Plant Manager - Ready to Eat (RTE)

Corporate and Technical Recruiters; Columbus (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

The Plant Manager position requires hands-on leadership on the production floor to ensure safety, quality, and regulatory compliance. You will develop a strong team culture, coach employees, and set departmental goals to drive efficiencies while controlling costs and growing revenues.

The role emphasizes visible plant leadership, employee development, GMP adherence, and continuous improvement across production planning and operations.

Qualifications

• 7+ years experience as an accomplished senior manager in the food manufacturing industry (cooked & RTE meat).
• Strong leadership and organizational skills with a track record of building cohesive, efficient teams.
• College or university degree strongly desired or equivalent qualifications through work history.

Responsibilities

• Drive high standards in operational efficiency, quality, and accuracy.
• Provide leadership and direction to management and staff.
• Implement and manage strategies to increase efficiency, maintain quality, and enable continuous improvement.
• Utilize cost analysis, purchasing, capacity planning, and forecasting.

Skills

Senior management

Food manufacturing

Leadership

GMP & safety

Budgeting

Training development

Education

Bachelor's degree preferred

Job description

The Plant Manager must have the ability to lead, coach, and mentor employees. Visibility on the production floor is a must to assure safety standards, product quality, and regulatory compliance. The Plant manager will be able to develop a team atmosphere and create a safe and calm work environment. The Plant Manager will drive efficiencies, determine goals for each department.

This is a hands-on position and requires a large portion of time in the plant as opposed to the office. The successful candidate will provide the hands-on leadership experience and guidance required to provide best-in-class product offerings. This individual will drive efficiencies in operations and must be cost effective while growing revenues and profits. The Plant Manager will proactively foster the “family” mentality among all employees and create a cohesive and goal-oriented environment. He/she will lead employee development to new levels of competency in their job responsibilities with the goal of building bench strength within the organization for future leadership positions.

Specific Job Functions:

• Drive high standards in operational efficiency, quality, and accuracy
• Provide overall leadership and direction to management and staff.
• Responsible for implementing and managing strategies to increase efficiency, maintain quality, and ensure continuous improvement.
• Utilize the full capabilities of cost analysis, purchasing, capacity planning, and forecasting.
• Develop and implement tracking programs to monitor goals, progress and provided trend analysis to management
• Monitor operations training programs. Schedule and manage the operations workforce
• Establish and achieve individual and departmental goals and budgets
• Focus on employee development programs
• Involved in production and materials planning.
• Provide failure analysis and corrective actions
• Responsible for ensuring the employees follow GMP and safety guidelines
• Report daily activity results to senior management

Qualifications:

• 7 + years experience as an accomplished senior manager in the food manufacturing industry of a cooked and RTE meat product.
• Great management and organizational skills including a track record for attracting the right people and developing a cohesive culture that fosters teamwork and efficiency.
• A college or university degree is strongly desired or
• Equal qualifications thru work history

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• High standards in food safety, workplace safety, and sanitation
• Training program development and implementation experience
• Strong budget development and management skills
• Logistics experience is highly preferred to lead a growing department