Plant Manager - COO
3 days ago
Brooklyn
Hale & Hearty Soups is seeking a hands-on Plant Manager / COO to lead daily operations at our USDA-inspected, SQF-certified fresh prepared foods facility in Brooklyn, NY. This is a senior leadership role responsible for overseeing production, packaging, purchasing, warehouse, maintenance, R and D, Sanitation and QA, with full responsibility for plant performance, efficiency, and team leadership. This is an opportunity to take a senior leadership role in a growing fresh foods company with significant expansion opportunities. Key Responsibilities: • Manage oversight of a USDA-inspected fresh prepared foods facility, • Build and manage production schedules to meet customer demand and maximize throughput, • Implement and track KPIs: labor efficiency, yields, throughput, cost per pound, on-time shipments, and waste, • Improve operational efficiency, margins, and plant performance, • Supervise and develop department managers and production staff, • Ensure compliance with USDA, SQF, HACCP, and food safety standards, • Partner with ownership on strategic growth, capacity expansion, and new product launches, • Reports directly to the CEO Qualifications: • 10+ years operations leadership in food manufacturing, • Strong experience in USDA-inspected operations required, • Experience in refrigerated foods, soups, sauces, or ready-to-eat meals, • Proven leadership managing production teams, warehouse, and QA, • Strong background in cost control, process improvement, and KPI management - About the Facility: • USDA inspected, • SQF certified, • Fresh refrigerated foods manufacturing, • Hot fill packaging (cups and bulk foodservice), • Retail and foodservice customers, • Located in Brooklyn, NY, • uction or restaurant industry is highly desirable