Plant Manager

About the role

We are seeking a high-impact Plant Manager to lead day-to-day operations across a fast-paced promotional products environment, including food and chocolate production, fulfillment, and packaging. This is a hands-on leadership role focused on execution, accountability, and performance. The Plant Manager will own the floor, lead teams across shifts, and ensure the operation is set up for success from close to open every day.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead all daily plant operations across production, fulfillment, and shipping
• Drive execution to meet aggressive ship dates in a high-volume, short lead-time environment
• Maintain full visibility across all orders and actively “order chase” to ensure nothing falls behind
• Ensure operational readiness from close to open, including staffing, materials, and priorities
• Improve output across all departments, with a strong focus on bottleneck identification and resolution
• Drive labor efficiency and manage payroll within budget expectations
• Implement process improvements to increase throughput without adding unnecessary cost
• Balance workload across departments to maintain consistent production flow
• Partner closely with Scheduling and Planning to ensure realistic, executable production plans
• Ensure alignment between production, packing, and shipping operations
• Monitor real-time performance and adjust labor and resources as needed
• Ensure full compliance with GMP, FDA, HACCP, and all food safety requirements
• Partner with QA/QC to uphold product integrity, consistency, and regulatory standards
• Cross-functional coordination with Customer Service, Sales, and Operations Leadership
• Provide clear communication on order status, risks, and recovery plans
• Support new product launches and ensure operational readiness for new items

Qualifications

• 7–10+ years of plant or operations management experience
• Background in food production, packaging, or regulated manufacturing required
• Experience in high-mix, high-volume environments with short lead times
• Strong working knowledge of throughput and capacity management
• Labor planning and payroll control
• Production scheduling and execution
• Proven leadership ability in fast-paced, execution-driven environments
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills
• Working knowledge of food safety standards (GMP, FDA, HACCP preferred)