Head of Food Plant Operations & Lean Improvements

General Mills; Joplin (MO); On-site; USD 95,000 - 143,000; Full time

Job summary

General Mills seeks an Operations Manager to lead the Pet Treating facility in Joplin, MO, directing three supervisors and hourly teams to deliver safe, high-quality products on time and within budget.

You will drive data-based improvements across safety, quality, service, productivity andcost, partnering with Maintenance, Engineering, and Quality to ensure regulatory compliance and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in business/operations/manufacturing preferred.
• 5+ years of progressively responsible manufacturing experience, including food industry.
• 1+ year of experience directly managing salaried employees.
• Experience leading production or operations teams focused on safety, quality, service, productivity and cost.
• Experience leading Kaizen events or continuous improvement work.
• Lean manufacturing principles knowledge and application in production.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily production through three supervisor reports and hourly teams.
• Set priorities, coach leaders, document performance and maintain trust.
• Develop frontline leaders, onboarding and ongoing development.
• Plan production to meet volume, efficiency, safety, quality, and cost.
• Review KPIs, identify trends, and translate into improvement plans.
• Lead lean initiatives (Kaizen, SMED, standard work, visual management).
• Own autonomous maintenance routines and collaborate with Maintenance.
• Use Redzone to identify top losses and drive improvements.
• Partner with Engineering on productivity and capital investments.
• Analyze yield, waste, labor, downtime; implement cost improvements.
• Own operating expenses, support annual budget; coordinate with Accounting.
• Collaborate with Quality on safety, food safety, and regulatory compliance.
• Foster safety and quality culture through training and audits.
• Prepare operational reports and coordinate with cross-functional teams.
• Cross-train for manufacturing continuity and QA responsibilities.

Skills

People leadership

Kaizen events

Lean manufacturing

Data analysis

Problem solving

Communication

Budgeting

Training

Organizational skills

Safety awareness

Education

Associate's or Bachelor's degree in business administration, operations, manufacturing, or related field

Tools

Redzone

Job description

General Mills seeks an Operations Manager to lead the Pet Treating facility in Joplin, MO, directing three supervisors and hourly teams to deliver safe, high-quality products on time and within budget.

You will drive data-based improvements across safety, quality, service, productivity andcost, partnering with Maintenance, Engineering, and Quality to ensure regulatory compliance and continuous improvement.