Plant Manager - Wilmington, NC
2 days ago
Wilmington
Job DescriptionWho We Are FedUp Foods, one of the nation's early producers of kombucha through the Buchi brand, and one of the largest functional beverage manufacturers in America, offers a diverse portfolio of organic private label functional beverages for top global retailers Position Summary The Plant Manager is responsible for the results and oversight of all manufacturing operations and personnel. This process-focused leader drives results via collective accountability by establishing and refining a meaningful operations system with clarity, consistency, and connectivity. The Plant Manager is accountable for delivering against KPIs and production goals while fostering a welcoming culture that prioritizes safety, people, quality, and compliance through responsibility, respect, and relentless improvement. The Plant Manager is directly responsible for leading and developing the functions of site packaging, brewing, coffee processing, and maintenance, while collaborating with the Food Quality and Safety, Finance, and HR teams and various individuals from other FedUp Foods' facilities to attain production and company-wide goals. The ideal candidate is an engaging, results-driven leader with a growth-minded attitude, tenacity, and a commitment to agility with high standards of quality and integrity. Responsibilities • Develop and communicate a clear vision that inspires and drives achievement of production targets, operational KPIs, and company-wide goals, • Model and promote a leadership style that brings the best out of others to deliver team results, • Establish and maintain clear performance expectations; provide direction, development, evaluation, and coaching to direct reports and their teams, • Facilitate regular 1:1s and standard work cadence that enables agile execution and continuous feedback loops with collective accountability, • Ensure managers actively build talent plans and work structures which enable team members to self-direct their work while building career paths, • Partner with managers and HR in recruitment and hiring, • Champion an environment that promotes life-long learning; ensure new staff are trained; drive forward continued learning opportunities, • Engage plant's workforce in alignment with FedUp Foods Values, • Develop growth strategies and drive improvements through continuous improvement, Lean Six Sigma (LSS), and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) initiatives, • Take ownership of financial, operating, and capital budgets, delivering year-over-year savings through cost-saving initiatives, • Oversee all plant production activities, • Proactively identify and address safety risks; foster a culture where every employee feels responsible for a safe work environment, • Create schedules in accordance with sales forecasts and demands, • Facilitate production planning in collaboration with relevant managers to ensure timely fulfillment of orders with focus on quality and efficiency, • Develop and ensure implementation of all standard operating procedures (SOPs), • Support development/oversee facility equipment maintenance program, • Promote alignment between operational objectives and food safety and quality assurance through effective communication and partnership with Sr Manager of Food and Quality Assurance, • Ensure site compliance with EHS policies, SQF, GMP, HACCP, Organic Certification, OSHA practices, and all federal, state, and local laws and company policies, • Participate in mock recalls and regular audits (GMP, FDA, CCOF, SQF), • Develop strong relationships with external parties (government agencies, vendors, insurances, contractors, sales representatives), • Collaborate to drive efficiencies across the broader supply chain, • Support and enforce productions practices that advance FedUp Foods' environmental and sustainability goals Food Safety and Quality Responsibilities, • Follow GMP policy when in the production facility and encourage your team to do the same., • Understand our SQF policies relating to pest control, visitors, allergen management, and cleaning and sanitation., • Demonstrate awareness of Management's Commitment to SQF and work towards Food Safety and Quality and help the company meet this commitment., • If there is a problem that involves food quality and safety, partner with QC Manager so that the CAPA (corrective action, preventative action) log may be filled out, the situation be investigated, and resolved with the goal of continuous improvement of food quality and safety.Required Skills/Abilities, • Experience leading manufacturing operations (food/beverage preferred), • Demonstrated ability to lead and develop managers, hold teams accountable to KPIs, and drive operational excellence, • Strong track record of achieving or exceeding production goals and performance metrics in a fast-paced, quality-driven environment, • Experience implementing or managing continuous improvement initiatives (e.g., Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen), • Production planning, warehouse logistics, and inventory control understanding, • Commitment to employee safety practices and maintaining food safety regulation compliance (e.g., GMP, HACCP, FSMA), • Experience fostering a positive, inclusive, and accountable workplace culture, • Leadership style that is results-driven with empathetic engagement, • Familiarity with sustainability practices in production and waste reduction, • Strong data-driven analytical and problem-solving skills, • Proficient in ERPs (Netsuite a plus), production scheduling tools, Google Workspace, • Excellent cross-organizational level communication skills, • Experience with SQF, FDA, HACCP, GMPs, SOPs, AIB, Organic, and Hazard Analysis, • Knowledge of wastewater compliance, boiler compliance, and SWPPP Plan preferredEducation and Experience, • Bachelor's Degree required (Business, Mechanical Engineering, Food Science or Brewing Science preferred), • Minimum 7yrs progressive experience in a similar manufacturing roleWork Environment/Physical Requirements, • Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer, • Ability to work in a crowded, noisy manufacturing production facility, navigate extremes in temperatures, walking on uneven, and slippery surfaces, • Standing, walking, pushing, pulling, and occasionally lifting and maneuvering heavy equipment and/or parts, up to 25 pounds at times, 50lbs of shared lifting, • Ability to safely navigate around manufacturing equipment, and forklift / pallet jack traffic NOTE: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employees may perform other related duties as directed to meet the ongoing needs of the organization. Please be advised that as part of our employment process, we conduct background checks on all prospective employees. This may include verification of your employment history, educational background, criminal record, and other relevant information.