Plant Operations Manager

Our client, a small but fast-growing contract manufacturer serving the tea and nutraceutical industries is seeking a Plant Operations Manager. As Plant Operations Manager, you'll play a key leadership role in scaling our operations, developing our people, and strengthening our culture of excellence and continuous improvement. If you thrive in a hands-on environment where leadership, communication, and data-driven decisions make a real impact — we'd love to meet you.

The Plant Manager oversees all aspects of daily manufacturing operations — particularly blending and packaging — ensuring safe, efficient, and high-quality production. This role emphasizes leadership, communication, and quantitative decision-making. The ideal candidate builds strong teams, implements Lean Manufacturing practices, and fosters a culture of accountability, safety, and growth. This is a hands-on leadership position that requires both operational excellence and strategic vision to support continued expansion.

Key Responsibilities

• Production Planning and Scheduling
• Develop production schedules based on customer demand, manpower, resource availability, and capacity.
• Ensure operations run smoothly and production deadlines are consistently met.
• Managing Production Teams (Blending and Packing)
• Oversee supervisors, machine operators, and assembly line workers.
• Ensure staff are trained, motivated, and working efficiently to meet targets.
• Implement and sustain visual management and daily accountability systems that reinforce performance discipline.
• Maintaining High Quality Assurance Standards
• Ensure all workers are trained in basic SOPs and product specifications.
• Maintain adherence to all quality and safety standards in finished products.
• Ensuring Workplace Safety
• Champion a zero-incident safety culture aligned with GMP, HACCP, SQF, and OSHA standards.
• Enforce safety protocols and create a safe working environment to prevent incidents and hazards.
• Optimizing Production Efficiency
• Drive measurable improvements in throughput, yield, and labor efficiency using Lean Manufacturing and data-driven performance metrics.
• Establish, monitor, and continuously improve KPIs for productivity, quality, and cost reduction.
• Develop and maintain effective capacity planning to optimize labor, equipment, and material utilization.
• Cost Management and Budgeting
• Be fully accountable for plant operating budgets, including cost control, margin improvement, and capital planning.
• Manage resources effectively, minimize waste, and ensure operations remain within budgeted cost parameters.
• Inventory Management and ERP Utilization
• Utilize NetSuite ERP systems and data analytics to improve scheduling, identify bottlenecks, and enhance operational visibility.
• Maintain accurate inventory tracking and reporting.
• Equipment Management
• Ensure operators properly run and maintain equipment.
• Coordinate with the Maintenance team to ensure regular preventive maintenance (PMs) and timely service or repair to minimize downtime.
• Reporting and Performance Analysis
• Monitor KPIs, analyze production data, and prepare reports for management to inform decision-making.
• Collaboration with Other Departments
• Work closely with Engineering, Quality, R&D, Warehouse, Sales, and Supply Chain to align production with customer priorities and delivery goals.
• Lead and support new product introductions and commercialization in collaboration with R&D, Quality, and Sales.
• Fostering Continuous Improvement
• Lead or participate in facility expansion, automation, and process modernization projects to support company growth.
• Promote a proactive, problem-solving environment where teamwork and communication drive operational excellence.

Skills Needed

Minimum Qualifications

Preferred Qualifications / Nice-to-Haves

Additional Information

This is an on-site position only; remote work is not available.