Operations Manager, Ready to Eat Dept

About the Role

Directs and coordinates the daily activities of the manufacturing areas, including meat manufacturing and sanitation, to meet or exceed the plant’s KPIs and achieve business results.

Responsibilities

• Ensure attainment and quality of products to achieve distributor/customer satisfaction.
• Take corrective measures to address gaps within the area of responsibility.
• Supervise and direct team members engaged in production, sanitation, cooking, and chilling.
• Build and maintain an effective supervisory team with support from HR and L&D.
• Analyze operations continually to improve costs, quality, and service.
• Evaluate staffing needs on a weekly basis.
• Build effective relationships with internal and external customers.
• Work closely with the USDA Inspector to ensure adherence to all USDA regulations and timely correction of deficiencies.
• Review USDA NR reports and respond to corrective actions in a timely manner.
• Actively participate in long-range planning, research, justification, and implementation for the facility.
• Establish and cascade goals for self and team to align with plant objectives.
• Support management of department functions, including production scheduling, purchasing, shipping and receiving, area sanitation, heat processing, product chilling, and other duties as assigned.
• Assist in training and development of all employees, specifically supervisors and lead persons.
• Ensure cross-training of employees on premium jobs.
• Ensure compliance with Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Quality Assurance Programs, and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Process (HACCP).
• Ensure sanitary, quality, and consistency requirements are met.
• Participate in the development, implementation, and maintenance of Total Quality Management (TQM) processes.
• Direct and enforce the Safety Program in the area of responsibility.
• Actively participate in capital expenditure requisitioning, budgeting, and goal setting.
• Partner with Maintenance and Reliability teams to ensure preventive maintenance on all department equipment.
• Enforce all company rules, policies, and regulations.
• Attend daily staff meetings and participate in conducting daily supervisors' meetings.
• Ensure smooth transition and communication between shifts.
• Perform other duties as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience/knowledge.
• Three to five years of related industry experience, preferably in food plant sanitation, smokehouse operations, and meat-processing production.
• Exposure to or experience in Quality Assurance, Total Quality Management (TQM), Hazard Analysis Critical Control Process (HACCP), and Safety is a plus.
• English/Spanish bilingual is a plus.

Skills

• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely across all organizational levels.
• Basic math skills and ability to perform calculations for formulations, ingredients, yields, and man-hours.
• Ability to create, read, and analyze charts, graphs, and logs.
• Strong reasoning ability to deal with multiple personalities and prioritize needs during crises or daily production schedules.

Physical Demands

• Ability to stand and walk the facility for lengthy periods.
• Able to work in a cold, wet meat-processing environment.
• Ability to lift up to 30 lbs.

Work Environment

Work is performed in a damp and cold work area, with some office work required.