Plant Manager

KCO Resource Management; Lexington (KY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

KCO Resource Management is seeking a Plant Manager for a Lexington, KY-based food manufacturing operation. The role focuses on building scalable processes, leading a high-performing team, and driving operational excellence as the company plans significant growth.

The ideal candidate balances strategic planning with hands-on execution, ensuring safe, efficient, and profitable plant performance while maintaining regulatory compliance and customer satisfaction.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, or related field.
• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience.
• Plant Manager or senior operations leadership experience in food manufacturing.
• Experience in salty snacks or similar baked/fried snack manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of high-speed manufacturing, packaging, and food processing operations.
• Proven success leading facilities through rapid growth and capacity expansion.
• Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, food safety systems, and operational KPIs.
• Ability to balance operational execution with long-term strategic planning.
• Excellent communication, coaching, and leadership skills.
• Experience leading capital expansion and capacity improvement projects.
• Proven success building high-performance cultures in entrepreneurial, fast-growing organizations.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership for all manufacturing operations, including production, packaging, sanitation, maintenance, warehouse coordination, and continuous improvement.
• Build and develop a high-performing leadership team focused on safety, quality, accountability, and execution.
• Establish a culture of ownership, collaboration, and operational excellence throughout the facility.
• Maintain a highly visible presence on the manufacturing floor, coaching leaders and engaging employees daily.
• Lead day-to-day operations to safely achieve production, quality, cost, and customer service objectives.
• Successfully scale production capacity to support significant business growth.
• Drive improvements in throughput, labor efficiency, yield, scrap reduction, OEE, and downtime.
• Partner with Quality to drive root cause analysis, corrective actions, and continuous process improvements.
• Develop standardized work and sustainable operating procedures that support future growth.
• Manage plant performance against established operating budgets and KPIs.

Skills

Leadership & team development

Operations management

Lean manufacturing

Quality & food safety

Strategic planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Performance metrics & KPIs

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, or related field

Job description

We are working with a food manufacturing company that is looking for a Plant Manager in the Lexington area. This role offers the chance to develop a team, build scalable processes, and drive operational excellence while the company prepares for substantial growth. This is a high-impact leadership role responsible for the safe, efficient, and profitable operation of a rapidly growing food manufacturing plant. The Plant Manager will play a critical role in scaling operations, developing talent, improving manufacturing performance, and building the systems, processes, and culture necessary to support that growth. The ideal candidate is a hands‑on leader who can balance strategic planning with day‑to‑day operational execution.

Job Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership for all manufacturing operations, including production, packaging, sanitation, maintenance, warehouse coordination, and continuous improvement.
• Build and develop a high-performing leadership team focused on safety, quality, accountability, and execution.
• Establish a culture of ownership, collaboration, and operational excellence throughout the facility.
• Maintain a highly visible presence on the manufacturing floor, coaching leaders and engaging employees daily.
• Lead day-to-day operations to safely achieve production, quality, cost, and customer service objectives.
• Successfully scale production capacity to support significant business growth.
• Drive improvements in throughput, labor efficiency, yield, scrap reduction, OEE, and downtime.
• Ensure production schedules are executed while maintaining product quality and customer expectations.
• Partner with Supply Chain to ensure material availability and inventory accuracy.
• Ensure compliance with USDA, FDA, GMP, HACCP, OSHA, and all regulatory requirements.
• Partner with Quality to drive root cause analysis, corrective actions, and continuous process improvements.
• Maintain the highest standards for sanitation, product quality, and regulatory compliance.
• Lead Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives across the plant.
• Utilize data and KPIs to improve operational performance and eliminate waste.
• Support capital projects, equipment installations, and process optimization efforts.
• Develop standardized work and sustainable operating procedures that support future growth.
• Manage plant performance against established operating budgets and KPIs.
• Drive improvements in labor utilization, manufacturing costs, inventory control, and asset utilization.
• Partner with Operations leadership to develop long-term manufacturing strategies supporting continued expansion.

Required Skills/Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, or related field preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience.
• Previous Plant Manager or senior operations leadership experience within food manufacturing.
• Must have experience in salty snacks or similar baked and/or fried snack manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of high-speed manufacturing, packaging, and food processing operations.
• Demonstrated success leading manufacturing facilities through periods of rapid growth and increased production capacity.
• Strong knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, food safety systems, and operational KPIs.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to balance operational execution with long-term strategic planning.
• Excellent communication, coaching, and leadership skills.
• Experience leading capital expansion and capacity improvement projects.
• Proven success building high-performance cultures in entrepreneurial, fast-growing organizations.