VP of Plant Operations

Summary: The Vice President of Plant Operations leads Operations, Maintenance, Supply Chain Management and Launch Change Management (LCM) at Saturn Petcare's Terre Haute facility, a site of approximately 280 employees, and reports directly to the Chief Operating Officer. The role carries full KPI and financial result responsibility for these four departments: it sets the operational targets, ensures they are delivered and develops a high performance leadership team. Building on the site's existing foundation, the role elevates overall operational performance through continuous improvement, data and AI. Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned: Safety and product quality. Partner with EHS and Quality to uphold safety, food safety and quality standards across the four departments and ensure risks and corrective actions are addressed promptly. Operational performance. Set annual and monthly targets for Operations, Maintenance, Supply Chain and LCM, aligned with the plant roadmap, budget and mid term plan (MTP). Ensure targets for output, OEE, scrap, downtime, labor productivity, service, inventory and unit costs are met, using weekly and monthly business reviews to close gaps. Financial management. Full financial result responsibility for the four departments, including budgets, workforce plans and manufacturing costs. Partner with Finance on budgets, forecasts and the MTP, and deliver validated, sustainable productivity savings. Leadership and organizational capability. Develop a high performance leadership team, building on the strengths already in place. Coach leaders, set clear expectations and address performance gaps. Partner with HR on talent reviews and succession, and strengthen frontline leadership and engagement. Asset reliability. Improve preventive and predictive maintenance, planning and asset care. Align production and maintenance priorities to increase equipment availability and reduce unplanned downtime. Continuous improvement. Elevate operations beyond today's level using Lean, TPM, Six Sigma and structured problem solving. Engage employees and sustain measurable improvements through standard work, training and clear ownership. Digital tools and analytics. Apply automation, analytics and AI to improve planning, reliability and decision making. Pilot and scale solutions with appropriate data controls and measurable benefits. Cross functional leadership. Set priorities for Operations, Maintenance, Supply Chain and LCM within approved plans, budgets and delegated authority. Align shared priorities with functional leaders, respecting their technical responsibilities. Coordinate new products, capital projects and business continuity, and escalate decisions beyond delegated authority to the COO. Executive reporting. Report performance, forecasts, risks, recovery actions and progress against site priorities to the executive leadership team. Provide clear recommendations and identify decisions requiring support. Supervisory Responsibilities: Directly supervises the heads of Operations, Maintenance, Supply Chain and LCM, and indirectly their teams. Leads hiring, performance management, development and succession with HR; aligns priorities with functional leaders outside the reporting line. Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Education and Experience: Required: Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Supply Chain or a related discipline. At least 10 years of manufacturing leadership experience, including five years leading a plant or multiple operational functions. Experience leading Operations, Maintenance and Supply Chain and developing leadership teams; exper…

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