Plant Manager

ZipRecruiter; Allentown (Lehigh County); On-site; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading pet health & wellness brand is seeking a dedicated Plant Manager to oversee operations in a fast-paced food manufacturing environment. The ideal candidate will have extensive leadership experience, particularly in lean manufacturing and food safety, and play a critical role in fostering a positive, customer-focused culture while driving operational excellence across the plant.

Qualifications

• Minimum 4-7 years senior manufacturing leadership experience required.
• Experience working in meat or pet food processing.
• Strong knowledge of food safety programs like HAACP, SQF, and BRC.

Responsibilities

• Establish and oversee plant goals and operations.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives for lean culture.
• Ensure a safe working environment for employees.

Skills

Leadership

Lean Manufacturing

Team Collaboration

Food Safety Knowledge

Project Management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Degree in Engineering or Food Science

MBA

Tools

ERP

MRP

Job description

Job DescriptionJob Description

Who We Are

Spot & Tango is an innovative pet health & wellness brand that delivers personalized meal plans on a subscription basis. Our recipes are developed by leading animal nutritionists, and are made with only real, human-grade ingredients... and nothing artificial! We have lofty goals (to make every dog in the country healthier, and every pet parent happier!) and we are looking for the right people to help us get there. This is an exciting opportunity to join a VC-backed, high-growth, e-commerce startup and have an outsized impact in an extremely fast-paced environment. Plus, you get to think about dogs all day!

Who You Are You are an experienced Plant Manager with a proven track record of driving safety, ensuring quality, and consistently achieving production targets within a food manufacturing environment. You excel at collaborating across functions with product innovation, strategic operations, and customer experience teams to deliver top-quality products to customers. With a deep understanding of lean manufacturing principles, you optimize plant operations and lead continuous improvement initiatives. You know how to build a positive, inclusive culture even amidst rapid growth, while implementing processes that foster both personal and professional development for all employees. Driven by a "can-do" attitude and a strong ownership mindset, you are eager to make a significant impact in a lean, fast-growing organization.

Responsibilities:

• Establish plant goals, develop strategies, oversee all aspects of plant operations, and report on performance across all areas of responsibility
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to achieve manufacturing excellence and embed a lean culture
• Implement and maintain a safe work environment for all employees
• Oversee food processing, packaging, and shipping/receiving of frozen product to ensure timely and efficient production of high-quality products
• Foster a customer-focused mindset within the plant
• Support food safety and product quality initiatives to ensure safe and defect-free products
• Provide leadership to maintenance and QA functions by ensuring managers are engaging their teams in appropriate dialogue, action planning, and executing to plan
• Maintain high employee engagement, communicate factory strategy, successes, and challenges, and cultivate Spot & Tango's culture within the operation
• Help coordinate shift patterns and labor scheduling to ensure plant runs smoothly and efficiently
• Work collaboratively with Spot & Tango team members from various business functions, and interact directly with senior leadership, and host the company's partners and investors during site visits

Qualifications:

• Minimum 4-7 years senior manufacturing leadership experience
• Minimum 4 years of people management experience
• Project management experience
• Understanding of lean manufacturing principles and systems
• Expertise in supply chain and business systems (e.g., ERP, MRP)
• Strong knowledge of food safety programs (e.g., HAACP, SQF, BRC, cGMP)
• Experience hiring for senior plant leadership positions (e.g., QA, maintenance, team leads)
• Experience working in meat (or pet food) processing / production
• Bachelor's degree required, degree in Engineering or Food Science , MBA
• Dog lovers a plus!

We are unable to sponsor visas or work permits at this stage. Applicants must have the right to work in the United States.

Spot & Tango is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.