Director of Extraction & Process Development

YAKIMA CHIEF HOPS INC•Sunnyside, WA

19d•Onsite

About The Position

The purpose of this position is to provide strategic leadership and direction for all extraction operations, ensuring efficient, high‑quality production across extraction facilities and extract packaging functions. This role is responsible for guiding the scale‑up of new products developed by the R&D team, overseeing the transition from bench‑top experimentation to pilot runs and ultimately full‑scale manufacturing, including final packaging. The Director ensures that processes, equipment, and teams are aligned to deliver safe, consistent, and commercially viable products that support the organization’s innovation and growth objectives. Manage the Extract production operations to optimize output levels, minimize operating costs and maximize profitability and quality. They will be responsible for supervision of all extracting, packaging, and manufacturing activities. Must possess manufacturing experience utilizing engineering principles to design and install equipment, suggest process improvements, and troubleshooting process issues. Manage capital projects for the Extract Plant facilities located in Sunnyside. Provide technical advice, oversee mechanical issues, and ensure required data is collected and documented.

Requirements

Passion for hops, agriculture, quality, sustainability and brewing.
BS/BA in Engineering, Business Administration, Management or a field requiring similar manufacturing training and experience.
Five additional years of experience above qualification and demonstrated leadership skills can substitute for degree.
Minimum of seven years supervision/management experience in a food processing or beverage production environment with experience in troubleshooting, process engineering, project management and capital project development and analysis.
Must possess strong leadership skills and outstanding work ethic to positively contribute to the company’s mission, vision and values.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills are required.
Must be able to effectively work as part of a team with employees, department managers, senior / executive management, growers, customers and vendors.
Skilled at mentoring and training employees and other team members in professional development in alignment with company needs.
PC skills – Microsoft Office, Outlook, AutoCAD, and experience working with ERP systems.
Familiarity with plant equipment operations (raw material handling, milling, chiller, boiler, pumps, compressors, PLC).
Understanding of hops (pelleting, extraction, products, packaging).
Must be able to effectively communicate in written and verbal form with co-workers, supervisor and management.

Nice To Haves

Second language is desirable.
Brewing experience or brewing education is a plus.
Lean Manufacturing Training preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic direction of extraction facilities, and packaging facilities.
Identify, evaluate and scope new extraction, fractionation, and packaging equipment to support innovation and operational expansion.
Oversee formulation development and technical process improvements to enhance product quality, consistency and throughput
Work with R&D, Engineering team and New Product Development team on bringing new products to full scale manufacturing.
Process development & scale up
Develop, optimize and scale up downstream processing methods for oil-enriched hop extracts, emulsified aqueous products and other derivative formulations.
Translate bench-scale and pilot-scale processes into robust, commercially viable production workflows.
Conduct process modeling, mass balances, and equipment sizing to support scale-up decisions
Identify and mitigate scale-up risks such as phase separation, viscosity changes, thermal sensitivity, or extraction efficiency loss.
Design and optimize packaging lines for hop extracts, including oil-based product filling systems, aqueous/emulsified product filling systems
Investigate alternative and procure packaging materials compatible with hop resins, and oils.
Environmental & regulatory compliance.
Ensure compliance with all local, state, and federal environmental regulations for wastewater, air emissions and waste handling
Lead projects to help reduce carbon footprint, water footprint, emissions, landfill waste while enhancing cost efficiency.
Assist management of environmental permits, reporting, inspections and communication with regulatory agencies
Oversee wastewater treatment performance, sampling, testing, and corrective actions to maintain discharge compliance.
Monitor air emission, hazardous materials, and waste streams while implementing pollution-prevention strategies.
Assist in environmental audits, maintain risk-management and spill-prevention plans, and train staff in compliance with best practices.
Responsible for performance in areas including Safety, People, Quality, Delivery, Cost, & Inventory
Ensure operational priorities, processes and procedures are communicated and understood
Responsible for ensuring daily activities are performed in accordance with current SOP’s, safety, and regulatory compliance.
Responsible for ensuring data management of all Extract production and packaging reporting and inventory adjustments.
Ensure the same is done for Advanced products and Advanced aroma products.
Manages production regarding dates, schedules, and special requirements in cooperation with demand and planning department.
Ensure that Extract processing parameters produce products that is within specification for customers.
Ensure staff are being coached and evaluations are being carried out.
Responsible for generating various reports for operations as need and compiling data for monthly production metrics for extraction.
Troubleshoot process upsets, equipment malfunction, and yield variances.
Responsible for managing purchasing of packaging supplies, parts and other necessities for the Extract, Packaging, and Advanced Products Departments. Also oversee direct reports with purchasing privileges.
Utilize all software and tracking systems to manage production and inventory schedule
Work in conjunction with Lean Manufacturing Principles in the Extract Plant and Packaging facilities.
Schedules and manages facility maintenance
Oversee training of extract plant personnel.
Project management of capital improvements and new construction, including vendor selection, sourcing of equipment, scheduling, installation of equipment and management of expenses.
Provide technical advice to generate process improvements to Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), Quality Procedures and Environmental Procedures, improving productivity, quality and environmental impacts.
Use engineering skills to track metrics to study opportunities to reduce environmental impacts.
Recommend technology and process improvements to reduce energy and supplies consumption and set new targets for our Environment Management System.
Ensure the plants comply with OSHA and WISHA and develop and update SOP’s and policies to ensure compliance.
Maintain sanitary and safe work environment.
May actively participate in the company’s Safety Committee.
Ensure that company safety policies as well as federal, state and local safety and environmental regulations are observed.
Must have a complete understanding of company’s policies, Employee Handbook, SOPs, QPs, EPs, HACCP and cGMP that pertain to their department to ensure quality, safety, efficiency and sustainability.
Must adhere to all company policies.
Examine documents, materials, and products and monitor work processes to assess completeness, accuracy and conformance to standards and specifications.
Follow all SOPs in each area.
Perform all other duties as assigned by Manager and/or designee.