Assistant Plant Manager
About The Position
Sara Lee Frozen Bakery became a stand-alone company in 2018 when it was purchased by Kohlberg and Company (private equity) from Tyson Foods. Our desserts have always stood for incredible flavor and superior value in the frozen food aisle and away from home markets. The Sara Lee Frozen Bakery collection of top brands includes Sara Lee®, Chef Pierre®, Bistro Collection®, Superior on Main® and Cyrus O’Leary’s®. Sara Lee Frozen Bakery is proud to take these iconic brands into a new era and to continue the evolution that transformed one small Chicago bakery into an American institution. Using carefully sourced ingredients and time-honored recipes, the company is committed to making life’s moments a little sweeter, putting its customers first and discovering new ways to make everyone’s favorite foods even better. Our vision is to be the world’s most beloved bakery by creating irresistible foods, growing with our customers, and delivering value for all. We will achieve success through collaboration and innovation in an environment where employees feel empowered to execute with speed. We believe that each of us has unique points of difference and experience to offer. We believe that there is always a better way, and we will never be satisfied with status quo. If you have an entrepreneurial spirit, continually seek process improvements and a strong sense of customer service, then this is the right type of environment for you.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Technology, Operations, or a related field highly preferred.
- 7–10+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing/operations, with significant experience leading production teams and managing people leaders.
- Experience leading and developing Operations Managers, Production Managers, Supervisors, or other frontline manufacturing leaders.
- Demonstrated experience developing and implementing TPM, autonomous maintenance, preventative maintenance, or other equipment reliability programs.
- Experience utilizing Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), such as Redzone or similar platforms, to drive production performance, accountability, and continuous improvement.
- Strong knowledge of Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma methodologies, with a demonstrated track record of implementing sustainable process improvements.
- Proven ability to drive change, transform culture, and improve operational performance in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
- Experience managing budgets, labor, productivity, and operating costs.
- Strong organizational, leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to effectively influence and collaborate across multiple levels of an organization and across cross-functional departments.
- Proven ability to lead, motivate, coach, and develop high-performing teams.
- Ability to work with limited supervision and demonstrate a high degree of personal accountability and ownership.
Nice To Haves
- Prior bakery and/or food manufacturing experience preferred.
Responsibilities
- Lead, coach, develop, and direct Operations Managers and Production Supervisors to achieve safety, quality, service, productivity, cost, and employee engagement objectives.
- Build leadership capability within the operations organization through ongoing coaching, performance management, succession planning, and development of Operations Managers and Supervisors.
- Lead assigned production operations to deliver product as scheduled, on time, and in a cost-effective manner.
- Monitor production schedules and adjust resources and priorities as necessary to meet customer demands.
- Champion the development, implementation, and sustainability of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) programs, including autonomous maintenance, preventative maintenance, equipment reliability, and loss elimination.
- Leverage Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), including Redzone or similar platforms, to monitor production performance, analyze downtime and losses, improve labor and equipment utilization, and drive data-based decision-making.
- Establish and manage operating routines and performance management systems that drive accountability to plant KPIs and operational goals.
- Identify opportunities to improve OEE, throughput, labor productivity, yield, downtime, waste, and overall equipment reliability.
- Lead continuous improvement initiatives using Lean and Six Sigma methodologies and ensure improvements are sustained over time.
- Partner with Maintenance, Engineering, FSQA, Supply Chain, and other cross-functional teams to improve manufacturing processes and eliminate operational losses.
- Deliver against safety, food safety, quality, regulatory, and SQF requirements.
- Create a culture of commitment to quality, safety, accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement across all functional areas.
- Develop and deliver production and operating expense budgets and identify opportunities for sustainable cost reduction.
- Contribute to capital planning and lead capital projects that improve capacity, reliability, safety, quality, and efficiency.
- Manage ingredients, materials, labor, and other resources in accordance with established standards and business objectives.
- Prepare and present operational performance reports and recommendations to the Plant Manager and other leadership.
- Build a culture of accountability and teamwork while driving rigorous execution of core manufacturing systems.
- Demonstrate strong problem-solving capabilities and a bias for action to rapidly identify and eliminate operational losses.
- Proactively lead cost savings and productivity improvement projects to meet plant and company objectives.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
