Plant Operations Lead, Food Processing & Lean Improvement

Wonderful Citrus; Mission (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Education Reimbursement

Equal Opportunity Employer

Job summary

Wonderful Citrus in Mission, Texas is seeking a Plant Manager to lead daily production, optimize throughput, and drive Lean/CI initiatives across juice processing and related operations.

The role requires a Bachelor's degree, 8–10 years manufacturing experience and 5+ years in leadership, with travel up to 10%. You will partner with maintenance, quality, and safety to ensure GMP, HACCP, and FSMA compliance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent with manufacturing leadership experience.
• 8–10 years progressive manufacturing experience.
• 5+ years in manufacturing leadership roles.
• Experience managing production operations, budgets and KPIs.
• Strong knowledge of industrial safety, quality systems, and processes.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally (~10%).

Responsibilities

• Own daily plant execution and production schedule to maximize throughput.
• Plan and direct production activities and set priorities.
• Develop budgets and cost controls; obtain data on parts and equipment.
• Coordinate with agriculture, planning, quality, engineering, maintenance, warehouse, logistics, and commercial teams.
• Lead KPI development and reporting to management.
• Maximize product recovery and investigate losses.
• Lead root-cause analysis and lean/CI projects.
• Ensure OSHA compliance and safety programs.
• Supervise two departments and manage vacation/work schedules.
• Enter production data into ERP accurately.

Skills

Manufacturing leadership

Budget mgmt

KPIs management

Safety compliance

Operations management

Analytical skills

Communication

Travel obligations

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Engineering/Food Science/Operations degree

Job description

Wonderful Citrus in Mission, Texas is seeking a Plant Manager to lead daily production, optimize throughput, and drive Lean/CI initiatives across juice processing and related operations.

The role requires a Bachelor's degree, 8–10 years manufacturing experience and 5+ years in leadership, with travel up to 10%. You will partner with maintenance, quality, and safety to ensure GMP, HACCP, and FSMA compliance.