Site Director
About the role
The Site Director leads all operations at Corbion’s 200+ employee food manufacturing facility in Totowa, NJ. This highly visible, floor-focused leader is responsible for the safe, compliant, and efficient operation of the plant, ensuring strong performance in safety, quality, service, cost, and employee engagement. The role oversees all functional areas including Safety, Production, Quality, Maintenance, Engineering, and Continuous Improvement, while driving alignment with corporate objectives and customer expectations.
Responsibilities
- Lead day-to-day plant operations to achieve safety, quality, service, and cost targets.
- Serve as the senior safety leader, ensuring compliance with GMPs, FSMA, environmental regulations, and all company policies.
- Demonstrate visible, hands-on leadership by maintaining a strong presence on the floor, conducting safety observations, encouraging near-miss reporting, and reinforcing standards.
- Direct planning, process development, and overall manufacturing performance; respond to production issues and implement sustainable solutions.
- Drive operational excellence through Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement methodologies and initiatives; standardize and optimize processes.
- Manage production, quality control, maintenance, shipping/receiving, and plant safety functions.
- Develop long-range goals, budgets, and operational plans; analyze cost, operations, and forecast data to ensure progress toward objectives.
- Build, coach, and develop a high-performing leadership team; foster accountability, inclusion, and strong employee engagement.
- Promote transparent communication, customer focus, and cross-functional problem solving.
- Deliver clear, data-driven presentations to executive leadership, including P&L performance and continuous improvement progress.
- Champion innovation and "out-of-the-box" thinking to elevate safety, quality, and cost competitiveness.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s Degree in Science, Business, Engineering, or related field; advanced degree preferred.
- 10+ years of manufacturing leadership experience (food or regulated environment preferred).
- Proven success driving safety, operational excellence, cost control, and team development.
- Strong financial acumen, including budget management and P&L-related decision-making.
- Experience leading in a unionized environment.
- Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills; strong customer service orientation and sense of urgency.
- Superior organizational and multi-tasking abilities; proficiency with PC-based systems and spreadsheets.
- Ability to lead through change, maintain clarity under shifting priorities, and build trust across all levels of the organization.
Qualifications
- Proven track record of safety leadership and compliance with GMPs, FSMA, and environmental regulations.
- Experience in developing and implementing continuous improvement initiatives.
- Strong financial acumen and ability to manage budgets and P&Ls.
- Unionized environment experience, including negotiation and grievance handling.
- Effective communication and interpersonal skills, with a customer service orientation.
- Organizational and multi-tasking abilities, with proficiency in PC-based systems and spreadsheets.
- Ability to lead through change and maintain clarity under shifting priorities.
Skills
- Leadership and management skills.
- Operational excellence and continuous improvement methodologies.
- Financial acumen and budget management.
- Unionized environment experience.
- Customer service orientation and strong interpersonal skills.
- Organizational and multi-tasking abilities.
- Ability to lead through change and maintain clarity under shifting priorities.
Benefits
- Bonus potential.
- Paid time off, including company holidays.
- 401K with company match.
- Medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance coverage.
- Flexible spending accounts.
- Education assistance.
- Short- and long-term disability.
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
- Lifestyle and wellness benefits.
Pay
The anticipated compensation range for this position is $174,000 to $200,000. The final pay offered to a successful candidate will be dependent on several factors that may include but are not limited to the type and years of experience within the job, the type years of and experience within the industry, education, etc. Please note, Corbion is a multi-state employer, and this pay scale may not reflect positions that work in other states or locations. In addition to the base compensation, we offer the following benefits:
Schedule
Full-time position.
About Corbion
Corbion is a sustainable ingredients company dedicated to preserving what matters, including food and food production, health, and the planet. We specialize in lactic acid, lactic acid derivatives, food preservation solutions, functional blends, and algae ingredients, using our deep application and product knowledge to propel nature's ingenuity through science. With more than a century of experience, we continue working side-by-side with our customers to make our cutting-edge technologies work for them. Leveraging our advanced capabilities in fermentation and preservation technology, we help customers differentiate their products in diverse markets ranging from food and animal nutrition to home & personal care, pharmaceuticals, electronics, medical devices, and bioplastics. In 2025, Corbion generated annual sales of € 1,267.4 million with a workforce of 2,408 FTEs. Corbion is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. For more information: www.corbion.com.