Operations Manager - Poultry

The Operations Manager is responsible for overseeing day-to-day poultry processing operations to ensure safe, efficient, and cost-effective production. This role leads production teams to achieve performance targets while maintaining strict adherence to food safety, quality, animal welfare, and regulatory requirements.

Key Responsibilities

Production & Operational Performance

• Lead daily production operations across assigned areas (live, evisceration, debone, further processing, or packaging).

• Ensure production plans are executed to meet volume, yield, labor efficiency, and cost targets.

• Monitor KPIs including throughput, yield, OEE, labor utilization, and downtime; implement corrective actions as needed.

• Coordinate staffing, line balancing, and shift coverage to support operational goals.

Food Safety, Quality & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with USDA-FSIS regulations, HACCP, SSOPs, GMPs, and company food safety standards.

• Partner with FSQA to maintain audit readiness and ensure customer and regulatory requirements are met.

• Promote a strong food safety and quality culture within operations.

People Leadership & Safety

• Lead, coach, and develop supervisors and frontline leaders.

• Foster a safe work environment by enforcing safety standards and addressing hazards proactively.

• Drive accountability, engagement, and performance management across production teams.

Continuous Improvement

• Identify operational losses and lead improvement initiatives focused on yield, labor, safety, and quality.

• Partner with Continuous Improvement and Maintenance teams to reduce downtime and improve process stability.

• Support standard work, training, and best practice implementation across shifts.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Maintenance to support equipment reliability and preventive maintenance.

• Partner with Supply Chain and Planning to align production schedules with customer demand.

• Collaborate with HR on staffing, training, and employee relations.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Operations, Engineering, Animal Science, or a related field (or equivalent experience).

• 5+ years of progressive operations or production leadership experience in poultry or protein manufacturing.

• Strong knowledge of poultry processing operations and USDA-regulated environments.

• Proven experience managing large, hourly workforces in a high-volume manufacturing setting.

• Strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred

• Experience across multiple poultry processing areas (live, evisceration, debone, further processing).

• Familiarity with Lean manufacturing or continuous improvement principles.

• Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred.

• Willingness to work flexible hours, including nights, weekends, and holidays as needed.

Physical & Work Environment

• Work performed in a poultry processing environment with exposure to cold temperatures, wet conditions, noise, and production floor activity.

• Requires frequent presence on the production floor.