Position Summary

The Operations Manager is responsible for leading day-to-day production operations within a Ready-to-Eat (RTE) meat manufacturing facility. This role ensures safe, efficient, and compliant production of cooked and fully processed meat products while maintaining the highest standards in food safety, quality, cost control, and operational performance.

The Operations Manager oversees production teams, scheduling, throughput, labor management, sanitation coordination, and continuous improvement initiatives within a USDA-regulated environment. The role plays a critical part in ensuring compliance with HACCP, USDA, FDA, SQF/BRC, GMP, and company food safety standards for RTE products.

Key Responsibilities

Production Operations Management

• Lead daily operations across RTE processing, cooking, packaging, slicing, and distribution functions.
• Ensure production schedules are achieved safely, efficiently, and within quality specifications.
• Monitor and improve production throughput, labor utilization, and operational efficiency.
• Coordinate staffing and production resources to meet customer demand and service levels.
• Drive operational performance in high-volume manufacturing environments.
• Minimize downtime and production interruptions through effective coordination with maintenance and engineering teams.

Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure full compliance with:
  • USDA regulations
  • FDA requirements
  • HACCP programs
  • GMPs (Good Manufacturing Practices)
  • SQF/BRC food safety standards
  • SSOPs (Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures)
  • OSHA safety standards
• Maintain strict RTE food safety controls to prevent cross-contamination and pathogen risks.
• Support environmental monitoring and allergen control programs.
• Participate in internal, customer, and third-party audits.
• Ensure all production activities meet quality and food safety standards.

Team Leadership & Workforce Management

• Lead, coach, and develop production supervisors and hourly workforce teams.
• Promote a culture of accountability, safety, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Manage staffing levels, labor scheduling, and employee performance.
• Support onboarding, training, and development programs.
• Partner with HR on employee relations, workforce planning, and retention initiatives.
• Support union and non-union manufacturing environments where applicable.

Continuous Improvement

• Drive Lean Manufacturing and operational excellence initiatives.
• Analyze production KPIs and implement corrective actions for performance improvement.
• Lead root cause analysis and problem-solving activities.
• Improve:
  • OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness)
  • Yield performance
  • Labor efficiency
  • Waste reduction
  • Throughput optimization
• Support automation and process improvement initiatives.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with:
  • Quality Assurance
  • Food Safety
  • Maintenance & Engineering
  • Supply Chain
  • Warehouse & Logistics
  • Planning and Scheduling
• Coordinate production priorities to meet operational and customer requirements.
• Support new product launches and process validations.

Financial & Operational Accountability

• Manage labor and operational costs within budget targets.
• Monitor raw material yields and product giveaway.
• Reduce waste, downtime, and inefficiencies.
• Support inventory accuracy and production reporting.
• Drive profitability through operational improvements and cost control initiatives.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in:
  • Operations Management
  • Food Science
  • Industrial Engineering
  • Business Management
  • Or related field preferred
• Equivalent industry experience may be considered.

Experience

• 5-10+ years of manufacturing leadership experience within:
  • Ready-to-Eat meat manufacturing
  • Meat processing
  • Poultry processing
  • Food manufacturing
  • USDA-regulated environments
• Experience managing large production teams in high-volume operations.
• Strong understanding of RTE food safety and sanitation requirements.