Plant Operations Manager
Job Description
Job Description
About Our Partner:
Our partner is a high-capacity frozen potato processing facility specializing in the production of frozen French fry products. The operation is built around efficiency, food safety, and continuous improvement, with a strong focus on sustainability, operational excellence, and long-term growth. Located in Idaho, the plant plays a critical role in delivering consistent, high-quality products to customers across the market.
What Our Partner Offers:
Executive Leadership Opportunity: Step into a senior leadership role with full ownership of plant operations and direct influence over strategy, performance, and long-term growth.
Well-Resourced Operation: Lead a large-scale frozen food processing facility with strong executive support and ongoing capital investment opportunities.
Competitive Compensation: Annual base salary with an incentive and/or bonus program, plus a comprehensive benefits package.
Comprehensive Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) with company match.
Stability & Long-Term Growth: Join a stable organization focused on continuous improvement, operational scalability, and future expansion.
How You’ll Contribute to Our Partner’s Success:
As the Operations Manager, you will provide strategic direction and hands-on leadership across all plant functions. You will be responsible for aligning daily operations with long-term business objectives, driving efficiency, ensuring regulatory compliance, and developing a strong leadership bench within the plant. Your impact will be felt across production, quality, safety, financial performance, and customer satisfaction.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide strategic leadership for the plant by developing and executing operational plans aligned with corporate objectives, market demand, and long-term growth initiatives.
- Lead long-range planning for production capacity, capital investments, and facility improvements while identifying opportunities for product innovation and operational efficiency.
- Oversee all plant functions including production, maintenance, engineering, quality assurance, safety, and logistics to ensure seamless, high-performing operations.
- Ensure consistent, high-quality production of frozen French fry products through standardized SOPs, KPI monitoring, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Drive operational efficiency by reducing waste, optimizing raw material usage (potatoes, oils, packaging), and implementing corrective actions based on daily performance metrics.
- Develop and manage annual budgets, forecasts, and performance targets while analyzing operating costs and implementing cost-saving initiatives without compromising food safety or quality.
- Present capital improvement plans and ROI analyses for equipment upgrades and infrastructure investments.
- Ensure full compliance with USDA, FDA, HACCP, OSHA, and GMP regulations while maintaining customer-specific quality standards.
- Lead quality systems, continuous improvement programs, and successfully support third-party audits, certifications, and regulatory inspections.
- Build, mentor, and develop department managers and future plant leaders through hiring, performance management, and training initiatives.
- Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork, safety, and continuous improvement across all levels of the organization.
- Champion workplace safety and environmental stewardship by reducing incidents, ensuring regulatory compliance, and leading sustainability initiatives related to waste, water, and energy usage.
- Serve as a key liaison to corporate leadership, growers, suppliers, distributors, customers, and regulatory bodies, representing the plant during audits, customer visits, and community engagement.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Food Science, Agriculture, or related field (Master's preferred)
- 10+ years of senior leadership experience in food manufacturing or processing
- Strong understanding of food safety systems, manufacturing equipment, and plant operations
- Proven experience leading large teams and managing multimillion-dollar budgets
- Experience in potato processing or frozen food manufacturing
- Background in Lean Manufacturing and/or Six Sigma