COO - Food Manufacturing: Lean Ops & Growth

Canepa Associates Inc.; California; On-site; USD 600,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Canepa Associates Inc. in California seeks an operationally focused Chief Executive Officer to drive profitability, strengthen cost discipline, and embed accountability across the business while positioning for growth.

The CEO will strengthen day-to-day operations, develop the team, and establish clear priorities to improve efficiency and performance across sales, manufacturing, supply chain, and quality. A data-driven leader will set the operating cadence and KPI framework, coach leaders, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; an advanced degree is preferred.
• Experience leading manufacturing with meaningful P&L responsibility.
• Strong financial judgment and KPI-driven leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead sales, marketing, manufacturing, supply chain, procurement, maintenance, logistics, and quality performance.
• Hold plant and operating leaders accountable for measurable improvement in throughput, yield, waste, downtime, and labor productivity using lean methods.
• Maintain rigorous food safety, product quality, workplace safety, and regulatory compliance.
• Ensure procedures, training, documentation, and corrective actions are consistently followed.
• Build a culture where commitments are tracked and problems are addressed promptly.

Skills

P&L responsibility

Manufacturing leadership

Operational excellence

Cost control

KPIs & accountability

ERP systems

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

Canepa Associates Inc. in California seeks an operationally focused Chief Executive Officer to drive profitability, strengthen cost discipline, and embed accountability across the business while positioning for growth.

The CEO will strengthen day-to-day operations, develop the team, and establish clear priorities to improve efficiency and performance across sales, manufacturing, supply chain, and quality. A data-driven leader will set the operating cadence and KPI framework, coach leaders, and