Director of Manufacturing

Director of Manufacturing

Department: OperationsReports To: PresidentDirect Reports: Plant ManagersPosition Summary: The Director of Manufacturing provides strategic and operational leadership across two manufacturing facilities overseeing approximately 1,000 employees.

This role serves as the primary architect of operational excellence moving the organization toward more data-driven decisions. The Director standardizes processes, drives toward modern manufacturing systems (KPIs, OEE, ERP), ensures food safety, and champions the successful implementation and optimization of our core cheesecake production lines.Primary Duties & Responsibilities1. Change Management & ProfessionalizationStandardize Operations: Develop, implement, and enforce standard operating procedures (SOPs) across both plants to ensure consistency in quality, safety, and efficiency.Cultivate Leadership: Mentor, coach, and upskill plant managers and front-line supervisors, shifting the culture from firefighting to proactive, structured problem-solving.Data-Driven Culture: Introduce and track rigorous key performance indicators (KPIs) and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) metrics to guide daily, weekly, and monthly business reviews.2. Core Product Implementation & Optimization (Cheesecake Operations)Product Optimization: Partner with the Senior Production Manager to evaluate all new cheesecake formulas, sizes, and configurations introduced into production.Constraint Assessment: Review new product introductions to assess potential issues or constraints affecting quality performance, labor efficiency, run rates, and operating costs.Executional Direction: Provide hands-on, "feet-on-the-floor" leadership to the operations team during major line optimizations, ERP system changes, and plant renovations.3. Food Safety, Quality & ComplianceRegulatory & Legality: Ensure both facilities strictly adhere to FDA, USDA, OSHA, and local regulations, taking ultimate responsibility for the safety and legality of all food products.Audit Readiness: Maintain "always audit-ready" standards for SQF, BRC, or other GFSI-benchmarked certifications and retail customer audits.Safety Culture: Champion a zero-injury safety culture through robust Hazard Identification, training, and behavioral safety programs.4. Financial & Strategic ManagementP&L Responsibility: Manage the manufacturing budget, labor costs, variances, and operational expenses across both plants.CAPEX Planning: Identify, justify, and execute capital expenditure (CAPEX) projects aimed at automation, capacity expansion, and facility modernization.Required QualificationsExperience: 10+ years of progressive food production operations management experience, with at least 5+ years in a multi-plant or regional leadership role.Scale & Product Expertise: Proven track record of managing a large workforce (500–1,000+ employees) in high-volume environments, with deep knowledge of automated bakery or cheesecake production processes.Transformation Experience: Demonstrated success leading an organization through a professionalization journey or significant operational scaling.Education: Bachelor’s degree in food science, Engineering, Business Administration, or a related technical field. An MBA or advanced degree is preferred.Certifications: Lean/Six Sigma Green or Black Belt highly desirable. Full understanding of SQF/BRC and HACCP systems.