Job Description:
This position will report to the General Manager and be responsible for providing overall production leadership to a team of approximately 225+ employees at our new fresh cut vegetable plant in Gonzales, CA. This plant is scheduled to open in 2018 so the position will initially work out of our Salinas manufacturing plant and transition to Gonzales during the latter stages of construction.
Compensation/Salary:
DOE
Responsibilities & Duties:
- Direct plant operations for production, maintenance, quality and receiving
- Coordinate plant activities to insure the total manufacturing objectives are accomplished in a timely and cost effective manner
- Establish and monitor overall plant performance for production and quality standards
- Control and minimize labor overtime and repair expenses
- Maintain existing plant facilities and equipment; replace, or make adjustments to plant facilities and equipment when necessary
- Provide leadership for the successful day-to-day operation of the facility
- Provides direction, development and leadership to production supervisors
- Work closely with QA personnel to review product conformity to food safety standards
- Monitor operation expenses and research ways to reduce costs while maintaining product quality.
- Maintain and support a superior safety and housekeeping program
- Develop and execute the plant manufacturing budgets
- Analyze workforce requirements and plan accordingly
- Conduct performance appraisals and provide coaching, guidance and development to all plant operations team members
- Encourage and promote operating in a continuous improvement environment
- Remove production constraints; allocate human and equipment resources and direct production employees to attain all established goals
- Communicate with research and development as well as product management personnel to develop new product strategies
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Operations field
- 7+ years of plant management experience in a manufacturing environment, preferably in fresh cut vegetables
- Previous experience/strong understanding of budgeting/expense management with a basic understanding of financial and accounting practices
- Strong computer skills including the ability to prepare spreadsheets and use Microsoft Office Products (Word, Excel, Power Point and/or Access) to analyze data and trends.
- Previous experience/best practices implementing and using continuous improvement/lean tools such as; Six Sigma, 5-S, Lean Manufacturing, Transactional Lean, etc. to drive improvement
- Previous experience/broad understanding of safety systems and enforcement of safety rules and policies
- Demonstrated strong leadership, team building and advanced coaching skills
- Demonstrated ability to motivate people, assess and develop employee skills
- Demonstrated understanding of the principles and applications associated with manufacturing operations, maintenance and engineering
- Excellent planning and organizational skills, with the ability to balance production and maintenance needs
- Excellent interpersonal communication and listening ability
- A strong ability to be adaptable and flexible
- Strong analytical and decision-making skills
- Ability to work with teams and lead decision-making processes in a team environment
