems and strategies of cost control over capital, operating expenditures, hourly wages, and salaries
• Establish and monitor overall plant performance for production and quality standards including compliance with HACCP, BRC and GMP guidelines,…