Manufacturing Director (East) - Beverage Manufacturing

Lassonde Pappas & Co. is a US leader in beverage manufacturing dedicated to our team members, customers, and consumer satisfaction. We remain committed to our small-town roots and rural values. Since 1942, we’ve been producing delicious products for our customers across the country. We focus on building the best team by creating and advancing an inclusive environment amongst our diverse workforces.

About the Role

The Director, Manufacturing is a key leadership role responsible for overseeing multiple manufacturing facilities across the United States: Hendersonville, NC; Seabrook, NJ; Sparta, MI. Reporting to the Vice President, Manufacturing, this position serves as the critical link between corporate manufacturing strategy and plant-level execution. This role is accountable for driving operational excellence, ensuring alignment of plant performance with company objectives, and leading plant leadership teams to achieve safety, quality, service, and cost targets. The Director, Manufacturing will champion a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration while standardizing best practices across facilities and supporting the development of future operational leaders. Up to 50% travel required throughout the year.

Responsibilities

• Strategic & Operational Leadership
  • Translate corporate manufacturing strategy into actionable plans across assigned plants, ensuring alignment with business goals
  • Drive consistent execution of operational priorities related to safety, quality, delivery, and cost performance across all sites
  • Partner with the VP, Manufacturing to support long-term capacity planning, capital deployment, and network optimization
  • Ensure operational consistency through standardization of processes, KPIs, and best practices across facilities
• Plant Performance & Accountability
  • Oversee performance of multiple plants, ensuring achievement of KPIs including OEE, cost per unit, service levels, and first-run quality
  • Review plant-level financials, budgets, and forecasts; drive accountability for meeting P&L commitments
  • Identify gaps in performance and lead cross-site problem-solving and corrective action plans
  • Monitor capacity utilization and workforce planning to meet current and future demand
• Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence
  • Champion Lean Manufacturing, TPM, and continuous improvement initiatives across all facilities
  • Drive cost reduction, waste elimination, and productivity improvements
  • Facilitate benchmarking and sharing of best practices between plants
  • Support capital project prioritization and execution to improve efficiency and throughput
• Safety, Quality & Compliance
  • Ensure all facilities maintain compliance with OSHA, food safety (SQF, HACCP, FSMA), and regulatory requirements
  • Promote a strong safety culture and lead initiatives to reduce incidents (OIR/LTIR)
  • Ensure product quality standards are consistently achieved and sustained across all plants
  • Reinforce a culture of accountability for food safety and product integrity
• Leadership & Talent Development
  • Lead, coach, and develop Plant Managers to strengthen leadership capabilities and build a strong succession pipeline
  • Partner with HR and senior leadership to drive talent development, engagement, and retention strategies
  • Promote alignment and collaboration across plant leadership teams
  • Foster a high-performance, results-oriented culture across sites
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Act as a key liaison between plants and corporate functions (Supply Chain, Quality, Engineering, Finance, HR)
  • Ensure alignment between plant operations and broader organizational priorities
  • Support customer satisfaction and service excellence through strong execution
• Additional Responsibilities
  • Provide regular updates to VP, Manufacturing on plant performance, risks, and opportunities
  • Support special projects, transformation initiatives, and network expansion activities
  • Perform other duties as assigned
• Supervisory Responsibilities
  • Directly manage Plant Managers across multiple facilities
  • Coach and develop leaders to drive performance and engagement
  • Ensure alignment of goals, objectives, and performance expectations across sites
  • Support hiring, performance management, and succession planning efforts

Requirements

• Minimum Required Qualifications
  • Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Food Science, Operations, or related field
  • 10–15 years of progressive manufacturing experience in food, beverage, or CPG environments
  • 5+ years of leadership experience managing multiple sites or large-scale operations
  • Strong background in Lean Manufacturing, continuous improvement, and operational excellence
  • Proven ability to lead and influence teams across multiple locations
  • Strong financial acumen with experience managing budgets and P&L performance
• Preferred Qualifications
  • MBA or advanced degree in a related field
  • Experience in multi-site manufacturing network optimization
  • Background in high-speed food or beverage manufacturing
  • Experience with capital project management and large-scale operational transformations
  • Demonstrated success leading change in complex, fast-paced environments

Physical Requirements & Working Conditions

This position requires sufficient physical ability to work in a typical office setting; driving a motor vehicle and occasionally working in the field.

• Frequent: sitting, upward and downward flexion of neck; fine finger dexterity and light to moderate finger pressure to include extended periods of keyboard and mouse use, side-to-side turning of neck, walking, standing, bending and stooping, pushing/pulling, twisting at waist, moderate wrist torque to twist equipment knobs and dials.
• Occasional: squatting, kneeling, reach above and at shoulder height, moderate grasp to manipulate reference books and manuals; lifting objects weighing 20–35 lbs. from below waist to above shoulders and transporting distances up to 50 feet.
• Vision: Ability to see in the normal visual range with or without correction.
• Hearing: Ability to hear in the normal audio range with or without correction.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage options
• 401-K
• Life & Disability Insurance
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Health Fairs
• Gym Membership Discounts
• Growth and development potential