Operations Manager (2495)

Perricone Juices•Fort Pierce, FL

4d•Onsite

About The Position

Perricone Farms, a leader in premium citrus juice products, is proud to produce some of the finest craft citrus beverages in the industry. Headquartered in Newport Beach, California, with production operations in Fort Pierce, we are committed to delivering high-quality, fresh products with a focus on innovation, food safety, and operational excellence. Our recent partnership with Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Company has further strengthened our leadership in the fresh juice market, offering exciting opportunities for growth and innovation. We are seeking a strategic, results-driven Operations Manager to lead all operations at our Fort Pierce, FL production facility. This individual will be instrumental in ensuring the reliability, efficiency, and safety of all plant equipment and infrastructure while driving a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence. The Operations Manager oversees all daily production, blending, juicing, bottling, HPP processing, warehouse, and distribution activities at our Florida facility. This role ensures safe, efficient, and consistent manufacturing of premium, short-shelf-life juice products while supporting the company’s growth trajectory. The Operations Manager drives operational discipline, KPI performance, cost control, and workforce development with a focus on scalability and continuous improvement.

Requirements

5+ years of operations or production management experience in food & beverage manufacturing; juice, dairy, or short-shelf-life fresh food preferred.
Strong knowledge of HACCP, GMPs, FDA juice compliance, HPP processes, and cold-chain management.
Experience working in a high-growth, metric-driven environment strongly preferred.
Demonstrated success improving KPIs, managing labor efficiently, and implementing operational improvement initiatives.
Strong leadership skills with ability to motivate and hold teams accountable.
Excellent problem-solving, communication, and decision-making skills.
Ability to work flexible shifts, including early mornings, evenings, and weekends as necessary.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual English/Spanish/Creole preferred for Florida operations.

Responsibilities

Lead daily operations across extraction, blending, bottling, sanitation, and HPP to achieve throughput, yield, and quality targets.
Manage production schedules, labor allocation, and shift execution to meet customer demand and reduce overtime costs.
Maintain strict adherence to cold-chain requirements and Florida-specific regulatory standards.
Partner with Maintenance to reduce unplanned downtime and support equipment reliability programs.
Lead and develop a diverse Florida-based workforce, including supervisors, leads, and hourly associates.
Oversee talent selection, scheduling, attendance management, and accountability systems in compliance with Florida labor laws.
Drive a culture of safety, engagement, productivity, and ownership through consistent communication and coaching.
Implement cross-training programs to build a flexible, cost-efficient workforce.
Ensure compliance with HACCP, SQF/BRC, FDA juice regulations, and customer audit requirements.
Champion GMPs and sanitation excellence across all areas.
Partner with QA on deviations, holds, corrective actions, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Ensure proper documentation, batch records, and traceability requirements, aligning with Florida state regulatory expectations.
Own key operational KPIs: yields, throughput, labor efficiency, cost per gallon/case, waste reduction, and schedule attainment.
Apply Lean and Six Sigma principles (5S, RCAs, standard work) to reduce cost and increase output.
Support capacity planning, facility layout improvements, and introduction of new equipment or technology to scale operations.
Identify and eliminate bottlenecks using data-driven decision making.
Oversee ingredient staging, blending accuracy, raw and packaging inventory control, and cold-storage management.
Partner with Procurement/Supply Chain to minimize shortages, reduce scrap, and control material costs.
Ensure accurate cycle counts, inventory reconciliation, and timely shipping/receiving.
Enforce OSHA standards and company safety policies, driving a strong safety culture on the production floor.
Lead incident investigations, root cause identification, and corrective actions.
Ensure safety training, PPE compliance, and facility documentation meet Florida requirements.