Assistant Plant Manager - Meat Snacks

Our client is a fast-growing meat snacking business, producing innovative, high-quality products for major retailers, convenience, and foodservice channels. With strong demand and continued expansion, they are seeking an experienced Assistant Plant Manager to help oversee daily plant operations and support the Plant Manager in delivering production excellence.

The Role:
As Assistant Plant Manager, you will be responsible for supporting all aspects of plant operations, including production, quality, safety, maintenance, and team management. You'll act as second-in-command to the Plant Manager, ensuring smooth day-to-day performance and driving improvements in efficiency, food safety, and team culture.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support the Plant Manager in overseeing daily production and plant operations.

• Manage supervisors and frontline staff, ensuring output, quality, and efficiency targets are met.

• Ensure compliance with USDA, FDA, HACCP, GMP, and health & safety regulations.

• Partner with QA, engineering, supply chain, and planning to deliver against production schedules.

• Monitor KPIs and implement corrective actions where needed.

• Assist in managing plant budgets, labor planning, and resource allocation.

• Lead and support continuous improvement initiatives, including lean manufacturing and waste reduction.

• Act as Plant Manager delegate in their absence.

What We're Looking For:

• Proven experience as an Operations Manager, Production Manager, or Assistant Plant Manager in food manufacturing (meat or snack industry experience highly desirable).

• Strong understanding of high-volume processing, packaging, and compliance requirements.

• Excellent leadership and people management skills with experience leading multi-shift teams.

• Strong problem-solving, planning, and organizational abilities.

• Results-driven mindset with a passion for continuous improvement.

• Flexibility to work in a fast-paced environment with changing demands.