Director, Production Optimization

This position is based in the United States and leads packaging operations and continuous-improvement initiatives across a multi-site manufacturing network.

About the role

The Director, Production Optimization is a senior operational role that owns packaging performance, LEAN deployment, production-scheduling alignment, and packaging quality outcomes. You will drive measurable improvements in throughput, yield, changeover efficiency, cost, and product quality across multiple facilities. The role combines strategic leadership with hands-on execution in a fast-paced, highly regulated manufacturing environment. You will develop leaders, strengthen daily management practices, and establish a culture of accountability and continuous improvement across the network.

Responsibilities

• Lead finished-product packaging execution across manufacturing sites and product formats, ensuring output meets specifications, labeling requirements, quality standards, and production targets.
• Establish and maintain packaging standard work, line-clearance procedures, changeover routines, and operating practices designed to improve units-per-labor-hour, throughput, and reliability without compromising safety or quality.
• Partner with Packaging Engineering, Procurement, Innovation, and New Product teams to ensure packaging components, bills of materials, specifications, equipment, and launch requirements are ready for production.
• Own packaging performance metrics, including OEE, changeover performance, material consumption, fill-weight accuracy, net-weight compliance, yield, and packaging efficiency.
• Serve as the accountable owner for flower packaging across the network, overseeing handling standards, traceability, labeling, sanitation, material readiness, changeovers, and performance improvement.
• Lead the network-wide LEAN and continuous-improvement program, embedding 5S, standard work, visual management, Gemba practices, value-stream mapping, and Kaizen methodologies into daily operations.
• Build and manage a continuous-improvement pipeline with quantified savings, clear baselines, measurable outcomes, and sustained before-and-after performance improvements.
• Coach site teams and leaders to make continuous improvement a daily operating discipline rather than a series of isolated initiatives.
• Lead production-scheduling capabilities across the network, partnering with scheduling and planning teams to build reliable, executable production plans aligned with demand and capacity.
• Align packaging capacity, staffing, materials, and production schedules across 30/60/90-day planning horizons, supporting MRP/ROP readiness and schedule-lock discipline.
• Identify and resolve conflicts between production, packaging, materials, and fulfillment before they create service, operational, or compliance risks.
• Partner with Data teams to define reporting requirements and develop dashboards that improve visibility into materials, capacity, demand, scheduling, and operational performance.
• Collaborate with Quality and Compliance teams to strengthen quality-at-the-source practices and ensure adherence to batch production records, SOPs, GMP requirements, and CAPA processes.
• Oversee packaging label-printing operations, ensuring printer uptime, print quality, label accuracy, traceability, and compliance while preventing mislabeling events.
• Use quality and production data to identify recurring defects and translate findings into corrective actions and continuous-improvement initiatives.
• Support equipment qualification activities, including IQ, OQ, and PQ, in partnership with Technical Engineering teams.
• Lead cross-functional production and packaging projects, maintaining visibility into owners, milestones, risks, dependencies, and expected outcomes.
• Partner with project resources to maintain a reliable portfolio of improvement initiatives and ensure projects progress from concept through implementation and sustained results.
• Communicate operational priorities, project updates, and process changes consistently across sites using established communication channels.
• Lead, coach, and develop packaging leadership and process-improvement teams while establishing clear expectations and strengthening capabilities.
• Foster a culture centered on safety, quality, accountability, operational excellence, and continuous improvement across a distributed manufacturing organization.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Supply Chain, or a related discipline, or equivalent hands-on manufacturing experience.
• At least 4 years of progressive manufacturing operations experience, with demonstrated ownership of packaging and/or high-volume production environments.
• Proven experience leading LEAN or continuous-improvement transformations with measurable and sustained improvements in OEE, changeover time, scrap, throughput, yield, or related operational metrics.
• Working knowledge of production scheduling, MRP/MPS, and S&OP within regulated, high-mix, or complex manufacturing environments.
• Familiarity with Batch Production Records, SOPs, GMP requirements, CAPA processes, and quality-at-the-source principles.
• Strong experience with ERP/MRP systems, particularly Microsoft Dynamics 365 or comparable platforms, as well as project-tracking tools; experience with reporting and BI platforms is an advantage.
• Strong operational judgment and analytical ability, with the capacity to translate production data into actionable improvements and measurable business outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and influence stakeholders across engineering, quality, supply chain, procurement, planning, data, and site operations.
• Strong project-management, communication, prioritization, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage multiple initiatives across a complex network.
• Proven people-leadership experience, including the ability to coach leaders, develop teams, establish accountability, and build a high-performance culture.
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, highly regulated environment while maintaining strong attention to detail and operational discipline.
• LEAN or Six Sigma certification at the Green Belt level or higher is preferred.
• Multi-site or multi-state manufacturing leadership experience is preferred.
• Experience with packaging automation, equipment qualification, and daily-management systems is preferred.
• Experience in regulated cannabis manufacturing, including exposure to METRC, BarTender, QualityOne, or Veeva Vault, is an advantage.
• Must be at least 21 years of age and able to meet all applicable industry and state requirements.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license and successfully complete required background checks.
• Must remain compliant with all applicable legal, regulatory, and industry requirements for employment.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary of $160,000-$185,000 USD, with final compensation based on experience, qualifications, and/or location.
• Eligibility for a discretionary annual incentive program based on organizational and individual performance.
• Remote work opportunity within the United States.
• Comprehensive benefits and a competitive total rewards package.
• Opportunities to lead high-impact operational transformation across a multi-site manufacturing network.
• Professional growth and leadership-development opportunities within a continuous-improvement-focused environment.
• A collaborative culture emphasizing safety, quality, accountability, innovation, and operational excellence.
• Opportunity to influence packaging, production planning, quality, and manufacturing performance at a network-wide level.

Employment is subject to applicable background checks, state requirements, and industry-specific eligibility standards. Candidates should be aware that cannabis remains illegal under U.S. federal law, and employment in the industry may have immigration-related implications for certain individuals.