Operations Manager-Distillery

Campari Group today is a major player in the global branded spirits industry, with a portfolio of over 50 premium and super premium brands, marketed and distributed in over 190 markets around the world, with leading positions in Europe and the Americas.

Headquartered in Milan, Italy, Campari Group owns 25 plants worldwide and has its own distribution network in 26 countries, and employs approximately 4,700 people.

Shares of the parent company Davide Campari - Milano N.V. are listed on the Italian Stock Exchange since 2001. Campari Group is today the sixth-largest player worldwide in the premium spirits industry.

Greenfield opportunities like this don't come around often. Wild Turkey is expanding in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, and we're looking for an Operations Manager to own the startup end to end — from commissioning and validation to Day-1 readiness and ramp-up. You'll be the single point of operational ownership for a brand-new distillery, with high visibility across global and local stakeholders and the kind of scope most operations managers never get.

If you've been waiting for the chance to say "I started that plant up" — this is it.

The Operations Manager is accountable for the end-to-end operational readiness, commissioning, and execution of the Lawrenceburg Wild Turkey Distillery. This role serves as the single operational integrator across engineering, operations, quality, and support functions to ensure safe and compliant operations of the Distillery.

• Structured execution from commissioning governance, including system turnover, punch-list closure, and validation sign-offs, then owning the day-to-day post start-up
• Coordinate activities to ensure rapid stabilization of production in the Distillery
• Ensure all process systems meet defined performance, safety, and quality standards
• Act as the single point of operational ownership bridging engineering, production, quality, HR, and supply chain in the Distillery
• Coordinate external vendors, OEMs, and contractors to ensure readiness and system validation through day-to-day production
• Ensure SOPs, work instructions, and process documentation are complete and validated prior to startup
• Build and execute training plans, competency matrices, and onboarding for operations teams
• Validate staffing plans and organizational readiness for new capacity
• Drive rapid ramp-up to target throughput, yield, and efficiency
• Monitor startup KPIs (safety, quality, output, reliability) and lead stabilization efforts
• Identify and mitigate operational risks impacting capacity delivery
• Reduce startup risks, delays, and rework through centralized ownership and structured issue tracking
• Lead daily startup governance routines (war rooms, issue logs, escalation paths)
• Ensure compliance with safety, regulatory (TTB), and quality standards
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders (PMO, Operations, Engineering, Procurement, QRD) and external partners (e.g., Design Builder) to align project goals, timelines, and deliverables
• Escalate critical decisions through defined governance paths and ensure alignment across global and local stakeholders
• Manage daily activities/resources to ensure maximized efficiency in the Distillery
• Maintain and organize technical submittals, including engineering drawings, specifications, equipment data sheets, and validation records
• Facilitate and document meeting minutes for core project team meetings, including follow-up communications
• Ensure communication with relevant internal stakeholders on activities impacting daily operations
• Perform other duties as assigned to support project success

• Achievement of Day-1 operational readiness across people, processes, and systems
• Rapid stabilization to planned capacity and performance targets
• Closed commissioning and verification including punch list through improvement ideas
• Documented and trained operating model for sustained operations

• Local and Regional Engineering Team
• Local Site Manufacturing Team
• Local HS & Sustainability Team
• Loca…