Food Manufacturer – Director of Manufacturing

Stonewood Group Inc.; Ontario; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading food manufacturer in Ontario seeks a Director of Manufacturing to enhance production processes and foster operational excellence. The role involves strategic oversight of manufacturing operations, ensuring efficiency while maintaining high-quality standards. Candidates should have extensive experience in manufacturing, process improvement, and team leadership.

Qualifications

• 10-15 years in manufacturing and operations.
• Experience in quality systems and engineering.
• A hands-on orientation toward delivering results.

Responsibilities

• Manage production processes to align with market demand.
• Develop KPIs to enhance operations.
• Cultivate a continuous improvement culture.

Skills

Problem Solving

People Management

Change Management

Commercial Acumen

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field

Job description

Our client is a fast-growing, multi-facility food manufacturer headquartered in Southern Ontario. The company produces a wide range of branded, custom manufactured and private labeled food products for distribution across a variety of retail, industrial and institutional markets. The company boasts a dominant market position in several of its product categories.
With a rich tradition of innovation and an impeccable track record of long-term profitability, our client is executing an exciting strategy of accelerated growth. Realizing this potential, while concurrently enhancing the company’s current capabilities, will be a key mandate of the new Director of Manufacturing.

Scope of Position

Reporting to the company’s President and CEO, the Director of Manufacturing will be responsible for all matters relating to the company’s production processes from the ordering of goods and raw materials through to ensuring the efficient production of sufficient product quantities to keep pace with market demand. In achieving this, the Director of Manufacturing will evaluate all existing systems, processes and metrics with a view to recommending and then implementing continuous improvements mechanisms and disciplines which will minimize production costs and waste while maximizing production outputs. No less important, the Director of Manufacturing will achieve these results by cultivating positive relationships across the organization while nurturing a culture of excellence.

Functional Tasks

• Align and execute operational plans to strategic plans. Ensure deliverables are met.Assess and evaluate all current production processes, make recommendations and execute ongoing changes that improve efficiencies and cost effectiveness.
• Develop meaningful key performance indicators (KPIs) and other metrics by which to better monitor, manage and improve operations.
• Develop strategic projects to identify and deliver key business improvements throughout operations from identifying initial potential opportunity, delivering the business case, gaining approval and delivering to agreed scope, budget and timescale.
• Cultivate a continuous improvement or related lean manufacturing culture across the organization.
• Play a hands-on role in managing all day to day operations working closely with key managers and team members.
• Supervise preparation of production schedules and plan ordering cycles to ensure production volumes can be met
• Implement and manage systems for the ordering or goods and raw materials that minimizes stockholding quantities yet is suitably timed to ensure uninterrupted production of all of the company’s product lines in keeping with the market demand for each product.
• Continue evaluate costing and supply chain strategies and approaches against best practices.
• Strategic planning, budget preparation and accountability for operational matters within the budget process.
• Manage and oversee the maintenance and servicing of the company’s production equipment to minimize down times while maximizing the efficiency and working life of all production equipment and machinery.
• Set up working systems which minimize loss of packaging materials during the production process.
• Ensure that company remains compliant with all provincial and national regulatory standards.
• Ensure that quality processes and standards are compliant and continually enhanced.
• Evaluate staff related processes and procedures including work rules, position descriptions, responsibilities, training etc with a view to both optimizing productivity and enhancing employee relations. Gain alignment with needs of the business.
• Proactively pursue strong positive relationships with representatives of the employee group.
• Motivate staff through being a positive, encouraging champion for continual improvement.
• Contribute to the overall executive management of the firm, as part of the senior management team.
• Foster strong working relationship with executive team members as well as company owners.

Key Performance Deliverables

In light of the identified responsibilities, the following are specific deliverables that the position is designed to achieve.

• Continuous improvement and service delivery excellence – Leadership or teamwork contribution in expenses, product cost, safety and client service.
• Team work – Effectiveness in working with the sales, finance and engineering teams to achieve the business objectives.
• Client satisfaction – delivery of a quality product that meets or exceeds client’s requirements
• Expense control – Meet or exceed approved budgets or forecasts.
• Employee Relations – employee churn, grievances, productivity, satisfaction etc
• Reporting – On-time accurate monthly reports and forecasts.

Competency Profile

The following competencies listed below define the role of Director of Manufacturing

Planning & Objective Setting
Systematic in approach to work. Produces action plans in which objectives are defined and steps for achieving them are clearly specified. Plans by breaking down large task into subtasks. Develops plans that anticipate obstacles. Is realistic about time-scales and builds in appropriate checkpoints, milestones and controls in order to ensure that desired results are realized.

Results Orientation
Focuses strongly on achieving agreed upon outcomes and ensures that key objectives are met. Conveys a sense of urgency and drives issues to closure. Aims to improve upon past performance. Establishes aggressive personal targets and strives to achieve them.

People Management
Establishes and communicates clear priorities and sense of direction. Clarifies roles and responsibilities. Adapts management style to achieve optimum results.

Leading Change
Recognizes when change is necessary. Challenges the status quo and champions new initiatives. Acts as a catalyst to change and stimulates others to change. Develops an effective action plan to implement change and monitors results.

Role Expertise
Demonstrates critical technical or professional knowledge/skills related to the role. Has thorough knowledge of relevant products, services and methods. Expands technical knowledge/skills and keeps up-to-date in own area of expertise.

Team Skills
Helps to create a sense of team spirit and harmonious relations through cooperation and support. Balances personal goals with those of the team. Fosters collaboration among team members.

Commercial Acumen
Applies appropriate commercial and financial principles. Understands situations in terms of costs, profits, added-value and return on investment. Appreciates the commercial impact of own work on the organization’s total expenses and revenues.

Developing & Coaching Others
Accurately assesses strengths and development needs of employees. Challenges others to improve their abilities and actively supports their development. Continually provides timely and constructive feedback, coaching and challenging learning opportunities. Adjusts coaching style based on each employee’s ability and motivation level.

Problem Solving
Draws parallels across situations and contexts. Divides problems into their individual elements. Develops several explanations or alternatives. Separates the core of a problem from its symptoms and can identify cause and effect.

Preferred Experience / Education

• 10 to 15 years of broad based manufacturing, operations, engineering process management, process improvement and related experience within the food, beverage of pharmaceutical sector
• Experience in implementing best practices in operations, quality systems, and engineering
• A hands-on orientation focused on delivering results while at the same time able to implement processes to aid the business in growing.
• Significant change management, business transformation experience within mid-sized and private businesses.
• Experience in striking a balance between substantive yet measured change that moves the organization forward without risking its future.
• Complementary business experience that can be leveraged in the current role and for future growth opportunities
• A track record of success distinguished by having cultivated positive working relationships with staff, peers and superiors.