Plant Director

Tandem Foods; Los Alamitos (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual Bonus

Career development opportunities

Job summary

A food and beverage manufacturing company is hiring a Plant Director in Los Alamitos, CA. This role involves full operational leadership of the plant, driving performance across safety, quality, and production. The ideal candidate will have 10+ years of manufacturing leadership experience and strong knowledge of food manufacturing regulations. The position demands a strategic leader capable of enhancing operational excellence and maintaining compliance in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience required.
• Experience in USDA, FDA, and SQF environments preferred.
• Ability to work on-site in a fast-paced production environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead all plant operations with direct accountability for performance outcomes.
• Manage production planning, staffing, and inventory accuracy.
• Ensure compliance with food safety and regulatory requirements.

Skills

Food manufacturing operations

Lean Manufacturing methodologies

Leadership and coaching

Analytical problem-solving

Financial acumen

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Operations, Engineering, or Food Science

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

ERP/MES systems

Job description

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This range is provided by Tandem Foods. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

Base pay range

$170,000.00/yr - $210,000.00/yr

Additional compensation types

• Annual Bonus
• Direct message the job poster from Tandem Foods

Recruitment Partner | Driving Talent Acquisition Strategy at Tandem Foods

Summary

The Plant Director has full operational ownership of the Calle Lee plant in Los Alamitos, CA. This role is responsible for setting and executing plant strategy while ensuring best-in-class performance across safety, quality, service, cost, and people development.

As a senior operations leader, the Plant Director provides strategic and hands‑on leadership to all plant functions, including Production, Maintenance, Quality, Sanitation, Warehouse, and Support Functions, driving operational excellence at a scale that has significant impact on the organization’s overall performance. This role plays a critical part in shaping culture, developing leadership capability, and delivering continuous improvement across the facility.

Key Responsibilities

Plant Leadership & Organizational Ownership

• Provide overall leadership and direction for all plant operations, with direct accountability for performance outcomes.
• Lead and develop a multi-layer leadership team, including Production, Maintenance, Quality, Sanitation, and Warehouse leaders.
• Drive a strong culture of safety, accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement across the facility.
• Establish clear expectations, performance standards, and succession plans for key leadership roles.

Operational Excellence & Performance Management

• Own plant-wide results for Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Productivity.
• Oversee all production and manufacturing operations, including production planning, staffing strategies, inventory accuracy, and equipment reliability.
• Establish, monitor, and improve key plant KPIs, including Safety, Quality, OEE, Line Efficiency, Labor Productivity, Scrap/Waste, Downtime, and Throughput.
• Champion Lean Manufacturing, TPM, and Continuous Improvement initiatives, including 5S, root cause analysis, standard work, and loss elimination.

Safety, Quality & Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure full compliance with all food safety, quality, and regulatory requirements, including SQF, HACCP, GMPs, USDA/FDA standards, and customer-specific requirements.
• Lead plant safety strategy, ensuring proactive risk identification, corrective action execution, and sustained results.
• Partner closely with Quality leadership to protect product integrity and reduce customer complaints.
• Lead and participate in internal and external audits, inspections, and risk assessments.

Cross‑Functional & Customer Collaboration

• Partner with Supply Chain, R&D, Quality, Maintenance, HR, Finance, and Commercial teams to support business objectives and new initiatives.
• Ensure plant execution aligns with customer commitments, service expectations, and growth plans.
• Serve as the primary operational point of contact for the facility, representing Calle Lee within the broader organization.

Strategic Planning, Capital & Financial Ownership

• Develop and execute plant‑level strategies aligned with company goals and long‑term operational plans.
• Own the annual operating budget, including labor, materials, overhead, and capital expenditures.
• Lead capital projects, equipment upgrades, and capacity expansion initiatives.
• Identify and implement cost‑reduction, efficiency, and capability‑building opportunities.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Deep expertise in food manufacturing operations, including safety, quality, and regulatory compliance.
• Proven ability to lead large, complex operations with measurable impact on business results.
• Strong command of Lean Manufacturing, OEE, TPM, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Exceptional leadership, coaching, and change‑management capabilities.
• Strong financial acumen, including budgeting, forecasting, and cost control.
• Excellent analytical, problem‑solving, and decision‑making skills.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence at all levels of the organization.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite; experience with ERP/MES systems preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Operations, Engineering, Food Science, or related field; advanced degree a plus.
• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience, including senior plant‑level leadership responsibility.
• Demonstrated experience leading large, complex manufacturing facilities with direct impact on enterprise performance.
• Food manufacturing experience strongly preferred; experience in regulated environments (USDA, FDA, SQF) required.
• Proven track record of building leadership teams, driving KPIs, managing budgets, and delivering continuous improvement.
• Strong experience leading maintenance, reliability, and capital programs (direct or matrixed responsibility).
• Ability to work flexible hours based on operational needs and business demands.
• Must be able to work on‑site in a fast‑paced production environment.
• 100% Onsite. Combination of office and manufacturing floor environments.
• Exposure to noise, machinery, temp. variation, and food‑processing conditions.
• Evening or weekend work may be required based on operational needs.

Tandem Foods is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Seniority Level

Director

Employment Type

Full‑time

Job Function

Production, Manufacturing, and Project Management

Industries

Food and Beverage Manufacturing