Senior Protein Processing Ops Leader (Plant GM)

Judge Direct Placement; Delaware; On-site; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

The Director of Operations (General Manager) role is the senior operational leader for a protein processing facility, overseeing harvest, debone, processing, packaging, shipping, sanitation, and maintenance to hit yield and cost targets. The ideal candidate will bring deep protein industry expertise, strong financial acumen, and proven compliance with USDA Organic/NOP, HACCP, and lean improvement methods.

Lead cross-functional teams and drive safety, quality, and continuous improvement across

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Animal Science, Engineering, or Business Administration (MBA preferred).
• 8+ years of progressive leadership in protein processing operations (poultry/meat/fish processing strongly preferred).
• Direct experience with USDA Organic / NOP regulations and organic chain-of-custody protocols.
• Proven mastery of USDA-FSIS, HACCP, SQF/BRC audits, and OSHA compliance.
• Hands-on Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, and operational efficiency tools.

Responsibilities

• Direct end-to-end processing facility operations to meet yield, throughput, cost-per-pound, and volume targets.
• Ensure strict adherence to USDA Organic, USDA-FSIS, NOP, and HACCP standards.
• Lead cross-functional site teams across First Processing, Second Processing, Packaging, Warehousing, QA, Maintenance, and EHS.
• Optimize yield recovery, line speeds, weight distribution, and raw material utilization for organic poultry/protein processing.
• Manage plant P&L, operating budgets, CapEx investments, and labor allocation.
• Analyze KPIs daily: pounds per hour, labor cost per unit, yield loss, downtime.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain, Live Operations, and Procurement on live bird scheduling.
• Maintain top-tier food safety standards and zero-tolerance for contamination; humane handling.
• Lead root-cause problem solving for customer specs, yield deviations, and QA non-conformances.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives (Lean, Six Sigma, TPM) to reduce waste and improve throughput.
• Foster a safety culture aiming for zero recordable incidents.
• Mentor and develop department managers and senior leaders for succession.

Skills

Protein processing operations

Lean manufacturing

Six Sigma

HACCP

USDA Organic / NOP

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Animal Science, Engineering, or Business Administration

Job description

The Director of Operations (General Manager) role is the senior operational leader for a protein processing facility, overseeing harvest, debone, processing, packaging, shipping, sanitation, and maintenance to hit yield and cost targets. The ideal candidate will bring deep protein industry expertise, strong financial acumen, and proven compliance with USDA Organic/NOP, HACCP, and lean improvement methods.

Lead cross-functional teams and drive safety, quality, and continuous improvement across