General Manager

Position Overview We are seeking an experienced, considerate, and forward-thinking General Manager to serve as the highest-level leader at our state-of-the-art apple packing and cold storage facility. In this role, you will hold accountability for day-to-day operations, including receiving, storage, optical sorting/grading, packing lines, shipping, and food safety compliance. As our primary leader, you will balance financial acumen and operational efficiency with a people-first leadership style. You will cultivate a culture grounded in responsive action and supportive management to drive both team success and facility performance. Key Responsibilities Operational Leadership: Serve as the senior site leader, directing all daily operations. Champion a culture of safety, accountability, mutual respect, and continuous improvement. Lead with empathy and emotional intelligence, actively listening to plant personnel, line leads, supervisors, and administrative teams. Utilize ERP systems to optimize inventory, lot accounting, order fulfillment, and operational reporting. Grower Relations: Serve as the primary operational liaison to growers. Analyze fruit lots and pack-out yields to maximize net return per bin through strategic grade selection, precise sizing, and defect management. Fruit Specification and Market Alignment: Evaluate raw fruit quality, condition, pressure, and grade specifications against real-time market demands. Identify optimal sales and marketing possibilities based on fruit maturity, seasonal pricing, and supply chain timelines. Marketer and Seller Negotiation: Act as the primary contact and central negotiator between sales agents/marketers and growers. Coordinate with commercial sellers to set realistic expectations, negotiate lot placements, and align facility packing schedules with current market opportunities. P & L Oversite: Manage site P&L, annual operating budgets, labor costs, and operational expenditures.Analyze daily/weekly pack-out performance and labor metrics to drive profitability and lower unit packing costs.Evaluate and propose capital expenditures (CAPEX) for equipment upgrades, optical sorting automation, and facility enhancements. Key Competencies Emotional Intelligence and Empathy: Strong interpersonal skills with an authentic ability to understand and support team members at all levels. Supportive and Active Listener: Ability to engage with workers on the floor, gather frontline feedback, and remove operational bottlenecks. Excellent Communicator: Strong written and verbal communication skills across diverse workforces, executive teams, and external growers/vendors. Flexibility and Resilience: Agility to pivot strategies during peak harvest cycles, shifting market demand, or unexpected equipment downtime. Financial Acumen: Deep understanding of plant economics, budgeting, unit economics, labor allocation, and inventory accounting. Qualifications & Requirements Experience: 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in a similar plant manager or senior plant operations role. Fresh produce packing or food processing preferred. Software: Hands-on experience with agriculture/produce ERP and inventory management systems . Experience with Famous Software is preferred. Education: High School Diploma or equivalent required. (Proven track record of facility leadership is prioritized over education). Industry Knowledge: Familiarity with cold storage/CA management, automated sorting lines, and fresh fruit supply chains preferred. Work Environment: Ability to navigate both climate-controlled spaces and dynamic, cold-storage/packing floor environments during high-volume seasonal runs. What We Offer Highly competitive salary package including base pay and bonus opportunity. Comprehensive health, vision, and dental benefits. Retirement savings plan with company match. Paid time off. How to Apply Interested candidates should submit their resume and a brief cover letter outlining their leadership approach an…

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