Operations Manager - Poultry

We are partnering with a leading poultry manufacturer seeking an experienced Operations Manager to provide leadership across day-to-day production operations within a high-volume processing facility.

This is a key leadership position responsible for driving safety, quality, production, labor efficiency, yield and overall operational performance. The successful candidate will lead production teams, develop frontline leadership and work closely with Maintenance, FSQA, Engineering and other departments to ensure the plant consistently meets its operational and financial targets.

We are looking for a hands-on, commercially minded operations leader who can build high-performing teams while driving continuous improvement across a complex poultry processing environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide overall operational leadership across assigned production departments and shifts.
• Ensure daily production schedules, throughput targets and customer requirements are consistently achieved.
• Lead, coach and develop Production Managers, Supervisors and frontline employees.
• Establish clear performance expectations and create a culture of accountability, safety and continuous improvement.
• Monitor and improve key operational KPIs including yield, throughput, labor efficiency, downtime, OEE, waste and production costs.
• Work closely with the Plant Manager to develop and execute short- and long-term operational strategies.
• Partner with FSQA to ensure the facility consistently meets USDA, HACCP, GMP, food safety and customer standards.
• Work closely with Maintenance and Engineering to improve equipment reliability, production uptime and line efficiency.
• Identify bottlenecks and operational constraints and implement solutions to improve plant capacity and productivity.
• Drive Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives throughout the operation.
• Review daily production performance and develop corrective actions where targets are not achieved.
• Manage labor utilization, staffing requirements, overtime and productivity across production teams.
• Support capital projects, equipment installations and facility improvement initiatives.
• Ensure all production activities are conducted in accordance with company safety policies and OSHA requirements.
• Develop succession plans and identify high-potential employees for future leadership opportunities.
• Collaborate with HR on employee engagement, retention, performance management and workforce planning.
• Maintain strong communication across Operations, FSQA, Maintenance, Engineering, Sanitation and Warehouse teams.
• Support plant budgeting, forecasting and cost-control initiatives.

The Ideal Candidate

The successful candidate will be an experienced Operations Manager, Senior Production Manager, Complex Manager or equivalent operations leader with a strong background in poultry processing or high-volume protein manufacturing.

We are particularly interested in candidates who have demonstrated the ability to:

• Lead large-scale poultry processing operations with significant production volume and headcount.
• Improve yield, labor efficiency, throughput and overall plant performance.
• Build and develop strong Production Manager and Supervisor teams.
• Effectively manage multiple shifts and complex production environments.
• Drive measurable continuous improvement initiatives.
• Work collaboratively across Operations, FSQA, Maintenance and Engineering.
• Balance people, safety, quality, service and financial performance.
• Lead operational change while maintaining employee engagement and accountability.

Preferred Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive operations or production leadership experience.
• Previous experience within poultry processing strongly preferred.
• Experience across fresh poultry, further processing, cooked/RTE or other protein manufacturing environments is advantageous.
• Previous experience managing multiple production departments and/or shifts.
• Strong understanding of USDA, HACCP, GMP and food safety requirements.
• Proven experience managing operational KPIs and plant-level financial performance.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma or other continuous improvement methodologies.
• Strong leadership, communication and employee development skills.
• Bachelor's degree in Operations, Manufacturing, Engineering, Business or a related discipline preferred.