COO- Chief Operating Officer

Palmetto Gourmet Foods Inc•Saluda, SC

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) will lead and scale all operational functions of a fast-growing noodle manufacturing company. This role requires a hands-on, execution-focused leader who can build structure, discipline, and efficiency while maintaining the agility of a smaller organization. The COO will be responsible for driving operational excellence across manufacturing, supply chain, engineering, maintenance, food safety, and distribution—while ensuring alignment with the performance expectations, governance standards, and reporting requirements of a public company environment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Food Science, Operations, or related field required
15+ years of operations leadership experience in food manufacturing, ideally in noodles, grain-based products, or similar categories
Experience in a small-to-mid-sized or fast-scaling company environment required
Experience working within or reporting to a publicly traded company or PE-backed structure strongly preferred
Proven success building processes and scaling operations from early-stage to more mature systems
Hands-on leadership style with ability to both strategize and execute
Deep understanding of food manufacturing, particularly high-volume, cost-sensitive production environments
Strong financial and operational acumen
Experience implementing structure, KPIs, and accountability in growing companies
Ability to navigate dual priorities: entrepreneurial agility + public company discipline
Excellent communication skills, especially with executive leadership and corporate stakeholders

Nice To Haves

MBA or advanced degree preferred
Demonstrated knowledge of plant engineering principles, industrial equipment systems, and maintenance best practices
Experience overseeing or closely partnering with plant engineering and maintenance teams
Familiarity with preventive/predictive maintenance systems (CMMS), reliability engineering, and capital project execution
Background in driving engineering-led continuous improvement initiatives, automation, and equipment optimization

Responsibilities

Lead day-to-day operations across manufacturing, engineering, maintenance, supply chain, quality, and logistics in a lean, growth-stage environment.
Build scalable processes, systems, and KPIs to support continued expansion.
Transition operations from entrepreneurial/start-up mode to structured, performance-driven execution.
Oversee noodle production operations, including raw material handling (e.g., flour, wheat, ingredients), processing, packaging, and distribution.
Improve plant throughput, labor efficiency, and equipment utilization.
Implement lean manufacturing principles and continuous improvement initiatives.
Provide leadership and strategic direction for plant engineering and maintenance functions.
Ensure reliability and uptime of production equipment through effective preventive and predictive maintenance programs.
Partner with engineering and maintenance teams to identify and execute continuous improvement initiatives focused on efficiency, automation, and cost reduction.
Support capital projects, equipment upgrades, and facility expansions.
Drive root cause analysis and long-term solutions to recurring operational and mechanical issues.
Manage sourcing, vendor relationships, and ingredient procurement to ensure cost efficiency and supply continuity.
Optimize inventory levels and reduce waste/spoilage.
Strengthen logistics and distribution capabilities to support customer growth.
Ensure strict compliance with FDA, USDA, HACCP, and GFSI standards.
Maintain strong food safety culture and audit readiness at all times.
Align reporting and compliance practices with parent company and public market expectations.
Own operational P&L performance, including cost control, margin improvement, and capital allocation.
Develop and track KPIs, dashboards, and reporting aligned with both internal leadership and parent company requirements.
Identify cost-saving opportunities without compromising quality or growth.
Serve as the operational liaison to the publicly traded parent organization.
Ensure timely and accurate performance reporting, forecasting, and compliance with corporate governance standards.
Support integration of best practices, systems, and controls from the parent company.
Support commercialization of new noodle products, SKUs, and private label opportunities.
Lead operational readiness for capacity expansion, new equipment, or facility growth.
Evaluate co-manufacturing or vertical integration opportunities.
Build and develop a high-performing, accountable operations team, including engineering and maintenance leadership.
Establish clear structure, roles, and performance expectations in a previously informal organization.
Promote a culture of safety, quality, ownership, and continuous improvement.
Promote a positive, coaching mentality among the management team in order to instill mentorship/coaching attitude with the workforce.