Operations Plant Manager

Lynch Family Companies; Decorah (IA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Dental

Vision

401(k)

Flex spending

Wellness program

EAP

Paid holidays

PTO

Job summary

Lynch Family Companies is seeking a Pork Slaughter Plant Manager to oversee all plant operations, production, safety, quality, yields, and P&L in Decorah, IA. This role requires a hands-on leadership style with a strong focus on results and accountability.

You will lead department managers, optimize yields, supervise maintenance, and ensure USDA/FSIS compliance, cost-controls, and safe production practices on the floor.

Qualifications

• Must have management experience in pork slaughter or pork processing.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish.
• Experience leading supervisors and department managers.
• Strong knowledge of production costs, budgeting and P&L.
• Knowledge of USDA/FSIS, HACCP, SSOP, GMP and food safety requirements.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership for all plant operations and departments.
• Meet production, quality, safety, yield, staffing, maintenance, and financial objectives.
• Review performance and take corrective actions.
• Oversee maintenance and equipment reliability.
• Manage staffing, recruitment, training, and scheduling.
• Establish KPIs and drive continuous improvement.

Skills

Management experience

Bilingual English/Spanish

Leadership

Problem solving

Communication

Job description

The Pork Slaughter Plant Manager is responsible for the overall management, performance, and profitability of the pork slaughter and processing facility. This position has full responsibility for daily plant operations, production, staffing, preventative maintenance, carcass yields, food safety, employee safety, quality, cost control, and plant profit and loss (P&L).

The Plant Manager is expected to be actively involved in plant operations, hold department managers and supervisors accountable, identify opportunities to improve efficiency and yields, and ensure the facility operates safely, efficiently, and profitably.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Overall Plant Management

• Provide leadership and direction for all plant operations and departments.
• Manage the entire facility to meet production, quality, safety, yield, staffing, maintenance, and financial objectives.
• Establish clear expectations and accountability for department managers, supervisors, maintenance personnel, and production employees.
• Review daily plant performance and take corrective action when goals are not being achieved.

Maintain a strong presence on the production floor and understand the operational condition of the plant.

Production and Carcass Yield Management

• Monitor and improve carcass yields and overall product recovery.
• Review daily slaughter numbers, carcass weights, yields, condemnations, trim loss, product loss, and other key production measurements.
• Identify areas where excessive loss or poor recovery is occurring and implement corrective actions.
• Work with production supervisors and employees to improve cutting practices, handling, recovery, and consistency.
• Establish and monitor yield standards and hold departments accountable for performance.

Balance production speed, labor efficiency, food safety, product quality, and yield.

Preventative Maintenance and Equipment Reliability

• Oversee the plant's preventative maintenance program.
• Ensure scheduled preventative maintenance is completed and properly documented.
• Work closely with maintenance leadership to minimize equipment downtime and production interruptions.
• Review recurring equipment failures and ensure permanent corrective actions are implemented.
• Ensure critical production equipment, refrigeration, boilers, wastewater systems, electrical systems, and other plant infrastructure are properly maintained.

Develop maintenance priorities and assist with planning capital equipment repairs and replacements.

Staffing and Labor Management

• Ensure the plant is properly staffed to meet production requirements.
• Work with Human Resources and department managers on recruiting, hiring, training, retention, scheduling, and employee development.
• Monitor labor hours, overtime, absenteeism, turnover, and labor cost per head or pound produced.
• Adjust staffing levels and production schedules to maximize labor efficiency.
• Develop supervisors and department managers capable of independently managing their areas.

Maintain accountability for attendance, productivity, workplace conduct, and performance.

Financial Management and P&L Responsibility

• Have direct responsibility for plant financial performance and P&L.
• Understand and manage the major drivers of plant profitability, including:
  • Labor costs
  • Carcass and product yields
  • Maintenance expenses
  • Supplies
  • Utilities
  • Overtime
  • Downtime
  • Waste and product loss
  • Rendering and disposal costs
  • Production efficiency
• Review financial and operational reports regularly and identify unfavorable trends.
• Develop and manage plant operating budgets.
• Implement cost-saving initiatives without negatively affecting food safety, employee safety, quality, or long-term equipment reliability.

Work with senior management to establish financial and operational goals for the facility.

Food Safety, Quality and Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure compliance with USDA/FSIS requirements and all applicable federal, state, and local regulations.
• Support and enforce HACCP, SSOP, GMP, sanitation, animal welfare, food safety, and quality programs.
• Work closely with Quality Assurance leadership to address regulatory or food safety concerns.
• Ensure corrective actions are implemented quickly and effectively.

Maintain a plant culture where food safety and product quality are treated as fundamental operating requirements.

• Identify opportunities to increase throughput, improve yields, reduce downtime, reduce labor requirements, and lower operating costs.
• Establish measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for plant departments.
• Utilize daily and weekly performance data to drive operational decisions.
• Lead continuous improvement projects throughout the facility.

Evaluate equipment, automation, processes, and plant layout improvements that could increase plant profitability.

Key Performance Indicators

• The Plant Manager will be evaluated on areas including:
• Carcass yield and product recovery
• Production efficiency and throughput
• Labor cost and labor hours per head
• Overtime
• Preventative maintenance completion
• Equipment reliability
• Product loss and waste
• Employee turnover and absenteeism
• Workplace safety performance
• USDA and food safety compliance
• Quality performance
• Operating expenses
• Plant profitability and P&L performance

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Previous management experience in a pork slaughter or pork processing facility is required.
• Must be bilingual and able to communicate effectively in both English and Spanish.
• Must be able to communicate instructions, expectations, corrective actions, safety requirements, and production goals to both English- and Spanish-speaking employees.
• Previous management experience in pork slaughter or pork processing operations.
• Strong understanding of pork slaughter operations, carcass handling, yields, production flow, and plant efficiencies.
• Demonstrated experience managing production employees, supervisors, and department managers.
• Experience with plant preventative maintenance and equipment reliability programs.
• Strong understanding of production costs, budgeting, and P&L management.
• Knowledge of USDA/FSIS requirements, HACCP, SSOP, GMP, sanitation, animal welfare, and food safety requirements.
• Ability to analyze production and financial data and turn the information into corrective action.
• Strong leadership, communication, organizational, and problem‑solving skills

Ability to work in a fast‑paced slaughter and processing environment and make timely operational decisions.

Preferred Qualifications

• 5+ years of pork slaughter or pork processing experience.
• 3+ years of plant, operations, production, or senior management experience within the pork industry.
• Experience managing a USDA‑inspected slaughter facility.

Experience improving carcass yields, labor efficiency, preventative maintenance performance, and plant profitability.

• This is a hands‑on plant leadership position. The successful candidate must be comfortable spending significant time on the production floor, working directly with supervisors and employees, reviewing plant performance, identifying problems, and ensuring corrective actions are completed.
• The Plant Manager is ultimately responsible for the performance of the facility and is expected to take ownership of production, people, equipment, yields, costs, regulatory compliance, and profitability.

BENEFITS:

Health, Life, Short & Long term Disability, Dental, Vision, 401(k), Flex Spending Plan, Wellness Program, EAP, Paid Holidays, PTO, Competitive Wage and Great People to work with!

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The work environment and physical characteristics are representative of those that an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this position.

EEO- Pre-Employment Drug Test and Post-Offer Physical