Assistant Plant Manager

provide; Memphis (TN); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company is seeking an Assistant Plant Operations Manager to oversee daily plant functions, ensuring compliance with safety and quality standards. This role requires strong leadership and communication skills to drive operational excellence and team performance.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership in manufacturing or food production environments.
• Strong grasp of systems thinking and root cause analysis.

Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with food safety and regulatory requirements.
• Oversee packaging, warehousing, shipping, and receiving operations.
• Lead hiring, training, coaching, and performance evaluations.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Collaboration

Problem Solving

Job description

Assistant Plant Operations Manager

Overview:

We are seeking a hands-on, proactive Assistant Plant Operations Manager to support day-to-day plant functions and ensure excellence across quality, safety, operations, and team leadership. This role acts as a key site leader and steps in when the Plant Manager is unavailable.

Key Responsibilities

Regulatory & Quality Assurance

• Ensure compliance with all relevant food safety and regulatory requirements.
• Uphold Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and internal quality systems.
• Lead efforts to pass third-party audits (e.g., AIB, SQF, ASI).
• Address and respond to customer complaints and quality concerns.
• Coordinate with suppliers on quality and food safety matters.

Customer & Certification Standards

• Maintain strong performance on customer quality audits.
• Ensure all certification requirements are met.
• Collaborate with customer service and sales teams to meet expectations.

Supply Chain & Operations

• Oversee packaging, warehousing, shipping, and receiving operations.
• Support demand planning and inventory accuracy in coordination with corporate logistics.
• Ensure efficient communication between the plant and service teams.

Process & Operations Control

• Maintain operational consistency across production, QA, engineering, maintenance, and HR.
• Identify and implement process improvements and best practices across sites.
• Uphold KPIs and continuous improvement culture.

Environmental Health & Safety

• Promote a proactive safety culture across all levels.
• Ensure site compliance with all health, safety, and environmental regulations.
• Maintain emergency response readiness and risk assessments.

People & Performance Management

• Lead hiring, training, coaching, and performance evaluations.
• Support employee development and team recognition.
• Partner with HR on compliance, labor issues, and disciplinary action.

Leadership & Communication

• Drive site-wide communication efforts (meetings, scorecards, reporting).
• Align site priorities with broader business objectives.
• Champion team engagement and accountability.

Additional Duties

• Serve as acting site leader in the absence of the Plant Operations Manager.
• Take on other projects and responsibilities as needed.

What You Bring

• Proven leadership in manufacturing or food production environments.
• Strong grasp of systems thinking and root cause analysis.
• Ability to build high-performing teams and foster collaboration.
• Strong communication and influence across all levels.
• Results-driven, organized, and resilient under pressure.
• Committed to innovation, safety, and continuous improvement.