Plant Manager

Baily International; Tampa (FL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Baily International Foods in Tampa, FL is seeking a hands-on Plant Manager to lead our manufacturing facility. This role has full responsibility for daily operations, safety, quality, production, and on-time customer fulfillment.

You will work with Quality, Maintenance, Logistics, Purchasing, HR and senior operations to ensure regulatory compliance and continuous improvement, coaching supervisors, and developing the team on the floor.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive leadership experience in food manufacturing or food production.
• Experience leading employees in a manufacturing or production environment.
• Strong understanding of production operations, food safety, GMPs, sanitation, and quality requirements.
• Ability to lead from the floor in a hands-on, fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily plant operations and align production schedules with customer orders and inventory requirements.
• Monitor production output, staffing, efficiency, and overall plant performance.
• Ensure customer expectations for fulfillment, quality, and food safety are consistently achieved.
• Maintain GMP, sanitation, HACCP, food safety, and regulatory practices throughout the facility.
• Partner with Quality Manager to maintain food safety and quality standards.
• Develop, coach, and mentor supervisors and production employees while building accountability.
• Evaluate staffing requirements and coordinate employee training and development.
• Monitor equipment condition and coordinate with Maintenance on reliability and production needs.
• Review production processes and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, output, quality, and safety.
• Monitor product and freezer temperature requirements and other critical production parameters.
• Perform production audits and basic sensory evaluations as needed.
• Ensure required production, quality, and regulatory documentation is completed accurately and on time.
• Track KPIs and provide updates to operations leadership.
• Participate in budget planning and manage plant resources responsibly.
• Serve on the HACCP/Food Safety Plan team.
• Lead and support continuous improvement initiatives.

Skills

Leadership

Food manufacturing

GMP & HACCP

MS Excel

Communication

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

College degree preferred

Tools

Microsoft Excel

MS Office

Job description

Location: Tampa, FL | Full-Time | Onsite

About the Opportunity

Baily International Foods is seeking a hands-on Plant Manager to lead our Tampa manufacturing facility. This leader will have overall responsibility for day-to-day plant operations, with a focus on safety, food quality, production performance, employee development, and reliable customer fulfillment.

This is a smaller facility of approximately 27 employees, making this an ideal opportunity for a Plant Manager who enjoys being visible on the floor, working closely with their team, and having a direct impact on plant performance.

The Plant Manager will partner closely with Quality, Maintenance, Logistics, Purchasing, Human Resources, and senior operations leadership to ensure the facility operates safely, efficiently, and in accordance with customer and regulatory requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead daily plant operations and ensure production schedules align with customer orders and inventory requirements.
• Monitor production output, open orders, finished goods inventory, staffing, efficiency, and overall plant performance.
• Ensure customer expectations for fulfillment, quality, and food safety are consistently achieved.
• Maintain strong GMP, sanitation, HACCP, food safety, and regulatory practices throughout the facility.
• Partner closely with the onsite Quality Manager to maintain food safety and quality standards.
• Develop, coach, and mentor supervisors and production employees while building accountability across the plant.
• Evaluate staffing requirements and coordinate employee training and development.
• Monitor equipment condition and partner with Maintenance to address reliability and production needs.
• Review production processes and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, output, quality, and safety.
• Monitor product and freezer temperature requirements and other critical production parameters.
• Perform production audits and basic sensory evaluations as needed.
• Ensure required production, quality, and regulatory documentation is completed accurately and on time.
• Track key performance indicators and provide regular updates to operations leadership covering production, staffing, safety, quality, efficiency, and training.
• Participate in budget planning and help manage plant resources responsibly.
• Serve as a member of the HACCP/Food Safety Plan team.
• Lead and support continuous improvement initiatives across the facility.

What We're Looking For

• 5+ years of progressive leadership experience in food manufacturing or food production.
• Experience leading employees in a manufacturing or production environment.
• Strong understanding of production operations, food safety, GMPs, sanitation, and quality requirements.
• Ability to lead from the floor and work effectively in a hands‑on, fast‑paced environment.
• Strong communication, organization, problem‑solving, and team‑development skills.
• Comfortable tracking operational performance and working with Microsoft Office, including Excel.
• High school diploma or equivalent required; college degree preferred.
• HACCP experience strongly preferred.
• SQF or other GFSI food safety experience is a plus.
• Bilingual capabilities are a plus, but not required.

This position works in an active food manufacturing environment and requires regular presence throughout the production facility. Conditions may include moving equipment, wet or humid areas, noise, forklift traffic, and temperatures ranging from refrigerated/freezer environments to warmer production areas.

Required personal protective equipment and all applicable food safety, GMP, sanitation, and facility safety procedures must be followed at all times.

Why Baily International Foods?

For more than 30 years, Baily International Foods has built its business around quality, innovation, and authentic food manufacturing. We're continuing to grow and are looking for leaders who take ownership, develop their people, and aren't afraid to get involved in the operation.

The Tampa Plant Manager will have the opportunity to lead a close‑knit facility, work directly with senior operations leadership, and make a visible impact on the performance and continued development of the plant.