DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS- WI & IL

Daybreak Foods, Inc.•Lake Mills, WI

14h•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Operations leads the operational and financial performance of the company’s Wisconsin and Illinois facilities. The role oversees conventional caged and cage-free layer production, pullet operations where assigned, shell egg grading and packing, egg breaking and liquid egg processing, feed mills, and supporting operational functions. The Director translates company strategy into clear site-level priorities, develops strong leaders, and holds teams accountable for safe operations, animal welfare, food safety, customer service, and profitability. This is a visible, hands-on leadership role focused on consistent execution, improved operating practices, and collaboration across locations and corporate functions. The position reports to the COO and directly oversees assigned General Managers and Site Managers. It requires frequent travel between Wisconsin and Illinois facilities and availability to support operations outside normal business hours when necessary. Work includes poultry houses, processing plants, feed mills, and outdoor environments, with adherence to site biosecurity, food safety, and personal protective equipment procedures.

Requirements

Typically 10 or more years of progressive agricultural or food manufacturing experience, including significant leadership responsibility across multiple facilities.
Strong knowledge of commercial layer production, including conventional caged and cage-free systems.
Demonstrated ability to manage budgets, interpret financial results, and improve operational performance.
Working knowledge of animal welfare, biosecurity, food safety, employee safety, and environmental requirements.
Proven ability to develop leaders, manage change, resolve problems, and hold teams accountable.
Strong communication, planning, analytical, and decision-making skills.
Availability to support operations outside normal business hours when necessary.
Ability to travel frequently between Wisconsin and Illinois facilities and work in poultry houses, processing plants, feed mills, and outdoor environments while following site biosecurity, food safety, and PPE procedures.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in poultry science, agriculture, operations management, business, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience is considered.
Experience overseeing shell egg processing, egg breaking, and feed mill operations.

Responsibilities

Lead regional operations to achieve production, processing, quality, service, and financial goals.
Establish facility expectations, performance measures, and operating plans; hold General Managers and operational leaders accountable for results, corrective actions, and follow-through.
Maintain a regular presence at facilities to evaluate conditions, coach leaders, address barriers, and standardize effective practices across locations.
Communicate operational performance, risks, resource needs, and recommendations to executive leadership.
Oversee conventional caged and cage-free layer operations, and pullet rearing and replacement flock readiness where assigned.
Drive flock performance, including production, mortality, livability, egg quality, feed conversion, body weight, and flock uniformity; ensure execution of ventilation, lighting, water, feeding, litter, and manure programs.
Partner with veterinary and nutrition teams on flock health, disease prevention, vaccination, pest control, and nutrition; ensure animal welfare, certification, customer, and biosecurity requirements are met.
Oversee shell egg receiving, grading, packing, storage, and shipping, as well as egg breaking and liquid egg processing, including pasteurization where applicable.
Improve egg recovery, saleable yield, throughput, labor efficiency, equipment utilization, and product quality; reduce losses, rework, downtime, and customer complaints.
Coordinate production and processing schedules with sales, planning, and logistics; partner with Quality Assurance on sanitation, traceability, food safety, audit readiness, and corrective actions.
Ensure production, gradeout, yield, and inventory reporting is accurate and supported by operational records.
Oversee assigned feed mills to ensure safe, reliable, cost-effective manufacturing and delivery aligned with flock requirements.
Partner with nutrition and procurement teams on ingredient quality and availability, formulation implementation, and inventory; ensure batching, mixing, receiving, storage, sanitation, and traceability controls.
Monitor feed costs, shrink, downtime, maintenance needs, and delivery performance; promptly address feed quality concerns.
Own regional operating performance against approved budgets and business plans; lead annual budgeting, forecasting, labor planning, and capital planning.
Review financial results and operating metrics, identify variances and root causes, and implement corrective actions to improve costs, asset utilization, and profitability.
Ensure purchasing discipline, accurate inventory controls, and compliance with spending authority; develop financially justified capital requests and implementation plans.
Oversee maintenance, preventive maintenance, equipment reliability, utilities, and facility condition; support transportation, egg movements, feed delivery, warehousing, and assigned logistics.
Ensure effective manure handling, storage, and removal, environmental stewardship, and housekeeping; coordinate contractors, construction, installations, and facility improvement projects.
Maintain emergency response and business continuity plans for disease events, fires, utility failures, severe weather, and equipment breakdowns.
Build and develop the regional leadership team through coaching, succession planning, and performance management; partner with Human Resources on staffing, retention, training, employee relations, and leadership development.
Promote professional communication, teamwork, respectful treatment, prompt issue resolution, and completion of commitments.
Partner with EHS and site leaders to improve workplace safety, investigate incidents, close corrective actions, and ensure employees have appropriate training and resources.
Deliver results measured by financial performance; live production; processing; feed mill quality, cost, inventory, and delivery; people and safety; and compliance and execution.