Bakery Operations Leader — TPM, Lean & MES Champion

Sara Lee Frozen Bakery, Llc; Traverse City (MI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Sara Lee Frozen Bakery seeks an Assistant Plant Manager in Traverse City, MI, to partner with the Plant Director in daily manufacturing operations. You will lead Production Managers and Supervisors, drive safety, quality, and productivity, and champion lean and TPM initiatives.

The role requires building capable teams, improving throughput, OEE, and cost efficiency while ensuring regulatory compliance and food safety in a fast-paced bakery environment.

Qualifications

• 7–10+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing/operations.
• Experience leading production teams and managing people leaders.
• Strong knowledge of Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Lead Operations Managers and Production Supervisors to achieve safety, quality, service, productivity, cost, and employee engagement objectives.
• Build leadership capability within the operations organization through coaching and development.
• Lead production operations to deliver product on schedule and cost-effectively.
• Monitor schedules and adjust resources to meet customer demands.
• Drive TPM programs and maintenance practices for reliability and downtime reduction.
• Utilize MES (Redzone) to monitor performance and drive data-based decisions.
• Develop budgets and contribute to cost reduction across the plant.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to improve processes and reduce losses.
• Prepare and present operational performance reports to leadership.

Skills

Leadership

Lean Manufacturing

Six Sigma

Continuous Improvement

Problem Solving

Cross-functional Collaboration

Operations Management

Change Management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

7–10+ years manufacturing/ops experience

Tools

Redzone MES

Job description

Sara Lee Frozen Bakery seeks an Assistant Plant Manager in Traverse City, MI, to partner with the Plant Director in daily manufacturing operations. You will lead Production Managers and Supervisors, drive safety, quality, and productivity, and champion lean and TPM initiatives.

The role requires building capable teams, improving throughput, OEE, and cost efficiency while ensuring regulatory compliance and food safety in a fast-paced bakery environment.