Plant Transformation Leader – Global Operations

What the Tech, Bend?; Bend, Northern (OR, KY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Suterra is seeking a Plant Transformation Leader to accelerate manufacturing improvements at our Bend, Oregon facility. You will assess operations, identify constraints, and drive capital and process changes with cross-functional teams across engineering, quality, supply chain, and finance.

You will apply Lean, Six Sigma, and data analytics to increase throughput, yield, and reliability, while building scalable processes and measurable results for future growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Manufacturing, or a related technical discipline.
• Progressive experience in manufacturing, operations, engineering, or process improvement.
• Demonstrated success leading measurable operational or manufacturing improvements.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate manufacturing and chemical operations to identify constraints, inefficiencies, capacity limitations, process risks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Develop and execute improvement strategies that increase throughput, capacity, yield, quality, reliability, and overall operational performance.
• Identify opportunities to use automation, technology, data, and analytics to improve processes, reduce manual work, increase visibility, and enable scale.
• Lead complex, cross-functional improvement initiatives from problem identification and business case development through implementation and measurement of results.
• Partner with Engineering and Finance to identify, prioritize, and execute capital investments that improve plant capability, support growth, and deliver measurable returns.
• Analyze production flow, equipment utilization, labor deployment, operating practices, and organizational processes to identify opportunities for greater efficiency and effectiveness.
• Apply Lean, Six Sigma, continuous improvement, and other structured problem-solving methodologies where they add value.
• Establish meaningful performance measures and use operational data to identify trends, prioritize opportunities, and measure results.
• Develop scalable processes, standards, and operating practices that strengthen execution and accountability.
• Work directly with operators, supervisors, engineers, and functional leaders to understand current processes and develop practical solutions.
• Build organizational capability by coaching teams in problem solving, continuous improvement, and data-driven decision making.
• Support the evaluation and development of manufacturing talent and organizational capabilities needed for future growth.
• Partner across Suterra’s broader operations to share best practices and support improvement initiatives as needed.
• Communicate priorities, progress, risks, recommendations, and measurable results to executive leadership.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Communication

Change management

Capital projects

Process optimization

Scale-up

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related

Lean Six Sigma certification

Experience in chemical, batch, or complex process-manufacturing environments

Tools

MES/ERP systems

Job description

Help Build the Next Generation of Suterra Manufacturing

Suterra is looking for a proven manufacturing leader who knows how to walk into an operation, understand how it really works, identify opportunities, and turn those opportunities into measurable results.

This role is designed for someone who has developed within a sophisticated manufacturing environment and has seen what strong operating systems, technology, automation, data, and disciplined continuous improvement can accomplish. You may already lead an operation, or you may be a high-performing engineering or operational excellence leader ready for significantly greater ownership and impact.

As Plant Transformation Leader, you will work directly with Suterra’s executive, manufacturing, chemical operations, engineering, quality, supply chain, and finance teams to evaluate our operations and help build the systems, processes, technology, and capabilities needed to support our continued growth.

This is a hands-on role based onsite at our Bend, Oregon manufacturing facility.

Job Description

What You’ll Do

• Evaluate manufacturing and chemical operations to identify constraints, inefficiencies, capacity limitations, process risks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Develop and execute improvement strategies that increase throughput, capacity, yield, quality, reliability, and overall operational performance.
• Identify opportunities to use automation, technology, data, and analytics to improve processes, reduce manual work, increase visibility, and enable scale.
• Lead complex, cross-functional improvement initiatives from problem identification and business case development through implementation and measurement of results.
• Partner with Engineering and Finance to identify, prioritize, and execute capital investments that improve plant capability, support growth, and deliver measurable returns.
• Analyze production flow, equipment utilization, labor deployment, operating practices, and organizational processes to identify opportunities for greater efficiency and effectiveness.
• Apply Lean, Six Sigma, continuous improvement, and other structured problem-solving methodologies where they add value.
• Establish meaningful performance measures and use operational data to identify trends, prioritize opportunities, and measure results.
• Develop scalable processes, standards, and operating practices that strengthen execution and accountability.
• Work directly with operators, supervisors, engineers, and functional leaders to understand current processes and develop practical solutions.
• Build organizational capability by coaching teams in problem solving, continuous improvement, and data-driven decision making.
• Support the evaluation and development of manufacturing talent and organizational capabilities needed for future growth.
• Partner across Suterra’s broader operations to share best practices and support improvement initiatives as needed.
• Communicate priorities, progress, risks, recommendations, and measurable results to executive leadership.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role isn’t simply implementing a methodology or reducing cost. It means developing a deep understanding of how Suterra operates, identifying the opportunities that will have the greatest impact, and working with our teams to turn those opportunities into sustainable results.

We are looking for someone who can help us produce more, operate smarter, use technology more effectively, strengthen our people and processes, and build manufacturing capabilities that scale with the business.

Qualifications

What We’re Looking For

• Approximately 6–12 years of progressive manufacturing, engineering, operations, or operational excellence experience, although demonstrated results are more important than years alone.
• Developed within a sophisticated manufacturing organization with strong operating systems, technology, and process discipline.
• Personally led improvements that produced measurable results in areas such as throughput, capacity, OEE, yield, cost, quality, automation, labor productivity, or process reliability.
• Demonstrated an ability to evaluate an operation and identify root causes before prescribing solutions.
• Experience using technology, automation, manufacturing systems, and data to improve or scale operations.
• Led cross-functional initiatives involving Operations, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, or other business functions.
• Experience with capital projects, manufacturing/process optimization, or production scale-up.
• The ability to build credibility with employees at every level, from the plant floor through executive leadership.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and change-management skills.
• A willingness to challenge existing practices while building the organizational support necessary to make improvements sustainable.
• Experience in specialty chemicals, industrial gases, pharmaceutical or biotech manufacturing, advanced materials, semiconductor, food or ingredient manufacturing, or other sophisticated process-manufacturing environments is particularly relevant.

Education & Experience

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Manufacturing, or a related technical discipline.
• Progressive experience in manufacturing, operations, engineering, or process improvement.
• Demonstrated success leading measurable operational or manufacturing improvements.

Preferred

• Degree in Chemical, Mechanical, Industrial, Manufacturing, or Process Engineering.
• Lean, Six Sigma, or other continuous improvement certification.
• Experience in chemical, batch, regulated, or other complex process-manufacturing environments.
• Experience with automation, manufacturing technology, process controls, MES/ERP systems, or advanced manufacturing analytics.
• Experience supporting multiple manufacturing sites or broader organizational transformation.

Additional Information

Why Suterra

Suterra is a global leader in sustainable agricultural technology. Our products use innovative science and manufacturing to provide growers with highly effective alternatives to traditional pest-control approaches.

This position offers an opportunity that can be difficult to find inside a large corporate structure: the ability to take what you have learned, work directly with senior leadership and plant teams, and have a visible impact on how an organization operates and grows.

For someone who has built a strong foundation and is ready for greater ownership, this is an opportunity to help shape what comes next.

Work Location

This position is based onsite at Suterra’s Bend, Oregon facility. Regular onsite presence is an essential function of the role due to the hands‑on nature of manufacturing assessment, process improvement, employee collaboration, and implementation activities.

Travel to other Suterra locations and business partners may be required based on project needs.

Suterra is wholly owned by The Wonderful Company

The Wonderful Company, headquartered in Los Angeles, is a privately held $6 billion global agribusiness company with consumer brands including Wonderful® Pistachios, Wonderful® Halos®, POM Wonderful®, FIJI® Water, JUSTIN® and Landmark® wines, as well as the Teleflora® flower delivery service.

To learn more about The Wonderful Company, visit www.wonderful.com , or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To view the current Corporate Social Responsibility report, visit www.wonderful.com/csr .

The Wonderful Company is an Equality Opportunity Employer that provides opportunities for advancement. We are committed to creating a diverse workforce that embodies a deep culture of acceptance, equity, and inclusion. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, region, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories.