Manager, Plant Operations - Brooklyn Culinary Center

Whitsons Culinary Group•New York, NY

16d•$125,000 - $150,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Manager, Plant Operations is responsible for the overall leadership, performance, and operational excellence of the Brooklyn food manufacturing, warehousing, and packaging facility. This role oversees all areas of production and warehousing operations, ensuring compliance with food safety, quality, regulatory, and safety standards. The position drives productivity, cost efficiency, continuous improvement, and employee engagement to meet customer demand, quality expectations, and operational goals. The Manager, Plant Operations also partners with corporate leadership on strategic and financial initiatives to support long-term operational excellence.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Food Science, Operations Management, Supply Chain, or a related field preferred.
5–8+ years of progressive leadership experience in food manufacturing or consumer packaged goods required, with a minimum of 2 years in plant or senior operations management.
Experience managing large teams (150+ employees preferred).
Experience with cold chain operations, including frozen storage and fresh produce warehousing, and high-volume manufacturing and packaging environments.
Strong knowledge of food safety standards (HACCP, GMP, FDA, USDA).
Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement methodologies.
Experience with ERP, WMS, and manufacturing systems.
Strong leadership, communication, and team development skills.
Ability to analyze operational data and drive performance improvements.
Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual Spanish highly preferred.

Responsibilities

Leads and manages all plant operations including production, warehouse, safety, sanitation, quality, and logistics; oversees daily production scheduling, capacity planning, and workforce management to meet customer demand and service levels.
Ensures efficient flow of raw materials, finished goods, and inventory through production and warehouse operations; develops, refines, and monitors key performance indicators (KPIs) related to production output, labor efficiency, downtime, waste, and on-time delivery.
Drives continuous improvement initiatives using Lean, Six Sigma, or similar methodologies.
Ensures strict compliance with all food safety and quality systems including HACCP, GMPs, and regulatory requirements; maintains readiness for internal and external audits (FDA, USDA, customer audits, third-party certifications).
Partners with Quality Assurance leadership to ensure product safety, traceability, and regulatory compliance; leads root cause analysis and corrective actions for quality or food safety issues.
Ensures a safe working environment by maintaining compliance with OSHA and company safety standards; leads safety initiatives to reduce incidents and improve safety culture, and ensures all equipment and facilities are maintained and operating safely.
Leads, coaches, and develops a leadership team that may include production managers, warehouse managers, maintenance managers, quality leaders, and supervisors; fosters a culture of accountability, teamwork, safety, and continuous improvement.
Manages workforce planning, hiring, training, and performance management; promotes employee engagement and retention through strong leadership and communication.
Builds bench strength and succession planning for key facility roles.
Oversees frozen storage and warehousing operations to maintain product integrity and cold chain compliance; ensures proper inventory management, rotation (FIFO/FEFO), and storage conditions; coordinates inbound raw materials and outbound finished goods logistics.
Oversees preventive maintenance programs for production equipment, refrigeration systems, and facility infrastructure; ensures minimal downtime through proactive maintenance and rapid response to equipment issues, and supports reliability engineering and equipment performance improvements.
Develops and manages plant operating budgets including labor, maintenance, utilities, and capital expenditures; identifies cost reduction opportunities while maintaining quality and service.
Partners with supply chain, finance, and corporate leadership on strategic initiatives; leads capital improvement projects and facility upgrades.