Plant Manager (WA - Kent)

Key Responsibilities

• Own the full daily, weekly, and monthly operation of the plant; ensure production schedules are met on time, in full, and to specification.
• Direct the Production Manager to plan labor, lines, and output against demand forecasts, store orders, and shipment schedules.
• Balance throughput, yield, labor efficiency, and quality across all lines (dough/wrappers, fillings, forming, cooking/steaming/frying, packaging, freezing/cooling).
• Resolve daily bottlenecks — staffing gaps, equipment downtime, material shortages — and keep the site running.
• Lead seasonal, holiday, new-store, and large-order surge planning.

Food Safety, Quality & Regulatory Compliance

• Hold the site accountable for FDA, USDA/FSIS (if applicable), Washington State Department of Agriculture, and local food-safety requirements.
• Ensure GMP, HACCP, SSOP, allergen control, traceability, and sanitation programs are implemented and audit-ready at all times.
• Lead the site through regulatory inspections, customer audits, third-party certifications, and mock recalls.
• Champion a food-safety-first culture; stop production when safety or quality is at risk.

Cost, Budget & Financial Performance

• Own the site operating budget and key cost drivers: labor cost, overtime, material and packaging waste, yield, utilities, and scrap.
• Track and improve cost-per-unit, labor hours per unit, and waste/rework rates.
• Partner with Finance on month-end close, variance analysis, and forecasting.
• Identify and lead cost-reduction and efficiency-improvement projects.

People Leadership & Development

• Lead, coach, and develop the Production Manager and Purchasing & Warehouse Manager, and through them the supervisors, leads, and hourly staff.
• Build a stable, safe, respectful, and accountable workplace for a multilingual workforce (English /Chinese / Spanish).
• Partner with HR on hiring, onboarding, scheduling, performance, discipline, retention, and employee relations.
• Develop bench strength and cross-training so the site is not dependent on any single person.

Supply Chain, Materials & Inventory

• Ensure, through the Purchasing & Warehouse Manager, that materials are sourced, received, stored, and staged so production never stops for lack of material.
• Oversee inventory accuracy, FIFO/FEFO, cold-chain control, receiving, and finished-goods shipping to stores and the distribution network.
• Cook up with corporate purchasing and other state sites on supply, transfers, and standardization.

Maintenance, Facility & Safety

• Ensure preventive maintenance, equipment uptime, and a clean, organized, 5S-standard facility.
• Enforce OSHA / Washington L& I safety requirements, PPE, LOTO (where applicable), and chemical safety.
• Lead incident investigation, root-cause analysis, and corrective action; drive down recordable injuries.

Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Report site performance (safety, food safety, output, quality, cost, delivery, people) to corporate operations leadership.
• Use data to find trends, set targets, and drive continuous improvement.
• Support capital planning, capacity expansion, automation, and new-product scale-up.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of food manufacturing, commissary, or central-kitchen operations experience, with 4+ years in plant/operations management.
• Direct experience managing USDA-inspected facilities (highly preferred for meat processing)
• Proven ownership of a production site’s safety, quality, output, cost, and people.
• Strong working knowledge of GMP, HACCP, SSOP, allergen control, sanitation, and food-safety regulations.
• Demonstrated ability to manage budgets, labor, and operational KPIs.
• Strong leadership of multilingual, multi-shift teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to read and act on production, labor, yield, cost, and inventory data.

Preferred Skills

• Experience in Asian food / dumpling / noodle / frozen / ready-to-eat / bakery production.
• Bilingual English / Chinese (strongly preferred given the workforce and corporate communication); English / Spanish a plus.
• Experience with multi-site restaurant or commissary supply, ERP / R365, and new-product launches.
• HACCP / PCQI / SQF certification; lean or Six Sigma exposure.
• Bachelor’s degree in food science, engineering, supply chain, business, or related field (or equivalent experience).

Physical Requirements / Work Environment

• On-site role in a food manufacturing environment with cold, hot, wet, and noisy areas.
• Ability to stand, walk, and move throughout the plant for extended periods; lift up to 25–50 lbs as needed.
• Ability to wear required PPE (hairnet, gloves, safety shoes, freezer gear).
• May require early-morning, evening, weekend, or holiday coverage based on production needs.

Benefits

• Salary ranges: $120,000 - $150,000 per year, depending on experience, scope, and qualifications
• Comprehensive Medical insurance, vision insurance, dental insurance
• Paid Sick leave: 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours
• Paid Time off
• Paid Holidays
• 401k retirement plan
• Employee Discount Programs
• Opportunities for growth and career advancement

About the Role

• Reporting to corporate operations leadership, the role translates company plans and demand into safe, compliant, efficient, and cost-controlled daily production.