US Manufacturing Senior Director (Wild Turkey / Wilderness Trail)

About the role

We're looking for a Manufacturing Senior Director to lead our distillery, warehouse, packaging, and maintenance operations across two iconic Kentucky locations. This is more than an operations role — it's your chance to shape the future of bourbon manufacturing at one of the world's most passionate beverage companies.

Reports to

VP of Manufacturing & Engineering

Travel

:10%

What You'll Do

• Own the full P&L across both sites and set the strategic direction for our production and warehouse operations.
• Lead and inspire teams across Distilling, Packaging, Warehousing, and Maintenance — driving a culture of safety, quality, and continuous improvement.
• Own the plant's SQDCP performance: Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and People — every single day.
• Manage Labor Relations, including collective bargaining agreement processes with the local union, turning challenges into engagement opportunities.
• Champion Employee Engagement initiatives across both sites — building a more productive, motivated, and connected workforce.
• Set the strategic plan and annual budget for both sites, while staying hands-on in day-to-day performance.
• Partner with Planning, Customer Service, and Innovation teams to bring new products to life.
• Develop, coach, and grow a high-performing site leadership team (Packaging, Distillery, Barrel Warehouse, and Maintenance/Engineering Managers).
• Drive full compliance with TTB, GMP, ISO, and all food safety standards.
• Align local operations with Campari Group manufacturing standards — while keeping Kentucky's bourbon spirit front and center.

Who You Are

• A seasoned operations leader who gets the best out of people and processes.
• You bring both strategic vision and the boots-on-the-ground instincts to run a complex, multi-site manufacturing environment.
• Bourbon industry experience is a must — Distillation, Aging and Bottling, you know what it takes to produce world-class whiskey.
• From grain to barrel to bottle 10+ years of supervisory/management experience in manufacturing, production, warehousing and maintenance/engineering.
• Proven Site Leadership track record.
• Demonstrated experience leading labor relations in a unionized manufacturing environment, with a proven track record of developing productive union relationships.
• Hands-on experience preparing for and participating in collective bargaining negotiations (e.g., strategy development, costing support, proposal development, table negotiations, and post-ratification implementation).
• BA/BS in Business, Engineering, or relevant experience.
• Outstanding communicator — you can inspire a shift supervisor and present to the VP in the same morning.

What Sets You Apart

• Execution & Foresight — delivering results while anticipating what's next.
• Technical Excellence — mastery of manufacturing with the ability to teach and scale it.
• Business Judgment — balancing financial, operational, and organizational priorities with confidence.
• People Development — attracting, growing, and retaining top talent.
• Teamwork — building bridges across functions, sites, and levels.

Why Campari

• Working at Campari means joining a global team that puts people and passion at the center of everything.
• You'll be surrounded by iconic brands, talented colleagues, and a culture that rewards ambition, celebrates creativity, and believes the best is always yet to come.
• In Kentucky, you'll be at the heart of one of the world's most celebrated bourbon traditions — leading the people and operations that make it happen.