Senior Director of Operational Excellence

Kettle Cuisine, LLC.; United States; Remote; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Kettle Cuisine is seeking a transformational Senior Director of Operational Excellence to elevate manufacturing performance, build a culture of continuous improvement, and scale our operating system across the U.S. network.

Reporting to the COO, you will drive cost reductions, productivity gains, and accountable leadership across facilities. The role demands strategic vision, hands-on manufacturing expertise, and the ability to translate opportunities into lasting business value while coaching

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Operations Management, Business, or related discipline.
• 12+ years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing operations, Operational Excellence, or continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated success designing, implementing, and sustaining manufacturing operating systems across multiple facilities.
• Experience in food manufacturing, consumer packaged goods, or comparable high-volume manufacturing environments.
• Proven ability to deliver measurable improvements in OEE, productivity, waste reduction, costs, and profitability.
• Strong command of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, TPM, and structured continuous improvement methodologies; Black Belt or equivalent certification preferred.
• Financial acumen and the ability to connect operational performance to measurable business value.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and influencing skills with cross-functional impact.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a network-wide Operational Excellence strategy aligned with growth and priorities.
• Design and deploy a standardized manufacturing operating system for visibility and consistency.
• Lead improvement roadmaps with plant leadership and disciplined execution.
• Identify and scale best practices across locations to accelerate performance.
• Lead initiatives to improve OEE, throughput, labor productivity, asset utilization, and capacity.
• Drive cost reduction through waste elimination and efficiency improvements.
• Coach plant leaders to strengthen execution, problem‑solving, and change leadership.

Skills

Lean Manufacturing

Six Sigma

TPM

Leadership

Financial acumen

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related

Job description

At the heart of our company is a deep passion for creating fresh, healthy, and artisan-quality food that brings people together. We honor the craft of artisan cooking, using scratch-made stocks, hand-chopped herbs, and only the highest-quality ingredients, complemented by cutting-edge technology. This allows us to deliver consistently safe, exceptional products on a large scale.

But it’s not just about the food. Our culture is built on principles that shape how we grow, both as individuals and as a team. One of our core values, Honoring Development, guides us to actively seek out, celebrate, and nurture one another’s talents, strengths, and interests. By fostering each other’s growth, we strengthen our relationships and capabilities, driving both personal and professional success.

We also believe in Honoring Each Other. We surround ourselves with passionate people who share our love for great food. Through mutual respect and collaboration, we create an environment where employees are empowered to thrive, building trusting, and rewarding relationships with our clients, partners, and one another.

If you’re looking for a place where your skills, passion, and ideas can flourish, we invite you to explore the opportunities available within our dynamic and supportive team.

Reports to: Chief Operating Officer

Location: Virtual

Travel: 50%

The Opportunity

Kettle Cuisine is seeking a transformational Senior Director of Operational Excellence to elevate manufacturing performance, strengthen operational discipline, and build a culture of continuous improvement across our U.S. manufacturing network.

Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer, this highly visible leadership role will shape and execute our Operational Culture, leadership and plant capabilities, Operational Excellence strategy, establish a scalable manufacturing operating system, and deliver measurable improvements in productivity, efficiency, cost, and profitability.

The ideal leader combines strategic vision with hands‑on manufacturing expertise, a proven ability to influence across multiple facilities, and a relentless focus on execution. Success requires more than implementing continuous improvement methodologies—it requires developing leaders, creating ownership at every level, and translating operational opportunities into sustainable business results.

What You'll Lead

Operational Excellence Strategy & Transformation

Develop and execute a network-wide Operational Excellence strategy aligned with business growth and manufacturing priorities.

Design and deploy a standardized manufacturing operating system that strengthens performance visibility, accountability, and operational consistency.

Partner with plant leadership to establish improvement roadmaps, performance expectations, and disciplined execution practices.

Identify and scale best practices across manufacturing locations to accelerate organizational performance.

Manufacturing Performance & Financial Impact

Lead strategic initiatives that improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), throughput, labor productivity, asset utilization, and manufacturing capacity.

Drive sustainable cost reduction through waste elimination, improved material yields, equipment reliability, and manufacturing efficiency.

Partner with Finance and Operations to quantify opportunities, validate savings, and deliver measurable EBITDA improvements.

Establish meaningful performance metrics and management routines that reinforce ownership, accelerate problem‑solving, and sustain results.

Continuous Improvement & Operational Discipline

Advance the adoption of our KCOP Continuous Improvement program, and structured problem‑solving methodologies.

Strengthen operational consistency through standard work, visual management, root cause analysis, and performance accountability.

Lead cross‑functional improvement initiatives that eliminate manufacturing losses and unlock capacity.

Build sustainable systems and capabilities that embed continuous improvement into everyday operations.

Leadership, Culture & Capability Building

Champion a high‑performance, merit‑based culture grounded in personal accountability, operational ownership, and measurable results.

Coach and influence plant leaders and cross‑functional teams to strengthen execution, problem‑solving, and change leadership.

Develop organizational capabilities through targeted training, leadership development, and knowledge sharing.

Foster collaboration across Operations, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, and Human Resources to accelerate transformation.

What You'll Bring

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Operations Management, Business, or a related discipline; advanced degree preferred.

12+ years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing operations, Operational Excellence, or continuous improvement.

Demonstrated success designing, implementing, and sustaining manufacturing operating systems across multiple facilities.

Experience in food manufacturing, consumer packaged goods (CPG), or comparable high-volume manufacturing environments strongly preferred.

Proven ability to deliver measurable improvements in OEE, productivity, waste reduction, manufacturing costs, and profitability.

Strong command of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, TPM, and structured continuous improvement methodologies; Black Belt or equivalent certification preferred.

Financial acumen and the ability to connect operational performance to measurable business value.

Exceptional leadership, communication, and influencing skills, with experience driving organizational change across functions and locations.

The Impact You'll Make

This role offers the opportunity to shape the future of manufacturing performance at Kettle Cuisine. As a strategic partner to the COO and plant leadership teams, you will help build a more efficient, accountable, and scalable manufacturing organization, one where continuous improvement is embedded in the culture and operational excellence delivers lasting competitive advantage.

Pay Range for Senior Director of Operational Excellence

The Senior Director of Operational Excellence base pay range $180,000 - 240,000 USD/annually. The listed salary range represents Kettle Cuisine’s good faith estimate for this position and represents the minimum and maximum for new hire salaries for the Remote location only. Ranges will be reviewed on a regular basis. An employee’s rate of pay within the range is determined by their qualifications, relevant experience, and demonstrated performance over time. In addition to those factors, we believe in the importance of pay equity and consider internal equity of our current team members as a part of any final offer. Hiring at the maximum of the range would not be typical to allow for future and continued salary growth. The Senior Director of Operational Excellence position is eligible for our comprehensive benefits package. Kettle Cuisine and all its legal entities comply with all federal, state, and local minimum wage laws.

This position is also eligible for a target bonus of 30%.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Kettle Cuisine complies with all aspects of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and state disability laws. This means we will not discriminate against qualified individuals with a disability in any phase of the employment relationship including application for employment, hiring, promotions and/or advancement opportunities, termination, compensation, training and any other conditions or privileges of employment.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Kettle Cuisine is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All employment decisions at Kettle Cuisine are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate.

Kettle Cuisine will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.

Core Values

Kettle Cuisine takes the utmost pride in its people, products and reputation. Each employee is expected to understand and live our Core Values every day.