Operations Manager (Food Manufacturing)

Reporting to the Plant Manager at the Council Bluffs, Iowa manufacturing facility, this role provides leadership for plant production, sanitation, and daily operations across multiple shifts and departments. The position places a strong emphasis on people leadership, employee engagement, and culture. In partnership with operations leaders and cross‑functional teams, you will help foster a safe, inclusive, and high‑performing manufacturing environment while ensuring the consistent delivery of high‑quality products that meet customer expectations.

A Taste of Your Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop operations management teams to strengthen leadership capability, technical excellence, and a culture of accountability with consistent execution across all shifts.
• Foster an environment of trust, engagement, and accountability where issues are identified early and resolved effectively.
• Lead with safety, quality, and integrity by modeling expected behaviors, holding teams accountable, and developing people and culture through ongoing coaching and engagement at all levels.
• Think and act with a business‑first mindset, balancing short‑term operational execution with long‑term capability building.
• Monitor daily production performance to ensure customer commitments and key performance indicators are consistently achieved.
• Leverage performance data to identify trends, prioritize improvement opportunities, and close performance gaps.
• Champion safety and quality within operations while actively influencing plant‑wide safety and food quality culture and performance.
• Lead change initiatives and continuous improvement efforts that strengthen standard work and build long‑term plant capability.
• Support new product development, product launches, and new equipment start‑ups through disciplined preparation and effective team leadership.
• Plan, organize, and align resources to optimize production flow and minimize operational losses.
• Manage departmental budgets and expenditures while balancing operational requirements with financial targets.

Ingredients Required for Your Success

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, business, management, or a related discipline.
• Minimum of 7 years of experience in food production manufacturing environments.
• Minimum of 10 years of people management experience within a manufacturing setting.
• Demonstrated success leading continuous improvement initiatives using Lean and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) methodologies.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively engage stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Strategic, results‑oriented mindset with the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast‑paced environment.
• Collaborative leadership style that values diverse perspectives and fosters inclusive, high‑performing teams.

Physical Requirements

Additional details regarding essential job responsibilities and the facility will be shared throughout the hiring process. This role requires regular presence within our manufacturing site and involves physical activities such as walking the production floor, climbing stairs or ladders, kneeling, and performing repetitive tasks requiring hand‑eye coordination. You may be required to lift or carry materials of varying weights and dimensions. The position is based in an active manufacturing environment that includes large, moving equipment, elevated noise levels, and fluctuating temperatures.

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