Sr. Director, Operations

General Purpose

Provide direction and leadership to multiple manufacturing facilities. Provide oversight of operations and priorities, which would include financial and business performance including safety, quality, cost, service, delivery, environmental, and regulatory affairs for assigned facilities. Participate in the development and direct the implementation of long- and short-range business strategies and action plans (including but not limited to capital expenditure, operations budget, material procurement, and product pricing) to improve profitability. Provide general leadership with a focus on cultural change and manufacturing excellence and assist senior leadership on special assignments, projects or teams.

Job Duties And Responsibilities

• Oversee facility/plant operations ensuring they operate effectively, accelerate productivity improvement, meet all Good Manufacturing practices, comply with state and federal regulations, and meet customer/sales/demand requirements while operating within established budgets
• Oversee operating budgets for assigned facilities and functions. This includes value analysis of systems, performance, people, procedures, activities, requirements, labor, utilities, product mix, controls, capital needs, and maintenance of assets to achieve profit, quality, service level, value and safety of all products produced
• Contribute to the strategic planning efforts and communicate regularly with senior leadership to ensure that the company continues to maximize its short and long-term contributions to overall corporate growth and profitability
• Lead operational sustainability to support utilizing resources efficiently and take an active role in ensuring that DFA is contributing to our industry and community social responsibility efforts
• Facilitate communication between our customers and our plants to assure we are properly implementing customer requests, response to complaints, and providing excellent customer service
• Ensure manufacturing facility leadership teams are staffed appropriately to meet business requirements. Mentor, train, and coach facility leadership team members to understand the organization and their roles within the organization, ensuring that each team member is developing for their next role
• Advise management teams in developing and implementing plans, policies and practices that support their respective objectives
• Demonstrate leadership through participation in core leadership processes such as development of division and manufacturing facility operating, capital and expense budgets, leader standard work, employee onboarding, succession planning and horizon planning. Drive employee engagement and cultural changes needed to reach best-in class operational performance
• Lead the establishment of Key Performance Indicators to measure performance of the division and manufacturing facilities
• Manage the health, safety and well-being of team members. Promote employee participation in actively managing EHS through identification and mitigation of hazards. Ensure timely reporting and investigation of EHS events
• Ensure facility operations comply with company policies, customer expectations and regulatory requirements
• Cultivate an innovative, data driven, team-oriented culture that embraces continuous improvement within an environment of learning
• Ensure effective stakeholder collaboration to standardize common functions in areas of quality, safety, maintenance, sustainability, environmental, SAP, Safe Quality Foods (SQF), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), auditing, and abatement activities
• The requirements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employee, but is not a complete list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required. Other duties may be assigned as required
  
  

,

Education And Experience

• High school diploma or equivalent
• Undergraduate degree in related curriculum preferred
• 12 or more years’ experience in a manufacturing environment, including plant manager experience in food and/or beverage manufacturing with significant financial responsibility; multi plant experience preferred
• ESL/Aseptic experience preferred
• 4 or more years of people management experience that includes leading senior managers and multiple departments
• Proven track record of improved results in the areas of quality, safety, service and cost
• Experience with continuous improvement methodologies
• Certification and/or License - may be required during course of employment
  
  

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Strong understanding of the division’s strategy, goals and objectives
• Strong insight into the organizational structure and stakeholder needs
• Strong technical understanding of food processing and ingredients; strong knowledge of manufacturing process flow and importance to process, of continuous improvement models, and of regulatory laws and responsibilities as it relates to facility standards
• Able to develop plans that connect business strategies and the daily operations of the plants
• Able to achieve and maintain credibility and respect within the organization
• Able to exercise independent judgment and take action
• Ability to effectively prioritize and execute tasks
• Strong customer service orientation
• Strong project management skills
• Strong understanding of budgeting and cost control
• Able to lead and inspire people and achieve results through others
• Able to build relationships with individuals across the organization
• Able to interact and communicate effectively with employees and customers at various levels, including persuasive communication
• Able to understand the importance of managing the “people” issues related to the project
• Able to demonstrate a high level of comfort in changing environment and ability to adapt approach as the environment and requirements change
• Able to handle challenging or conflict situations with tact and professionalism
• Logical and efficient, with keen attention to detail
• Must be able to read, write and speak English
  
  

An Equal Opportunity Employer