Plant Manager (Beef)

Position Summary

The Plant Manager is responsible for the overall leadership, performance, and compliance of a USDA-inspected beef harvest facility. This role has full P&L accountability and direct responsibility for safety, animal welfare, food safety, production, labor, quality, maintenance, and regulatory compliance. The Plant Manager ensures efficient, humane, and compliant harvest operations while driving continuous improvement, cost control, and team development in a high-volume protein manufacturing environment.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

• Lead all plant operations including harvest, fabrication (if applicable), maintenance, sanitation, QA, and live operations

• Deliver daily production targets while maintaining safety, animal welfare, food safety, and quality standards

• Manage labor planning, staffing levels, and production schedules in a union or non-union environment

• Ensure equipment uptime and facility readiness in partnership with Engineering and Maintenance

USDA, Food Safety & Animal Welfare Compliance

• Ensure full compliance with USDA/FSIS regulations, humane handling requirements, and company policies

• Maintain and support HACCP, SSOP, GMP, and Sanitation programs

• Serve as the primary point of contact for USDA inspection personnel and regulatory agencies

• Ensure compliance with animal welfare standards (AMI, NAMI, internal audits, customer requirements)

Safety & Risk Management

• Establish and sustain a strong safety culture focused on injury prevention and regulatory compliance

• Ensure compliance with OSHA standards, including LOTO, confined space, machine guarding, and PPE

• Lead incident investigations, corrective actions, and safety performance improvement initiatives

Financial & Business Management

• Full P&L responsibility including labor, yield, throughput, overtime, utilities, maintenance, and waste

• Develop and manage annual operating budgets and forecasts

• Drive cost reduction initiatives without compromising safety, food safety, or animal welfare

• Monitor KPIs including yield, conversion, throughput, shrink, and downtime

Leadership & People Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a multi-disciplinary leadership team

• Set clear expectations, accountability, and performance standards

• Build a culture of engagement, ownership, and continuous improvement

• Manage labor relations, employee relations, and workforce development

Continuous Improvement & Capital Execution

• Lead Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement initiatives across operations

• Partner with Corporate Engineering on capital projects, expansions, and major equipment installations

• Drive process optimization, line balance, and yield improvement initiatives

Cross-Functional & External Collaboration

• Partner with Live Operations, Procurement, Sales, QA, Engineering, and Corporate leadership

• Communicate plant performance, risks, and improvement plans to senior leadership

• Support customer audits, third-party certifications, and corporate initiatives

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Animal Science, Engineering, or related field required

• Advanced degree preferred

Experience

• 10+ years of leadership experience in meat or protein manufacturing

• Minimum 5 years in beef harvest operations required

• Proven experience leading a USDA-inspected facility

• Experience in high-volume, labor-intensive, 24/7 operations

• Union experience preferred (where applicable)

Industry Knowledge & Skills

• Deep knowledge of beef harvest processes, yields, and animal welfare standards

• Strong understanding of USDA/FSIS regulations and audit processes

• Demonstrated success managing labor, safety, food safety, and financial performance

• Experience with Lean Manufacturing and operational excellence frameworks

Leadership Competencies

• Strong executive presence and decision-making ability

• Hands-on leadership style with strong floor presence

• Ability to lead through complexity, change, and high accountability

• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills