Plant Manager - Alaska Naturals Bellingham

Trident Seafoods; Bellingham (WA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid time off and holidays

Paid parental leave

Commuter and transit programs

Job summary

Trident Seafoods is seeking a Plant Manager for its Alaska Naturals facility in Bellingham, WA. This role oversees production, quality, maintenance, and technical processes to deliver safe, compliant, and cost-effective performance.

You’ll lead a small technical team and partner with multiple functions to maintain yield, throughput, and regulatory adherence. The role requires strong leadership, budget ownership, and a history of improving operations in a lean, process‑driven environment.

Qualifications

• Eight or more years of progressively responsible manufacturing/plant operations experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, operations management or related field, or equivalent.
• Experience leading operations and technical or maintenance staff preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead Alaska Naturals facility operations, including production, maintenance, quality, safety, staffing, and site admin.
• Own plant budget, labor/material use, yield, inventory, and capital priorities.
• Set operating strategy with short- and long-term goals and accountability measures.
• Drive safety culture and ensure regulatory compliance for food manufacturing.
• Direct a small technical team, coordinating with cross-functional partners to ensure material flow.

Skills

Operations leadership

Budget management

Process improvement

Lean Six Sigma

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering / related field

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Overview

Trident Seafoods is North America’s largest vertically integrated seafood company—partnering with fishermen, employees, and communities to responsibly harvest, process, and share wild Alaska seafood with the world. With deep roots in Alaska and operating across the globe, Trident is a privately held company headquartered in Seattle, committed to nourishing the world while upholding the highest standards for safety, sustainability, and excellence.

At Trident Seafoods, we work together for something bigger than ourselves. From nourishing the world with the best protein on earth to protecting our oceans, serving our fishermen, and supporting communities in Alaska and beyond, here, you’ll find a values-driven culture where your growth matters, your work has purpose and your contributions are recognized and appreciated—because at Trident, we believe meaningful work connects us all.

Responsibilities

Summary:

The Plant Manager leads all operations for Trident Seafoods’ Alaska Naturals facility in Bellingham, Washington, which produces fish oil and related nutritional products. This role has overall accountability for safe, reliable, compliant, and cost-effective plant performance, including production, quality, maintenance, technical processes, people leadership, and financial results.

The Plant Manager provides hands‑on leadership in a specialized manufacturing environment and works closely with a small, experienced technical team to maintain process control, resolve complex production issues, improve yield and throughput, and ensure products consistently meet customer and regulatory requirements. The role establishes priorities for the site, develops team capability, manages operational risk, and aligns plant execution with Global Supply Chain and broader business objectives.

Essential Functions: (Responsibilities, Tasks, Supervisory Needs)

• Leads daily operations for the Alaska Naturals facility, including production, technical processes, maintenance coordination, quality, safety, staffing, and site administration.


• Assumes accountability for plant financial performance, including budget development, cost control, labor and material utilization, yield, inventory, capital priorities, and achievement of operating targets.


• Sets the site’s operating strategy and translates business priorities into clear short- and long-term goals, production plans, technical priorities, and accountability measures.


• Builds and sustains a strong safety culture and ensures compliance with the Trident Safety Program and applicable environmental, occupational safety, and process‑safety requirements.


• Ensures the facility operates in compliance with applicable food safety, product quality, environmental, labeling, and regulatory requirements for fish oil and nutritional-product manufacturing.


• Provides direction and support to a small technical team, effectively leveraging specialized expertise while maintaining clear ownership, disciplined decision-making, cross‑training, and continuity of critical knowledge.


• Partners with quality, engineering, maintenance, procurement, planning, logistics, commercial, and other cross‑functional teams to resolve issues and ensure the reliable flow of raw materials and finished products.


• Directs the production plan and adjusts labor, equipment, materials, scheduling, and technical resources to improve safety, quality, service, throughput, yield, uptime, and cost performance.


• Monitors plant performance through meaningful operating metrics, identifies root causes and emerging risks, and ensures corrective actions are completed and sustained.


• Manages and develops direct reports by setting clear expectations, assigning work, providing timely coaching and feedback, evaluating performance, supporting development, and making people decisions in partnership with HR.


• Represents Alaska Naturals in operating reviews and communicates site results, risks, resource needs, and recovery plans clearly to business and functional leaders.

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

Trident Seafoods offers a comprehensive and quality benefits package. Full‑time employees may be eligible for discretionary/performance‑based incentives, medical, dental and vision insurance plans, optional HRA/HSA, telemedicine, employee assistance and wellness programs, long‑term disability, basic life and AD&D, and 401(k) with a company match, paid time off, 10 paid holidays each year, and paid parental leave. For full‑time employees, the initial paid time off benefit starts at 20 days per year, adjusted commensurate with relevant experience. Commuter and transit programs are also available.

Qualifications

Travel/On-Call Requirements: Minimal travel, up to 10%.

Required Qualifications: (Education, Years of Experience, Certifications)

• A minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible experience in manufacturing, processing, or plant operations, including experience leading operations and technical or maintenance employees.


• A bachelor's degree in engineering, operations management, or a related field, or the equivalent combination of education and years of experience

Preferred Education & Experiences:

• Experience in seafood, fish oil, edible oils, rendering, nutritional ingredients, food processing, chemical processing, or another process‑manufacturing environment.


• Experience leading a specialized facility with a lean organizational structure and a small technical team.


• Experience with process controls, separation or refining processes, bulk‑liquid handling, utilities, preventive maintenance, and capital projects.


• Continuous improvement experience using Lean, Six Sigma, root‑cause analysis, or comparable problem‑solving methods.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):

• Demonstrated accountability for plant budgets, operating costs, production performance, and delivery of measurable operational results.


• Experience operating within regulated safety, quality, and environmental systems.


• Strong working knowledge of plant operations, process manufacturing, equipment reliability, quality systems, and environmental, health, and safety practices.


• Ability to lead through technical experts by asking effective questions, clarifying decision rights, integrating specialized input, and maintaining accountability for site results.


• Strong financial and analytical capability, including the ability to interpret plant operating data, identify performance drivers, and make sound trade‑off decisions.


• Proven ability to diagnose problems, establish priorities, manage risk, and drive corrective actions to completion.


• Practical, visible leadership style with the ability to build trust, establish clear standards, and develop a capable and accountable team.


• Clear written and verbal communication skills and the ability to work effectively with employees, leaders, customers, vendors, regulators, and cross‑functional partners.


• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and applicable plant reporting, planning, and performance‑management systems.


• Ability to adapt to changing production, supply, customer, and business needs in a specialized operating environment.

Work environment:

This role takes place in both an office and production setting. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be exposed to wet and/or humid conditions and moving mechanical parts. The employee is frequently exposed to outside weather conditions. The employee is occasionally exposed to high, precarious places; fumes or airborne particles; toxic or caustic chemicals; extreme cold; risk of electrical shock and vibration. The noise level in the work environment is moderate to loud.

Work Ability Requirements:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance.

Additional Information

This position is not eligible for immigration sponsorship, including F-1 STEM-OPT authorization.

Stay connected with Trident Seafoods online at www.tridentseafoods.com and follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube or LinkedIn Trident Seafoods provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. Trident Seafoods and its subsidiaries have adopted a drug‑free workplace policy. Working under the influence of Drugs or Alcohol is not permitted.Employment with Trident Seafoods is contingent upon the candidate maintaining valid immigration status and work authorization throughout employment, with or without immigration sponsorship by the company.

Pay Range

USD $100,000.00 - USD $140,000.00 /Yr.