Plant Manager

A leading food manufacturing organization is seeking an accomplished Plant Operations Manager to provide strategic and operational leadership for a large-scale production facility in the Mid-Atlantic region. This senior leadership role is responsible for overseeing all major plant functions, including production, maintenance, quality assurance, supply chain, and engineering.

The Plant Manager is accountable for achieving key business objectives related to safety, food quality, productivity, cost control, environmental compliance, and employee development. This position serves as the critical link between site operations and executive leadership, while fostering a high-performance culture focused on operational excellence and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and develop superintendents, supervisors, and support personnel across multiple departments.
• Drive workforce planning, succession strategies, and talent acquisition initiatives to build a strong leadership pipeline.
• Promote a culture of accountability, inclusion, and employee engagement.
• Implement coaching and development programs to improve performance and retention.

• Provide strategic oversight of daily manufacturing operations to meet production schedules, customer requirements, and quality standards.
• Optimize labor, materials, and equipment utilization to maximize efficiency and control costs.
• Coordinate with maintenance and engineering teams to ensure equipment reliability and minimal downtime.
• Direct cross-functional collaboration to achieve plant-wide objectives.

• Establish and reinforce a proactive safety culture across all departments.
• Ensure compliance with occupational safety, food safety, and environmental regulations.
• Lead audits, inspections, and risk mitigation initiatives to reduce incidents and strengthen compliance.

• Ensure adherence to HACCP, GMPs, sanitation programs, and internal quality standards.
• Lead quality assurance efforts to maintain product integrity and exceed customer expectations.
• Implement preventive measures to reduce waste, improve product consistency, and minimize recall risk.

• Oversee compliance with air, water, waste, and hazardous materials regulations.
• Partner with corporate sustainability teams to support environmental goals and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Champion lean manufacturing and Six Sigma methodologies to improve productivity and reduce costs.
• Analyze performance metrics and lead corrective actions to drive measurable results.
• Execute strategic initiatives and cost-saving programs across all departments.

• Ensure timely and accurate reporting of plant performance metrics, including production, quality, safety, and financial results.
• Present operational insights and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Serve as the primary liaison between plant operations and corporate management.