Business Unit Leader

Danone North America; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 150,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Danone North America is seeking an experienced Business Unit Leader for our Dallas beverage manufacturing facility. In this high-visibility role, you'll partner with senior plant leadership to drive performance, develop frontline leaders, and lead a large-scale operation focused on safety, quality, delivery, and continuous improvement.

You will champion a world-class safety culture, coach multiple leaders, build strategic plans, and push Lean and IWS initiatives, while ensuring 24/7 operations

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED.
• 8+ years of manufacturing experience.
• 5+ years of leadership in a high-speed food, beverage, or CPG manufacturing environment.
• Proven experience leading teams in a complex manufacturing operation.
• Strong operational, troubleshooting, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Ability to work flexible schedules to support 24/7 plant operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of operational leaders to deliver performance.
• Champion safety culture and maintain accident-free workplace.
• Develop and execute strategic plans aligning with annual targets.
• Drive manufacturing excellence through Lean, IWS, and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with plant leadership to execute priorities.
• Coach leaders in servant leadership and team engagement.
• Foster accountability, ownership, collaboration, and high performance.

Skills

Manufacturing experience

Leadership experience

Operational skills

Troubleshooting

Problem-solving

Flexible schedules

Education

High school diploma or GED

Bachelor's degree in engineering, Business Management, Food Science, or related field

Job description

Job Locations

US-TX-Dallas

Job Details

• ID: 2026-27506
• Number of People to Hire: 2
• Job Family: Manufacturing
• Level of Experience: Experienced Professionals

Lead a High-Performing Manufacturing Business Unit at Danone

At Danone, we're committed to bringing health through food to as many people as possible. As a leader in the food and beverage industry, we manufacture some of the world's most recognized brands while fostering a culture of safety, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.

We're seeking an experienced Business Unit Leader to join our Dallas, Texas beverage manufacturing facility. In this highly visible leadership role, you'll partner closely with senior plant leadership to drive performance, develop frontline leaders, and lead a large-scale manufacturing operation focused on safety, quality, delivery, and continuous improvement.

What You'll Do

As the Business Unit Leader, you'll have responsibility for leading and developing a team of operational leaders while driving exceptional performance across your manufacturing area.

• Champion a world-class safety culture and help create an accident-free workplace.
• Lead, coach, and develop multiple leaders and supervisors to achieve plant and business objectives.
• Build and execute strategic plans that support operational goals and annual business targets.
• Drive manufacturing excellence through continuous improvement and operational best practices.
• Lead problem-solving efforts using Lean, Continuous Improvement, and Integrated Work Systems (IWS) methodologies.
• Improve productivity, efficiency, quality, and cost performance across the business unit.
• Partner with plant leadership to ensure consistent execution of operational priorities.
• Support talent development by coaching leaders in servant leadership principles and team engagement.
• Foster a culture of accountability, ownership, collaboration, and high performance.

Physical Demands

• While performing duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; stoop; kneel; crouch; crawl; taste and/or smell, talk and hear;
• Ability to bend & stoop at waist level as well as bend & twist neck and head;
• The employee must regularly endure repetitive minimal to moderate lifting 10lbs up to 50lbs and occasional team lifting above 50lbs. Requires normal range of hearing and vision (including colors) to record, prepare and communicate appropriate reports and results;
• The employee is frequently standing on a concrete surface for 8, 10 or 12-hour shifts;
• Occasionally may need to climb stairs, step ladders, stool;
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Ability to work up to 12-hour shifts

Work Environment

• Work is performed in a manufacturing environment with exposure to moderate noise and temperature variations.
• Work schedules could include nights, weekends and/or holidays to provide the ability to support a 24/7 manufacturing environment as business needs dictate.

Engagement in our Integrated Work Systems

Ensure adherence to plant standards and procedures (including but not limited to GMP, AIB, FDA, IWS, Quality, Safety, Finance, ISO, HOPE, Danone Behaviors, Daily Direction Setting, Driving OE). As a fundamental piece of the organization, your responsibility is to participate and own the implementation and deployment of IWS system and its pillars (Leadership foundation, Daily Direction Setting, Driving OE; Autonomous Maintenance; planned Maintenance; Focused Improvement; Education and Training; Environmental, Health and Safety; Quality; Organization; Supply Network; Early Equipment Management) with the objective of owning your space, owning your performance (Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery, Mobilization, Nature) and owning your continuous improvement.

Compensation & Benefits

Danone North America additionally offers a performance-based bonus and has a strong benefits package including Medical, Dental, Vision, Prescription Drug Coverage, 401k Plan, Wellness Program, Life Insurance, Tuition Reimbursement, Flexible Time Off, and Paid Parental Bonding Leave, among other benefit plan options.

About You

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED.
• 8+ years of manufacturing experience.
• 5+ years of leadership experience within a high-speed food, beverage, or consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturing environment.
• Proven experience leading teams in a complex manufacturing operation.
• Strong operational, troubleshooting, and problem‑solving capabilities.
• Ability to work flexible schedules as needed to support 24/7 plant operations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, Business Management, Food Science, or a related field.
• Experience within dairy, food, or beverage manufacturing.
• Experience with beverage processing, production systems, and aseptic manufacturing environments.
• Continuous Improvement, Lean Manufacturing, or Integrated Work Systems (IWS) experience.

About Us, We offer and What's next

Danone U.S. is part of Danone North America, a purpose-driven company and an industry leader in the food and beverage category. You'll work with some of the best-known food and beverage brands in the world. Our strong portfolio of brands includes: Activia, DanActive, Danimals, Dannon, evian, Follow Your Heart, Happy Family Organics, International Delight, Light + Fit, Nutricia, Oikos, Silk, So Delicious Dairy Free, STK Cold Brew Coffee, Too Good & Co, and YoCrunch.

With approximately 5,000 employees and 13 production locations across the U.S., Danone North America's mission is to bring health through food to as many people as possible.

You'll be part of one of the largest Certified B Corps in the world, working to make sure our company creates real value for people and the planet. Come join our movement for a healthier world: One Planet. One Health BY YOU.

Danone North America is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. It is our policy to give equal employment opportunities to all qualified persons without regard to legally protected characteristics, or any other consideration made unlawful by applicable federal, state/provincial and/or local law. For our EEO policy statement and your EEO rights under law click here.

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