Operations Excellence Manager (Food & Beverage Manufacturing)

WHO WE ARE

Baldwin Richardson Foods is focused on enriching the flavor of life. As a full-service liquid products supplier and strategic partner to the food and beverage industry, Baldwin Richardson Foods combines its formulation expertise and unique packaging options with robust processing capabilities to produce high-quality sauces, toppings, syrups, fillings, and shelf-stable beverages for the world's most iconic Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs), Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) brands, and food service companies. Its state-of-the-art Innovation & Culinary Center transforms trends and culinary inspiration into legendary products through an award-winning commercialization process. The company also manufactures and markets Mrs. Richardson's dessert sauces and Nance's mustards/condiments in addition to producing finished goods for the private label sector. BRF maintains its headquarters and a manufacturing facility in Macedon, New York; with a Culinary Innovation Center in Westmont, Illinois; and offices and manufacturing facilities in Williamson, New York; Pennsauken, New Jersey; and Corona, California. This role will be out of Pennsauken, NJ.

WHAT WE NEED

The Site Operational Excellence Manager serves as the primary leader for the deployment, sustainment, and evolution of the Go For The Win (GFTW) operating system across the site. This role is responsible for building and embedding a culture of total employee ownership, continuous improvement, and loss elimination that drives operational excellence in safety, quality, productivity, cost, morale, and capability.

While reporting directly to the Director of Operational Excellence (Enterprise), this individual works as a strategic partner to the Plant Leadership Team, ensuring that GFTW principles and systems are fully integrated into the site’s business strategy, organizational priorities, and performance management processes. The role plays a key part in developing and executing the site’s Compelling Business Need (CBN) and annual goal-setting process, ensuring alignment between long-term strategy and daily execution.

On a day-to-day basis, the Operational Excellence Manager collaborates closely with leaders, department managers, and front-line teams to identify and eliminate losses, strengthen work systems, and enable sustainable improvement. This includes coaching teams to use GFTW tools effectively, facilitating manufacturing performance reviews, supporting problem-solving and capability-building sessions, and ensuring that progress is visible, measurable, and linked to business outcomes.

In addition to leading cross-functional improvement initiatives, the role acts as the site’s primary integrator of GFTW practices, ensuring that every pillar—Leadership, Autonomous Maintenance, Progressive Maintenance, Loss Elimination, Learning & Development, Safety, and Quality—works cohesively to deliver consistent performance and engagement across the entire operation.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

GFTW Deployment and Maturity Progression

• Lead the site’s GFTW roadmap and maturity journey, ensuring sustainable progress across all pillars
• Develop and execute the site’s GFTW Yearly Master Plan and Quarterly Detailed Work Plan to deliver breakthrough performance in cost, reliability, and capability.
• Facilitate GFTW reviews and audits to assess progress and identify improvement opportunities.

Leadership Pillar Partnership

• Partner with the Site Leadership Team to support the Leadership Pillar within GFTW, ensuring strong alignment between operational excellence systems and business direction.
• Establish and continuously communicate the site’s Compelling Business Need (CBN) — the shared purpose that connects site objectives to organizational goals and motivates engagement at all levels.
• Facilitate annual goal setting processes to translate the CBN into clear, measurable site objectives and tiered GFTW targets (safety, quality, productivity, cost, and capability).
• Partner with functional leaders to ensure each department develops aligned action plans that support the site’s strategic objectives and loss elimination priorities.
• Enable line-of-sight for all employees, ensuring every team understands how their work contributes to achieving the site’s goals and business outcomes.
• Lead structured reviews and performance discussions to track progress, celebrate wins, and adjust plans as needed to stay on track toward site and GFTW maturity targets.
• Build leadership capability across the site to sustain GFTW systems, foster accountability, and model the behaviors of a winning culture.

Loss Elimination

• Drive a zero-loss mindset throughout the site by leading systemic loss analysis and prioritization.
• Ensure that loss elimination is embedded into daily work systems and decision-making.
• Coach pillar leaders and teams in using GFTW tools to identify, analyze, and eliminate chronic losses.

Capability Building

• Build technical mastery in GFTW methodologies across all organizational levels.
• Design and deliver training programs to develop the next generation of GFTW leaders and practitioners.
• Coach line teams on the use of standard work, problem-solving methods, and performance management systems.

Leadership & Culture

• Champion a culture of empowerment, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Engage all employees in the GFTW journey through visible leadership, communication, and recognition programs.
• Act as a thought leader and change agent, modeling desired behaviors and mindsets consistent with GFTW principles.

Performance Management

• Partner with site leadership to integrate GFTW with the site’s business strategy and performance systems.
• Track, analyze, and communicate key performance indicators (KPIs) for productivity, quality, safety, and delivery.
• Ensure continuous improvement activities are prioritized to meet business objectives and customer expectations.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL 

• Bachelor’s degree required; Engineering, Science, or Business degrees preferred
• Five (5) years of professional experience in manufacturing.
• Three (3) years of successful experience leading teams through indirect reporting relationships.
• Experience leading operational changes across large-scale organizations (50+ team members) through coaching, engagement, and accountability. 
• Proven experience leading and successfully executing continuous improvement activities in a production/manufacturing setting.
• Prior experience using statistical analysis software such as Minitab or similar tools for data analysis, statistical modeling, and process improvement.
• Experience in food and beverage manufacturing equipment maintenance a plus; high speed manufacturing.

 At BRF, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. Your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.

You’ll also receive a comprehensive benefits package including a low premium and out of pocket cost medical, dental and vision coverage, 401k with company match, generous sick and vacation time, 9 paid holidays, birthday and floating holidays, volunteer time and more!

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