Manufacturing Operations Manager

About the role

A growing food and beverage manufacturer is seeking an experienced Manufacturing Operations Manager to oversee production teams, daily plant operations, and continuous-improvement initiatives. This is a hands-on leadership position responsible for ensuring products are manufactured safely, efficiently, on schedule, and in accordance with established quality and food-safety standards.

Responsibilities

• Direct the daily activities of production supervisors and plant employees.
• Plan staffing, workloads, and production schedules based on customer demand.
• Track productivity, labor, quality, safety, waste, downtime, and operating costs.
• Resolve production issues and communicate significant concerns to plant leadership.
• Create, update, and enforce SOPs and standardized work procedures.
• Identify opportunities to improve workflow, reduce costs, and increase production efficiency.
• Ensure compliance with GMP, sanitation, food-safety, quality, and workplace-safety requirements.
• Support plant safety programs, employee training, and regulatory inspections.
• Review supply and equipment inventory and approve purchases when necessary.
• Conduct shift and department meetings to communicate goals, policies, and operational updates.
• Hire, schedule, train, coach, evaluate, and develop supervisors and production employees.
• Manage employee-performance concerns fairly and consistently.
• Partner with Human Resources and plant leadership on employee relations and workplace concerns.
• Prepare production reports, records, and performance updates for management.
• Support the Plant Manager and provide operational coverage when needed.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• College degree in operations, manufacturing, engineering, business, food science, or a related field preferred.
• 5+ years of manufacturing experience.
• Previous experience supervising or managing production employees.
• Food, beverage, dairy, or regulated manufacturing experience preferred.
• Knowledge of manufacturing process flow, production scheduling, and cost control.
• Experience with GMP, sanitation, food safety, workplace safety, and quality standards.
• Familiarity with continuous-improvement practices and operational performance metrics.
• Experience creating or maintaining SOPs and work instructions.
• Strong leadership, coaching, employee-development, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and manufacturing computer systems.
• Ability to evaluate production data and make sound operational decisions.
• Ability to read, write, and speak English to communicate safety, quality, and production requirements.

Pay

$115,000–$120,000 annually

Schedule

Full-Time, Onsite