Director of Operations

Page Executive; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; Confidential; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Job summary

Page Executive is advising a family-owned meat manufacturer on hiring an Operations Leader. This role directs Production, Maintenance, Warehouse, and Quality, setting KPIs and ensuring strategic execution across schedules, labor, throughput, yield, and inventory.

You will lead ERP adoption, drive continuous improvement, and shape capacity planning for growth. The successful candidate has a decade-plus in manufacturing leadership, strong financial acumen, and proven ability to translate strategy

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, Business, or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing/operations experience with increasing leadership responsibility.
• Experience leading multiple department managers or operational leaders.
• Experience managing multi-department manufacturing operations.
• Strong understanding of production management, labour, equipment reliability, and warehouse operations.
• Expertise with ERP systems; Microsoft Dynamics BC preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct leadership, coaching, and accountability to Production, Maintenance, Warehouse, and Quality department leaders.
• Set clear performance expectations, responsibilities, goals, and KPIs for each department.
• Conduct regular performance reviews with department managers and hold leaders accountable for results.
• Ensure execution of production schedules, labor utilization, throughput, yield, maintenance, and inventory flow.
• Maintain SOPs, safety requirements, quality standards, and ERP procedures.
• Lead cross‑functional root‑cause analysis and implement sustainable corrective actions.
• Establish daily/weekly/monthly operating cadence to review performance and drive accountability.
• Serve as operational SME and business owner for the Company’s ERP system.

Skills

Leadership

ERP systems

Manufacturing ops

Budgeting

KPIs

Lean manufacturing

Continuous improvement

Cross-functional leadership

Root-cause analysis

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Microsoft Dynamics 365 BC

Job description

• Lead key initiatives in manufacturing and ERP optimization.
• Shape strategy and culture, and the chance to impact long-term business growth.

About Our Client

A family-owned manufacturer within the meat industry.

Job Description

Department Leadership & Accountability

• Provide direct leadership, direction, coaching, and accountability to the Production, Maintenance, Warehouse, and Quality department leaders.
• Establish clear performance expectations, responsibilities, goals, and KPIs for each department.
• Conduct regular performance reviews with department managers and hold leaders accountable for results.

Department Management & Operational Execution

• Ensure effective execution of production schedules, labor utilization, throughput, yield, equipment reliability, preventive maintenance, warehouse performance, inventory accuracy, and material flow across both facilities.
• Ensure departments consistently follow established processes, SOPs, safety requirements, quality standards, and ERP procedures.
• Identify operational constraints, recurring problems, and performance gaps; lead cross‑functional root‑cause analysis and ensure sustainable corrective actions are implemented.
• Establish a consistent daily, weekly, and monthly operating cadence to review performance, address issues, and drive accountability.
• Serve as the operational subject matter expert and business owner for the Company’s ERP system

Financial & Budget Management

• Own Operations’ financial performance and departmental budgets, including labor, overtime, maintenance, manufacturing costs, yield, scrap, rework, and other controllable operating expenses.
• Monitor and analyze budget-to-actual performance, identify unfavorable variances and cost drivers, and hold department leaders accountable for corrective actions and financial performance.

Strategic Planning and Capacity Management

• Translate company strategy and growth objectives into actionable Operations plans, goals, and KPIs
• Assess current and future manufacturing capacity and operational requirements to support continued growth
• Identify operational constraints, risks, and opportunities and develop strategies to improve capacity, throughput, efficiency, and scalability
• Develop and prioritize operational CAPEX and strategic initiatives, ensuring resources are aligned with business priorities

Process Excellence & Continuous Improvement

• Establish and maintain standardized processes, SOPs, and operating practices
• Lead continuous‑improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, productivity, throughput, yield, labor efficiency, cost, equipment reliability, and inventory performance.
• Identify and implement automation and technology opportunities that provide measurable operational or financial value.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner with Supply Chain, FSQA/Quality, Sales, Finance, HR, Engineering, and other functions to optimize end-to-end business performance.
• Resolve cross‑functional operational issues and establish clear ownership, priorities, and accountability.
• Ensure Operations decisions support the Company’s overall safety, quality, customer service, financial, and strategic objectives.

Safety, Quality & Compliance

• Champion a strong safety culture and hold Operations leadership accountable for safe working practices and performance.
• Partner with FSQA to ensure operational execution consistently meets USDA, food-safety, quality, customer, and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure operational deficiencies are promptly addressed and corrective actions are implemented and sustained.

The Successful Applicant

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, Business, or a related field;
• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing/operations experience, with increasing levels of leadership responsibility.
• Demonstrated experience leading, developing, and holding accountable multiple department managers or operational leaders.
• Demonstrated experience managing multi‑department manufacturing operations.
• Strong understanding of production management, manufacturing processes, labor management, equipment reliability, and warehouse operations.
• Demonstrated experience establishing and managing operational KPIs.
• Strong financial and budget‑management skills, including experience managing labor, overtime, operating expenses, and budget variances.
• Demonstrated expertise with ERP systems and their application within manufacturing operations; Microsoft Dynamics Business Central experience strongly preferred.
• Strong analytical, decision‑making, problem‑solving, and root‑cause‑analysis skills.
• Strong understanding of Lean Manufacturing and continuous‑improvement methodologies.
• Demonstrated ability to translate strategic objectives into measurable operational goals and execution plans.
• Demonstrated project‑management and change‑management experience.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to develop SOPs, processes, policies, and other operational documentation.
• Strong organizational and time‑management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a fast‑paced, high‑growth manufacturing environment.
• Ability and willingness to spend significant time on the manufacturing floor working directly with employees and leaders.
• Experience in food manufacturing preferred.
• Experience with SQF codes is preferred.

What’s on Offer

Competitive annual salary and bonus.