Director of Operations

Director of Operations Food Manufacturing | Reports to: President / COO Full-Time, On-Site About the Role: We are a growth stage food manufacturing company based in Northeast Ohio. We currently produce multiple innovative, product lines that are the taste, quality and nutrition leaders in their categories. We put our employees and customers first in everything we do, including feeding the world as we feed our own families. This position is a lifetime opportunity to grow with us as a part of our rapid expansion, both people and products, while challenging yourself and the world to realize our vision that busy people deserve better. This position reports to the President, COO. Key Responsibilities 1. Safety Maintain a zero-incident mindset and lead the facility’s safety culture. Ensure compliance with OSHA and company safety requirements. Establish measurable safety objectives and accountability throughout the organization. Lead investigations of accidents, near misses, and safety incidents. Ensure corrective actions are implemented and sustained. Promote employee engagement in safety programs. 2. Production & Operations Own daily plant performance and production results. Ensure production schedules are achieved while meeting quality and customer requirements. Optimize labor, equipment, materials, and production capacity. Establish appropriate production standards, KPIs, and accountability. Identify and eliminate production constraints and bottlenecks. Drive improvements in throughput, yield, labor efficiency, and overall equipment effectiveness. Maintain appropriate staffing levels and operating schedules. 3. Quality & Food Safety Maintain the highest standards of food safety and product quality. Ensure compliance with FDA, USDA where applicable, HACCP, GMP, SQF/BRCGS, and customer requirements. Partner with the Quality/Food Safety team to maintain audit readiness. Ensure root-cause analysis and corrective actions are completed effectively. Establish a culture where food safety and quality are everyone’s responsibility. 4. Financial & Cost Management Have full accountability for the plant’s operating budget. Manage labor, overtime, scrap, utilities, supplies, and other operating expenses. Develop and execute annual operating budgets and capital plans. Track plant financial performance against budget. Identify and execute cost-reduction opportunities without compromising safety, quality, or customer service. Improve manufacturing cost per unit and overall plant profitability. Partner with Finance to understand and improve plant financial performance. 5. Maintenance & Reliability Ensure the reliability and availability of critical production equipment. Partner with the maintenance department to build preventive and predictive maintenance programs. Prioritize capital expenditures based on safety, reliability, capacity, and financial return. Develop long-term asset replacement and capital plans. 6. Sanitation Ensure effective sanitation programs and compliance with food safety standards. Maintain sanitary conditions throughout production and support areas. Optimize sanitation labor, chemical usage, downtime, and effectiveness. Partner with Quality to address recurring sanitation issues. 7. Warehouse & Materials Oversee efficient movement and storage of raw materials, packaging, work-in-process, and finished goods. Maintain inventory accuracy and appropriate inventory levels. Improve warehouse utilization and material flow. Ensure FIFO practices where applicable. Partner with Supply Chain and Procurement to address material availability and production requirements. 8. People Leadership Lead, develop, and retain a high-performing plant leadership team. Establish clear expectations and accountability at every level. Develop supervisors and managers through coaching, mentoring, and formal development plans. Build succession plans for key plant positions. Improve employee engagement and retention. Maintain positive emp…

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