Processing Plant Manager / Processed Food

Overview

• The Plant Operations Manager is responsible for leading end-to-end operations within a processed food manufacturing facility, with a focus on ready-to-eat and prepared meat products such as turkey slices, ham slices, deli meats, and sandwich-ready protein items.
• The role ensures efficient production, food safety compliance, product consistency, equipment reliability, cost control, and continuous improvement across processing, slicing, packaging, storage, and distribution operations.
• ►Responsibilities
• Lead overall plant operations for processed and ready-to-eat meat products, ensuring efficient production, optimal yield, product consistency, and adherence to production schedules.
• Oversee processing, slicing, packaging, maintenance, utilities, warehousing, and logistics functions to ensure smooth operations and maximum equipment uptime.
• Implement and improve production workflows, automation systems, line layouts, and process controls to enhance productivity, reduce waste, and improve labor efficiency.
• Ensure full compliance with food safety, hygiene, quality, and regulatory standards, including HACCP, GMP, sanitation programs, allergen control, traceability, and temperature control.
• Manage cross-functional teams across production, engineering, quality, maintenance, and supply chain, driving accountability, performance, and operational discipline.
• Monitor key performance indicators such as yield, downtime, line efficiency, labor productivity, waste levels, customer complaints, and cost per unit, taking corrective actions as required.
• Lead capital projects, equipment upgrades, capacity expansion, and process improvement initiatives aligned with business growth and operational excellence objectives.
• ►Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Food Science, Food Technology, Meat Science, or a related field.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in food processing, ready-to-eat meat production, deli meat manufacturing, or prepared food operations, including at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Strong knowledge of processed meat production, including cooking, chilling, slicing, portioning, packaging, vacuum or modified atmosphere packaging, cold storage, and distribution requirements.
• Solid understanding of HACCP, GMP, food safety systems, sanitation standards, environmental hygiene monitoring, traceability, and regulatory requirements for ready-to-eat food products.
• Proven experience managing plant machinery, automation, maintenance programs, utilities, and equipment reliability in a high-volume food manufacturing environment.
• Strong leadership, analytical, and problem-solving skills with a demonstrated ability to improve yield, reduce downtime, optimize costs, and lead continuous improvement initiatives.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and work effectively with senior management, quality teams, auditors, and external partners.