Operational Excellence (OPEX) Manager

Jack Link's Protein Snacks•Perry, GA

9d•$150,000 - $170,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Operations Excellence (OpEx) Manager is responsible for driving Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), continuous improvement, and operational performance across a 410,000 sq ft, highly automated USDA-regulated manufacturing facility with ~500 team members. This role leads the implementation and sustainment of TPM pillars to improve OEE, reduce downtime, stabilize processes, and build frontline ownership of equipment. The OpEx Manager partners cross-functionally with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, and Engineering to deliver measurable improvements in throughput, cost, reliability, and food safety compliance.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Operations, or related field
7+ years in manufacturing (food or high-speed automation preferred)
3+ years leading TPM, Lean, or OpEx programs
Demonstrated success improving OEE and reducing downtime at scale
Strong knowledge of TPM pillars
Strong knowledge of Reliability principles (RCM, PM optimization)
Strong knowledge of Lean methodologies
Experience with CMMS and production data systems

Nice To Haves

Experience in USDA or highly regulated food manufacturing
Certification in Lean, Six Sigma, or TPM (e.g., Black Belt, JIPM familiarity)
Background in highly automated environments (robotics, packaging, continuous processes)

Responsibilities

Lead full-site deployment and maturity of TPM pillars: Autonomous Maintenance (AM), Planned Maintenance (PM), Focused Improvement (FI / Kaizen), Early Equipment Management (EEM), Quality Maintenance.
Establish TPM governance structure, cadence, and accountability at all levels.
Define and advance TPM maturity roadmap (Levels 1–5 progression).
Drive operator ownership of basic equipment care (clean, inspect, lubricate, tighten).
Own and improve key asset performance metrics: OEE (Availability, Performance, Quality), MTBF / MTTR, Planned vs. unplanned downtime.
Partner with Maintenance and Reliability teams to strengthen PM/PdM practices, identify and eliminate chronic losses, and ensure TPM activities are aligned to highest-value bottlenecks (formulation, smokehouse, packaging, automation systems).
Lead structured problem-solving using Root Cause Analysis (RCA), 5 Why, Fishbone, Pareto.
Facilitate cross-functional Kaizen events focused on downtime reduction, changeover optimization, and yield improvement.
Build and maintain loss trees to prioritize improvement focus.
Develop and roll out AM standards across all lines: Center lining, Cleaning and inspection standards, Abnormality identification and tagging.
Train operators to identify early signs of failure.
Transition basic maintenance tasks from maintenance to operators where appropriate.
Audit AM execution and effectiveness.
Partner with Maintenance leadership to improve PM compliance and quality, incorporate predictive tools (vibration, thermal, etc.), ensure maintenance strategies align with failure modes and production risk, and drive reduction of reactive maintenance through improved planning.
Train and coach Production supervisors and operators on TPM principles, and Maintenance teams on reliability-centered practices.
Develop TPM champions within each department.
Build a culture of ownership and accountability at the frontline.
Implement plant-wide visual management systems: Tiered accountability boards, Daily performance tracking (OEE, downtime, defects).
Lead daily/weekly performance reviews tied to TPM metrics.
Establish standard KPI tracking across lines and departments.
Leverage CMMS, MES, and production data systems to identify trends and losses, track improvement impact, ensure data accuracy and consistency across reporting platforms, and develop dashboards for leadership visibility into performance.
Ensure all TPM and maintenance practices comply with USDA regulations, GMP standards, and Food safety requirements.
Integrate sanitation and equipment care into TPM routines.
Support audit readiness and compliance efforts.
Act as a key bridge between Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, and Quality & Food Safety.
Align improvement initiatives with plant priorities and production goals.
Support capital projects with TPM and reliability input.