Plant Manager

TalentGate, a Hunt Group, Inc. company; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

TalentGate, a Hunt Group, Inc. company, is seeking a Plant Manager for a food manufacturing facility in Washington State. In this role, you will lead daily operations and ensure production performance and food safety compliance.

The ideal candidate has 7-15 years of relevant experience and a proven track record in improving production KPIs. Strong leadership from the floor is essential, along with ERP systems knowledge.

Qualifications

• 7–15 years of food manufacturing experience; 3+ years in a leadership role.
• Proven track record of improving production KPIs.
• Experience enforcing ERP system discipline.

Responsibilities

• Manage production output, scheduling, and labor efficiency.
• Develop written production standards and accountability processes.
• Ensure food safety compliance with regulations.

Skills

Improving production KPIs

Food safety certification (SQF, HACCP, GMP)

ERP operations experience

Leadership from the floor

Production management

Job description

TalentGate is conducting a confidential search for a Plant Manager on behalf of a food manufacturer in Washington State. The company and role details are shared with qualified candidates upon mutual interest.

The Role

This is a hands-on production leadership role with full accountability for daily manufacturing performance. The right person leads from the floor, owns their numbers, and builds systems and teams that perform without constant oversight. The culture is direct and results-oriented. You will have real authority and real accountability.

What You'll Own

• Day-to-day production output, scheduling, labor efficiency, yield, and waste
• Written production standards, SOPs, and shift accountability processes
• Daily production huddles, weekly KPI reviews, and root cause / corrective action discipline
• Labor planning and staffing flexibility as volume changes
• Accurate and complete production transactions in the ERP system
• Inventory accuracy from the floor up; manufacturing order management
• Food safety compliance: SQF, HACCP, GMPs, and applicable regulatory requirements
• Team assessment, development, and accountability across supervisors and functional managers
• Proactive communication to leadership — flag risks early, follow through without prompting

What We're Looking For

Required

• 7–15 years of food manufacturing experience; 3+ years in a production, operations, and/or plant management leadership role
• Demonstrated track record of improving production KPIs: on-time delivery, yield, OEE, labor efficiency, or waste reduction
• ERP operations experience in a manufacturing environment — has enforced system discipline, not just used the system
• Food safety certification experience: SQF, HACCP, GMP
• Leads from the floor, not from the office
• Able to work on-site full-time in Washington State

Preferred

• CI / Lean manufacturing background with formal accountability for improvement results
• Experience in a lean, fast-growth, or founder-led operating environment
• Regulated food manufacturing (USDA, FDA)
• History of building or rebuilding a production team during growth or change