Plant Manager

Nelson/Kraft and Associates; Peterborough; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

The Tallowed Truth is seeking an entrepreneurial Plant Manager to lead its Peterborough manufacturing operation. This hands-on leader will be responsible for production, maintenance, and fulfillment, ensuring safe, high-quality, and cost-efficient plant execution while aligning with demand and Lean initiatives.

You will drive GMP maturity and regulatory readiness, build SOPs and training, and scale the operation while preserving the founder-led entrepreneurial energy that wrote the company’s

Qualifications

• Approximately seven or more years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience.
• Experience leading plant functions including production, maintenance, quality, materials, and cost.
• Fluency in GMP and building compliant systems, SOPs, and audit readiness.
• Practical knowledge of Health Canada requirements and exposure to FDA expectations.

Responsibilities

• Oversee performance and development of the Peterborough manufacturing operation, including production, maintenance/equipment, and fulfillment.
• Lead the implementation of Lean practices and continuous improvement with frontline adoption.
• Develop and maintain SOPs, training systems, and cost visibility across the plant.
• Coordinate demand forecasts with materials, labor, equipment, and inventory to ensure safe, high-quality, cost-effective execution.

Skills

Leadership

Lean manufacturing

Regulatory compliance

Production planning

ERP/MRP

Quality systems

People development

Health Canada familiarity

Education

Engineering/Operations degree

Tools

Katana ERP

Job description

This executive search is conducted by Nelson/Kraft & Associates on behalf of The Tallowed Truth

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Tallowed Truth is searching for an entrepreneurial servant leader to join their team as Plant Manager!

Reporting to the Founder & CEO and working closely with the executive leadership team, the Plant Manager will have overall responsibility for the performance and development of the Peterborough manufacturing operation. The role leads the production, maintenance/equipment, and fulfillment functions and is accountable for safe, reliable, high-quality, and cost-effective plant execution.

The Plant Manager will connect demand forecasts, materials, labour, equipment, inventory, quality, and fulfillment into disciplined operating plans. They will advance Lean manufacturing, strengthen production scheduling and cost visibility, build practical SOPs and training systems, improve supply-chain resilience, and prepare the facility for greater GMP maturity, Health Canada requirements, and future Natural Health Product site licensing.

This is neither a desk-only role nor a strategy-only position. The successful candidate will be visible on the plant floor, comfortable solving immediate problems, and equally capable of building the systems and leaders required for the next stage of growth.

This is a new leadership role for a hands-on manufacturing builder. The Plant Manager will professionalize a fast-growing operation, strengthen the team, and create a scalable plant without importing unnecessary bureaucracy.

WHO WE ARE

The Tallowed Truth is a Canadian, founder-led natural-products company creating animal-based cosmetics from tallow and other simple, carefully sourced ingredients. Founded in 2023, the company has grown rapidly from small-batch basement production into an established direct-to-consumer manufacturer serving customers across Canada and the United States. Its products are manufactured in-house, with craftsmanship, transparency, customer trust, and practical performance at the centre of the brand.

The company has proven demand, is historically cash-flow positive, and is entering its next stage of growth. The priority now is to build the manufacturing systems, leadership depth, regulatory maturity, and operating discipline required to scale sustainably without losing the entrepreneurial energy and ownership mindset that created the business.

OUR VALUES

Radical Energy & Enthusiasm

We believe that vitality is our natural state and that how we show up in the world is a choice. We reject the modern epidemic of apathy and victimization, choosing instead to meet every challenge with the intensity and optimism required to build a better future.

Courage, Honesty & Integrity

We aren't afraid to say the quiet part out loud. In an era of manufactured narratives and corporate deception, we believe that radical honesty is the only path to true freedom and connection.

Ownership & Stewardship

We are the main characters in the story of our life, not the extras. We take full responsibility for our health, our families, and our impact, acting as guardians of the principles that will sustain the generations to come.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required Experience & Qualifications

• Approximately seven or more years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience, including meaningful responsibility for people, production, equipment, quality, materials, cost, and plant performance.
• Plant leadership experience in cosmetics, personal care, natural health products, food and beverage, nutraceuticals, or another regulated batch-manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated fluency in GMP and direct experience building compliant systems, SOPs, training, CAPA, documentation, and audit readiness.
• Practical knowledge of Health Canada requirements and useful exposure to FDA expectations or U.S. regulatory environments.
• Proven ability to implement Lean manufacturing or continuous-improvement practices with frontline adoption and measurable results.
• Strong production-planning, inventory-management, cost-analysis, and ERP/MRP capability.
• Proven success developing managers and frontline employees, strengthening accountability, and leading change.
• Ability and commitment to work fully onsite in Peterborough, Ontario.

Preferred Assets

• Experience with Natural Health Product site licensing, cosmetic manufacturing, filling and packaging, shelf-life controls, or regulated product testing.
• Experience professionalizing or scaling a founder-led, entrepreneurial, or rapidly growing manufacturing business.
• Experience with new-product commercialization, equipment selection, automation, facility layout, capital projects, co-packers, and multi-node inventory.
• Experience with Katana or a comparable MRP/ERP platform and connected e-commerce, shipping, and fulfillment systems.
• Post-secondary education in engineering, operations, manufacturing, business, science, or a related technical discipline. Equivalent practical experience and a strong record of results will be considered.

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES

Servant Leadership: Listens well, develops others, shares responsibility, and puts the team and mission ahead of personal ego.

Hands-On Builder: Enjoys creating practical systems in an evolving environment and is willing to work alongside the team to solve problems.

Operational & Commercial Judgment: Connects safety, quality, service, cost, cash, capacity, and risk when making decisions.

Accountability: Sets clear standards, follows through, addresses issues directly, and owns outcomes rather than assigning blame.

Continuous Improvement: Uses data, observation, and frontline insight to simplify work and produce sustained measurable gains.

Communication & Collaboration: Communicates with clarity and respect, raises risks early, and works constructively with founders, specialists, and generalists.

Adaptability: Prioritizes effectively amid rapid growth, changing demand, and incomplete information without creating unnecessary drama.

Integrity & Stewardship: Protects people, product quality, customer trust, company resources, and the long-term health of the brand.

Location: Peterborough, ON

Application Deadline: October 30, 2026

Start Date: TBD

Salary Range: $120,000 to $170,000, commensurate with experience

ABOUT US

Nelson/Kraft & Associates Inc. is an executive consulting firm that specializes in working with not-for-profits and for-profit businesses across Canada, assisting them in the placement of senior executives and directors.