Plant Manager: Food Production & Operational Excellence

J&J Snack Foods; Paducah (KY); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

J&J Snack Foods Corp. seeks a Plant Manager to lead a high-volume snack food facility, ensuring safety, quality, and cost targets are met. You will drive lean initiatives, manage a diverse team, and partner with maintenance, quality, and planning to deliver the production plan.

The role requires deep operations expertise, strong leadership, and a proven track record in GMP and regulatory compliance to sustain continuous improvement and plant profitability.

Qualifications

• 7–10+ years leading manufacturing operations in CPG or food production.
• Proven safety management track record with OSHA/regulatory compliance.
• Experience with GMP, HACCP, and quality systems.
• Strong financial acumen and cost management experience.

Responsibilities

• Oversee all plant operations including production, maintenance, quality, and sanitation.
• Drive safety culture and ensure regulatory compliance.
• Deliver production plan on time and optimize OEE and waste.
• Lead continuous improvement and kaizen events.
• Develop and mentor supervisors and frontline staff.
• Manage budget, labor, and capital projects.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with planning, procurement, engineering, distribution.
• Report KPIs to senior leadership and drive actions.

Skills

Leadership

Operations management

Safety & compliance

Lean manufacturing

Continuous improvement

Budgeting & cost control

Cross-functional leadership

Problem-solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Operations/Management

Master’s degree preferred

Equivalent experience considered

Tools

SAP or JD Edwards

Job description

J&J Snack Foods Corp. seeks a Plant Manager to lead a high-volume snack food facility, ensuring safety, quality, and cost targets are met. You will drive lean initiatives, manage a diverse team, and partner with maintenance, quality, and planning to deliver the production plan.

The role requires deep operations expertise, strong leadership, and a proven track record in GMP and regulatory compliance to sustain continuous improvement and plant profitability.