Sr. Operations Manager Food Manufacturing

Sr. Operations Manager Food Manufacturing

TalentGate is conducting a confidential search for a Sr. Operations Manager on behalf of a food manufacturer in Washington State. The company and role details are shared with qualified candidates upon mutual interest.

The Role

This is a hands-on production leadership role with full accountability for daily manufacturing performance. The right person leads from the floor, owns their numbers, and builds systems and teams that perform without constant oversight. The culture is direct and results-oriented. You will have real authority and real accountability.

What You'll Own

• Day-to-day production output, scheduling, labor efficiency, yield, and waste
• Written production standards, SOPs, and shift accountability processes
• Daily production huddles, weekly KPI reviews, and root cause / corrective action discipline
• Labor planning and staffing flexibility as volume changes
• Accurate and complete production transactions in the ERP system
• Inventory accuracy from the floor up; manufacturing order management
• Food safety compliance: SQF, HACCP, GMPs, and applicable regulatory requirements
• Zero OSHA recordable incident culture
• Team assessment, development, and accountability across supervisors and functional managers
• Proactive communication to leadership flag risks early, follow through without prompting

What We're Looking For

Required

• 715 years of food manufacturing experience; 3+ years in a production, operations, and/or plant management leadership role
• Demonstrated track record of improving production KPIs: on-time delivery, yield, OEE, labor efficiency, or waste reduction
• ERP operations experience in a manufacturing environment has enforced system discipline, not just used the system
• Food safety certification experience: SQF, HACCP, GMP
• Leads from the floor, not from the office
• Able to work on-site full-time in Washington State

Preferred

• CI / Lean manufacturing background with formal accountability for improvement results
• Experience in a lean, fast-growth, or founder-led operating environment
• Regulated food manufacturing (USDA, FDA)
• History of building or rebuilding a production team during growth or change