Senior Director of Operations - Food Manufacturing

Jonesboro, GA | Full time, on site at the facility

About the role

This well-established food processing manufacturer, with over five decades of continuous operation, is hiring a Senior Director of Operations to take full ownership of day-to-day facility operations at its Georgia headquarters. This broad, high-accountability role spans manufacturing, quality, food safety, supply chain, distribution, and HR partnership, with 15 direct reports and approximately 300 employees under this leader's scope. The role reports directly to the President.

Responsibilities

• Own full day-to-day operations across manufacturing, quality, food safety, supply chain, logistics, and HR partnership
• Drive site P&L performance including gross margin, EBITDA, and working capital targets
• Develop and execute annual operating plans, capital budgets, and long-term initiatives
• Lead a senior leadership team across operations, quality, safety, and supply chain functions
• Spend time on the production floor to understand operations firsthand and drive improvement from the ground up
• Make real-time decisions and hold the team accountable in a high-mix, low-volume operation running 10 or more changeovers per day
• Optimize purchasing, production planning, logistics, freight, and labor utilization across the facility
• Partner with R&D leadership on new product development, commercialization, and product improvement
• Build organizational capability through hands-on coaching, succession planning, and talent development

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Business, or a closely related field
• 15 or more years of progressive director, vice president, or general manager-level experience in food manufacturing
• Demonstrated success leading a manufacturing plant or business unit with full P&L accountability
• Strong financial acumen with the ability to make sound decisions independently
• Experience building, improving, or fixing operations in a lean support environment

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA, Master's degree, or related advanced certifications
• Experience operating in a high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environment
• Background partnering with R&D on new product development and commercialization

Pay

$250,000 to $300,000 per year base salary, plus bonus potential

Benefits

• Relocation assistance available
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401k plan
• Paid time off