Director of Operations / Plant Manager

Cedar's Foods; Haverhill (MA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid time off and holidays

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Disability coverage

Job summary

Cedar’s Mediterranean Foods in Haverhill, MA seeks a seasoned Director of Operations to lead a 24/7 food manufacturing facility on-site. You will own plant performance across production, quality, safety, and cost, directing managers and supervisors while driving continuous improvement and leadership development.

The role demands a hands-on, high‑volume operations background, strong ERP knowledge, and a proven ability to set and achieve KPIs.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive management leadership experience.
• Experience leading plant operations through managers and supervisors across multiple shifts.
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing processes, capacity planning, production planning, KPIs, and continuous improvement.
• Working knowledge of GMP, HACCP, SQF, OSHA, and food-safety requirements.
• Strong understanding of labor, material, waste, productivity, and operating costs.
• Proven ability to establish goals, measure performance, solve problems, and drive accountability.
• Working knowledge of ERP systems.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership and accountability for plant operations and operational results across all shifts.
• Lead, develop, and hold accountable a strong team of managers and supervisors.
• Establish measurable goals and KPIs for production, productivity, labor efficiency, yield, waste, downtime, quality, safety, service, and cost.
• Drive continuous improvement in throughput, efficiency, waste reduction, cost control, and overall plant performance.
• Identify operational constraints and develop action plans to improve capacity and production results.
• Oversee capacity and production planning and translate production requirements into effective operating plans.
• Ensure appropriate contingency plans are in place for equipment downtime, staffing challenges, material shortages, quality issues, and other operational disruptions.
• Evaluate labor, material, waste, productivity, and operating costs and identify opportunities for improved resource utilization.
• Partner closely with Quality, Maintenance, Planning, Warehousing, HR, R&D, Sales, and Marketing.
• Maintain overall accountability for compliance with OSHA, GMP, HACCP, SQF, and other applicable food‑safety requirements.
• Partner with Quality leadership on audits, corrective actions, investigations, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure safety, food safety, quality, and regulatory requirements are fully integrated into operational planning and decision‑making.
• Work closely with Sales and Marketing to align operational capabilities with customer requirements, new business opportunities, product launches, and changing market demands.
• Support R&D and commercialization efforts related to new products, manufacturing capabilities, and process improvements.
• Identify opportunities for process, equipment, technology, and organizational improvements.
• Provide senior leadership with regular reporting on plant performance, challenges, opportunities, and progress toward operational goals.
• Develop employees for increased responsibility and succession opportunities.

Skills

Progressive management

Multi-shift leadership

Operational KPIs

GMP/HACCP/SQF/OSHA

Cost control

ERP systems

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Food Science, Operations

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

Cedar’s Mediterranean Foods – Haverhill, MA
Full-Time | On-Site

Cedar’s Mediterranean Foods is seeking an experienced Director of Operations / Plant Manager to lead our fast-paced, 24/7 food manufacturing operation in Haverhill, Massachusetts.

This is a senior plant leadership role with overall responsibility for operational performance, including production, quality, food safety, maintenance, warehousing, planning, productivity, cost control, and employee development.

We are looking for a hands‑on operations leader who understands high-volume food manufacturing, knows how to lead through managers and supervisors, and can establish clear expectations, measure performance, drive accountability, and continuously improve plant results.

This is a fully on‑site position and is not remote or hybrid.

What You’ll Do

• Provide overall leadership and accountability for plant operations and operational results across all shifts.
• Lead, develop, and hold accountable a strong team of managers and supervisors.
• Establish measurable goals and KPIs for production, productivity, labor efficiency, yield, waste, downtime, quality, safety, service, and cost.
• Drive continuous improvement in throughput, efficiency, waste reduction, cost control, and overall plant performance.
• Identify operational constraints and develop action plans to improve capacity and production results.
• Oversee capacity and production planning and translate production requirements into effective operating plans.
• Ensure appropriate contingency plans are in place for equipment downtime, staffing challenges, material shortages, quality issues, and other operational disruptions.
• Evaluate labor, material, waste, productivity, and operating costs and identify opportunities for improved resource utilization.
• Partner closely with Quality, Maintenance, Planning, Warehousing, HR, R&D, Sales, and Marketing.
• Maintain overall accountability for compliance with OSHA, GMP, HACCP, SQF, and other applicable food‑safety requirements.
• Partner with Quality leadership on audits, corrective actions, investigations, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure safety, food safety, quality, and regulatory requirements are fully integrated into operational planning and decision‑making.
• Work closely with Sales and Marketing to align operational capabilities with customer requirements, new business opportunities, product launches, and changing market demands.
• Support R&D and commercialization efforts related to new products, manufacturing capabilities, and process improvements.
• Identify opportunities for process, equipment, technology, and organizational improvements.
• Provide senior leadership with regular reporting on plant performance, challenges, opportunities, and progress toward operational goals.
• Develop employees for increased responsibility and succession opportunities.

What We’re Looking For

• Minimum of 5 years of progressive management leadership experience, preferably in a high‑volume, multi‑faceted food manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading plant operations through managers and supervisors across multiple shifts.
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing processes, capacity planning, production planning, operational KPIs, and continuous improvement.
• Working knowledge of GMP, HACCP, SQF, OSHA, and food‑safety requirements.
• Strong understanding of labor, material, waste, productivity, and operating costs.
• Proven ability to establish goals, measure performance, solve problems, and drive accountability.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and critical‑thinking skills.
• Working knowledge of ERP systems.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Food Science, Operations, or another related technical field preferred.

The Leadership Style We’re Looking For

The successful candidate will be a visible, engaged leader who is comfortable working in a fast‑moving manufacturing environment and spending time on the plant floor.

This individual should be able to balance strategic leadership with day‑to‑day operational execution, build strong relationships across departments, develop people, and create a culture of safety, quality, accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.

Benefits

For this position, Cedar’s offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Life insurance and short‑term and long‑term disability coverage
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Dependent Care FSA
• Paid time off and paid holidays
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Paid and protected leave benefits in accordance with applicable company policies and federal and Massachusetts law

Please note that this is a fully on‑site position in Haverhill, Massachusetts and is not remote or hybrid. Relocation assistance is not available. Candidates must be able to reliably commute to our Haverhill facility as required.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Cedar’s Mediterranean Foods is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Reasonable accommodations are available to qualified individuals with disabilities during the application and employment process.