Manager, Plant Operations - Brooklyn Culinary Center

SUMMARY

The Manager, Plant Operations is responsible for the overall leadership, performance, and operational excellence of the Brooklyn food manufacturing, warehousing, and packaging facility, overseeing all areas of production and warehousing operations while ensuring compliance with food safety, quality, regulatory, and safety standards. This role drives productivity, cost efficiency, continuous improvement, and employee engagement to ensure the facility consistently meets customer demand, quality expectations, and operational goals. The Manager, Plant Operations partners closely with corporate leadership on strategic and financial initiatives that support long-term operational excellence.

 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND DUTIES

Operational Leadership & Performance Management

• Leads and manages all plant operations including production, warehouse, safety, sanitation, quality, and logistics; oversees daily production scheduling, capacity planning, and workforce management to meet customer demand and service levels.
• Ensures efficient flow of raw materials, finished goods, and inventory through production and warehouse operations; develops, refines, and monitors key performance indicators (KPIs) related to production output, labor efficiency, downtime, waste, and on-time delivery.
• Drives continuous improvement initiatives using Lean, Six Sigma, or similar methodologies.

Food Safety, Quality & Compliance

• Ensures strict compliance with all food safety and quality systems including HACCP, GMPs, and regulatory requirements; maintains readiness for internal and external audits (FDA, USDA, customer audits, third-party certifications).
• Partners with Quality Assurance leadership to ensure product safety, traceability, and regulatory compliance; leads root cause analysis and corrective actions for quality or food safety issues.
• Ensures a safe working environment by maintaining compliance with OSHA and company safety standards; leads safety initiatives to reduce incidents and improve safety culture, and ensures all equipment and facilities are maintained and operating safely.

Workforce Leadership & Development

• Leads, coaches, and develops a leadership team that may include production managers, warehouse managers, maintenance managers, quality leaders, and supervisors; fosters a culture of accountability, teamwork, safety, and continuous improvement.
• Manages workforce planning, hiring, training, and performance management; promotes employee engagement and retention through strong leadership and communication.
• Builds bench strength and succession planning for key facility roles.

Warehouse, Cold Chain & Maintenance Operations

• Oversees frozen storage and warehousing operations to maintain product integrity and cold chain compliance; ensures proper inventory management, rotation (FIFO/FEFO), and storage conditions; coordinates inbound raw materials and outbound finished goods logistics.
• Oversees preventive maintenance programs for production equipment, refrigeration systems, and facility infrastructure; ensures minimal downtime through proactive maintenance and rapid response to equipment issues, and supports reliability engineering and equipment performance improvements.

Financial & Strategic Management

• Develops and manages plant operating budgets including labor, maintenance, utilities, and capital expenditures; identifies cost reduction opportunities while maintaining quality and service.
• Partners with supply chain, finance, and corporate leadership on strategic initiatives; leads capital improvement projects and facility upgrades.

This role offers a salary range of $125,000 – $150,000 annually, based on skills, experience, and location. Employees also receive a comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision, 401(k) with company match, and time off.

Qualifications

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Food Science, Operations Management, Supply Chain, or a related field preferred.

Experience

• 5–8+ years of progressive leadership experience in food manufacturing or consumer packaged goods required, with a minimum of 2 years in plant or senior operations management.
• Experience managing large teams (150+ employees preferred); experience with cold chain operations, including frozen storage and fresh produce warehousing, and high-volume manufacturing and packaging environments. 

Technical Proficiency

• Strong knowledge of food safety standards (HACCP, GMP, FDA, USDA); experience with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement methodologies; experience with ERP, WMS, and manufacturing systems.

Other Qualifications

• Strong leadership, communication, and team development skills; ability to analyze operational data and drive performance improvements; strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Bilingual Spanish highly preferred.

Core Competencies

• Financial & Analytical Acumen: Analyzes operational and financial data to guide budgeting, cost control, and performance decisions across the facility.
• Continuous Improvement Mindset: Drives Lean, Six Sigma, and other continuous improvement methodologies to enhance productivity, quality, and efficiency.
• Advanced Problem Solving & Root Cause Analysis: Identifies root causes of operational, quality, or safety issues and implements sustainable corrective actions.
• Talent Development & Leadership: Builds, coaches, and develops a strong leadership team and bench strength across the facility.
• Communication & Influencing Skills: Conveys strategic priorities and operational expectations clearly across all levels of the organization and with corporate leadership.
• Operational Excellence & Standardization: Establishes and maintains standardized processes that ensure consistent quality, safety, and productivity across operations.
• Collaboration & Cross-Functional Partnership: Partners effectively with supply chain, finance, quality, and corporate leadership to support facility and business goals.

 

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND OTHER DETAILS

Expected Hours of Work

This is a full-time exempt position. Typical work hours are Monday–Friday, with additional hours as needed to meet business demands and production schedules. As an exempt position, the Team Member is expected to devote whatever time is necessary to accomplish the goals and responsibilities of the role, which will often require extended hours, evenings, and/or weekend work.

 

Travel Requirements

Periodic travel to production facilities, vendor sites, and industry events may be required.

 

Physical Demands of the Job

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by a Team Member to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The Team Member is frequently required to sit, stand, walk, talk, and hear, and must be able to occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.

 

Work Environment

This position operates primarily in a manufacturing, warehousing, and cold storage environment, with exposure to varying temperatures, machinery, and typical plant noise levels, along with regular office-based work supporting administrative and strategic responsibilities.

 

The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work and duties that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position, and Whitsons reserves the right to add additional duties or modify existing duties.