Food Manufacturing Assistant Plant Manager

Overview: This position will support the Plant Manager by overseeing daytoday operations leading crossfunctional teams and ensuring operational excellence across production maintenance scheduling purchasing and warehouse. The role is instrumental in driving continuous improvement maintaining regulatory compliance and cultivating a culture of safety quality and high performance.

• Essential Job Duties
• Spends at least 75 of time on the plant floor.
• Lead and support daily plant operations to meet or exceed production quality and safety goals.
• Supervise functional areas including production scheduling maintenance purchasing and warehouse logistics.
• Serve as acting Plant Manager in their absence to ensure continuity in operations.
• Oversee and optimize daily performance using KPIs for safety quality cost and delivery.
• Drive and implement continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure plantwide compliance with all regulatory agencies (OSHA FDA USDA GMP HACCP SQF).
• Manage product recalls and coordinate the recall process in case of food safety issues.
• Oversee the sanitation practices in the plant to meet food safety and health standards.
• Conduct audits of all material suppliers to ensure compliance with food safety and quality standards.
• Collaborate with crossfunctional departments to support customer requirements and production goals.
• Troubleshoot production issues related to process flow line efficiency waste and quality.
• Oversee inventory control and ensure proper stocking levels to meet production demands.
• Lead and develop plant leadership team; coach and mentor direct reports.
• Support plant budget capital projects and costcontrol strategies.
• Promote a culture of safety accountability and high performance throughout the facility.
• Provides training and motivation to team members using recognition positive feedback and other rewards with appropriate discretion in a continuous improvement environment.
• Model personal leadership capabilities for growth and will demonstrate a focus on talent development and upskilling of the team to ensure succession and leadership engagement.
• Follows all health and safety standards and enforces use of PPE.

  Competencies & Skill Requirements

  • Proven leadership and team development skills in a fastpaced manufacturing setting.
  • Strong analytical skills; ability to interpret KPIs and take datadriven action.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication across all organizational levels.
  • Ability to lead change implement process improvements and build team alignment.
  • Advanced problemsolving skills; quick thinking in highpressure situations.
  • Strong working knowledge of safety regulatory and quality systems (OSHA GMP HACCP SQF).
  • Strong conflict resolution skills especially for addressing employee grievances or operational conflicts within the production team.
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel Word PowerPoint)
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines with a sense of urgency.
  • Handson leadership style with a strong floor presence and approachability.
  • High attention to detail professionalism and integrity.
  • Strong analytical skills; I.E. ability to analyze detailed data to make informed decisions.
  • Proficient in Enterprise Resource Production (ERP) systems for manufacturing production.
  • Experience managing budgets cost analysis and implementing costsaving initiatives without compromising safety or quality.

    Qualifications & Experience

    • Bachelors Degree in Manufacturing Business or Engineering
    • A Minimum of five 5 years experience in a production management environment with over $20M in sales and 200 or more employees.
    • A minimum of three 3 years in a food manufacturing leadership role.
    • Experience working in a food manufacturing environment applying common processes procedures and equipment.
    • 3 years or more experience applying and enforcing routine Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) in a food environment.
    • Familiarity with regulatory requirements for food manufacturing plants.

    Preferred Qualifications:

    • Good understanding of all continuous improvement production techniques.
    • Experience with SQF HACCP GMP SDS Process Improvement and GFSI
    • Aptitude for equipment operations and troubleshooting.
    Ability to communicate in Spanish or Vietnamese preferred

    Work Environment

    Must be able to stand walk kneel and bend for extended periods of time.

    Must be able to work in warm cold and freezing temperatures for long periods of time.

    Occasionally required to balance or climb.

    Frequently lift and/or move up to 50 pounds