Vice President of Plant Operations

Leap Brands; New York (NY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Leap Brands invites a results-driven VP of Operations to lead the Brooklyn culinary production facility. This executive will own the P&L, drive transformation, and shape a scalable, multi-shift operation aligned with aggressive growth goals.

The role requires strong financial acumen, executive presence, and the ability to develop high-performing teams across multiple shifts and functions.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive operations leadership in food manufacturing or related sector.
• Proven track record with large-scale plant or multi-site operations.
• Experience with full P&L ownership and financial accountability.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for the Brooklyn culinary production facility.
• Develop and execute the site’s operational strategy aligned with growth objectives.
• Lead transformation and change management to achieve growth and efficiency.
• Assume full P&L responsibility for the facility including revenue, costs, and EBITDA.
• Establish budgets, forecasts, and KPIs; partner with Finance on variances and actions.
• Drive labor productivity, cost reduction, and margin improvement initiatives.
• Evaluate capital expenditures based on ROI and capacity needs.
• Translate financial results into actionable operating strategies for leadership.

Skills

Operational leadership

P&L ownership

Lean manufacturing

Multi-shift operations

Strategic planning

Leadership development

Budgeting & forecasting

Capacity planning

Executive presence

Data-driven decision making

Job description

We are seeking a dynamic, strategic, and hands-on Vice President of Operations to lead the overall operational performance of a key production facility within the Culinary division. This executive will have full accountability for plant operations, operational transformation, financial performance, leadership development, workforce optimization, and scalability across a ~70,000 sq. ft. facility.

The VP of Operations will play a critical role in transforming the operation from its current single-shift model into a highly efficient, multi-shift operation capable of supporting significant growth. This is a highly visible executive leadership position with direct responsibility for operational performance, P&L management, talent development, process improvement, and execution of the company's broader growth strategy.

The ideal candidate will combine strong operational leadership with financial acumen, executive presence, and the ability to build and develop high-performing teams.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Leadership & Strategy

• Provide overall strategic and operational leadership for the Brooklyn culinary production facility.
• Develop and execute the site's operational strategy in alignment with broader company growth objectives.
• Serve as a senior leader within the organization, partnering with executive leadership on growth, capacity planning, capital investments, and operational strategy.
• Establish clear performance expectations, accountability structures, and operating rhythms across the organization.
• Lead the organization through significant transformation, change management, and continued growth.
• Identify opportunities to improve scalability, profitability, productivity, and overall organizational effectiveness.
• Assume full P&L responsibility for the facility, with accountability for revenue, labor, cost of goods, overhead, EBITDA, and overall profitability.
• Develop, manage, and execute annual operating budgets and financial forecasts.
• Establish and monitor key financial and operational KPIs to drive accountability and performance.
• Partner with Finance to analyze financial performance, identify variances, and develop corrective action plans.
• Drive labor productivity, cost reduction, margin improvement, and operational efficiency initiatives.
• Evaluate capital expenditures and investments based on ROI, capacity requirements, and long-term business objectives.
• Translate financial results into actionable operating strategies for the leadership team.

Overall Plant Operations

• Have executive oversight of all day-to-day plant operations, including production, warehouse, supply chain, quality, safety, maintenance, and workforce management.
• Oversee production across 8+ production lines, ensuring quality, consistency, safety, throughput, and on-time performance.
• Lead the transition from the current one-shift operation toward a two- to three-shift environment as demand increases.
• Develop capacity plans and operational infrastructure to support future growth.
• Optimize workflows, facility utilization, production scheduling, labor deployment, and overall plant productivity.
• Establish and maintain operational excellence standards across the facility.
• Ensure compliance with food safety, employee safety, quality, regulatory, and company standards.
• Evaluate and expand product capabilities and production capacity.
• Optimize the labor model across both W2 and contract employees.

Leadership Development & Talent Management

• Build, develop, and retain a high-performing plant leadership team capable of supporting a rapidly growing operation.
• Establish a strong culture of accountability, ownership, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
• Coach and mentor senior leaders and frontline managers, creating clear development plans and succession pathways.
• Identify high-potential leaders and develop internal talent to support future organizational growth.
• Establish leadership KPIs and performance expectations across all levels of the organization.
• Drive organizational design and workforce planning as the facility scales.
• Create a leadership culture that emphasizes communication, collaboration, transparency, and accountability.
• Partner with HR on talent acquisition, retention, performance management, compensation, and organizational development.
• Build a scalable leadership structure capable of supporting multiple shifts and increased production volume.

Operational Transformation & Continuous Improvement

• Lead a comprehensive transformation of the facility's operating model.
• Identify and eliminate operational inefficiencies, bottlenecks, waste, and unnecessary costs.
• Implement best practices in Lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, safety, quality, and operational excellence.
• Establish measurable improvement initiatives with clear ownership, timelines, and financial impact.
• Utilize data and KPIs to drive decision-making and continuously improve operational performance.
• Create a culture where continuous improvement becomes embedded into daily operations.

Cross-Functional & Growth Leadership

• Partner closely with Supply Chain, Finance, HR, Sales, Quality, Warehouse, and other corporate functions.
• Ensure alignment between production capacity, customer demand, labor requirements, and financial objectives.
• Support integration and scaling initiatives associated with acquisitions and broader platform growth.
• Partner with executive leadership on future facility expansion, acquisitions, capital projects, and strategic initiatives.
• Serve as a key operational voice in determining how the business scales.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive operations leadership experience within food manufacturing, foodservice, culinary production, or a related industry.
• Demonstrated success leading large-scale plant or multi-site operations.
• Experience with facilities supporting $30M+ in revenue and/or 150+ employees preferred.
• Proven experience with full P&L ownership and financial accountability.
• Strong understanding of labor, COGS, EBITDA, budgeting, forecasting, and operational financial drivers.
• Demonstrated experience scaling production operations, including multi-shift environments.
• Strong background in operational transformation, process improvement, and continuous improvement.
• Experience leading large, multi-layered workforces, including both W2 and contract labor.
• Proven track record of building, developing, and retaining high-performing leadership teams.
• Experience operating in a high-growth and/or Private Equity-backed environment preferred.
• Strong executive presence with the ability to influence across an organization.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through significant change and organizational transformation.
• Strong analytical, strategic, and problem-solving capabilities.