Manager, Plant Operations - Brooklyn Culinary Center

Manager, Plant Operations - Brooklyn Culinary Center

#16862

brooklyn, New York, United States

16862

Brooklyn

SUMMARY

The Manager, Plant Operations is responsible for the overall leadership, performance, and operational excellence of the Brooklyn food manufacturing, warehousing, and packaging facility, overseeing all areas of production and warehousing operations while ensuring compliance with food safety, quality, regulatory, and safety standards. This role drives productivity, cost efficiency, continuous improvement, and employee engagement to ensure the facility consistently meets customer demand, quality expectations, and operational goals.

The Manager, Plant Operations partners closely with corporate leadership on strategic and financial initiatives that support long-term operational excellence.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND DUTIES

Operational Leadership & Performance Management

• Leads and manages all plant operations including production, warehouse, safety, sanitation, quality, and logistics; oversees daily production scheduling, capacity planning, and workforce management to meet customer demand and service levels.
• Ensures efficient flow of raw materials, finished goods, and inventory through production and warehouse operations; develops, refines, and monitors key performance indicators (KPIs) related to production output, labor efficiency, downtime, waste, and on-time delivery.
• Drives continuous improvement initiatives using Lean, Six Sigma, or similar methodologies.

Food Safety, Quality & Compliance

• Ensures strict compliance with all food safety and quality systems including HACCP, GMPs, and regulatory requirements; maintains readiness for internal and external audits (FDA, USDA, customer audits, third-party certifications).
• Partners with Quality Assurance leadership to ensure product safety, traceability, and regulatory compliance; leads root cause analysis and corrective actions for quality or food safety issues.
• Ensures a safe working environment by maintaining compliance with OSHA and company safety standards; leads safety initiatives to reduce incidents and improve safety culture, and ensures all equipment and facilities are maintained and operating safely.
• Leads, coaches, and develops a leadership team that may include production managers, warehouse managers, maintenance managers, quality leaders, and supervisors; fosters a culture of accountability, teamwork, safety, and continuous improvement.
• Manages workforce planning, hiring, training, and performance management; promotes employee engagement and retention through strong leadership and communication.
• Builds bench strength and succession planning for key facility roles.

Warehouse, Cold Chain & Maintenance Operations

• Oversees frozen storage and warehousing operations to maintain product integrity and cold chain compliance; ensures proper inventory management, rotation (FIFO/FEFO), and storage conditions; coordinates inbound raw materials and outbound finished goods logistics.
• Oversees preventive maintenance programs for production equipment, refrigeration systems, and facility infrastructure; ensures minimal downtime through proactive maintenance and rapid response to equipment issues, and supports reliability engineering and equipment performance improvements.

Financial & Strategic Management

• Develops and manages plant operating budgets including labor, maintenance, utilities, and capital expenditures; identifies cost reduction opportunities while maintaining quality and service.
• Partners with supply chain, finance, and corporate leadership on strategic initiatives; leads capital improvement projects and facility upgrades.

This role offers a salary range of $125,000 – $150,000 annually, based on skills, experience, and location. Employees also receive a comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision, 401(k) with company match, and time off.

• Employees also receive a comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision, 401(k) with company match, and time off.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Food Science,…