Operations Manager

Vibrant Ingredients•Melville, NY

23d

About The Position

The Plant Operations Manager oversees the manufacture and delivery of Vibrant Ingredients products and is accountable for achieving safety, quality, service, and cost KPIs. The role promotes organizational values and goals, supports employee engagement and effective teamwork, and balances day-to-day production demands with continuous improvement to strengthen costs and capabilities over time. The manager leads production operations, production scheduling, R&D trials, capital improvements, and maintenance activities. The position develops teams and employees, drives operational improvements, ensures compliance with company and regulatory standards, and collaborates across functions and with local and state regulatory authorities. It also assures departmental support and alignment with the company’s ESG initiatives. Vibrant Ingredients is an industry-leading provider of taste and functional performance ingredients, with plant-based food and beverage ingredients and facilities and customer application centers located throughout the United States. The company is privately owned by Ardian and MidOcean Capital and headquartered in Lake Mary, Florida. It states a commitment to sustainable and ethical business practices and to a beneficial and respectful environment for employees, customers, suppliers, and the community. Vibrant Ingredients is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

Requirements

10+ years’ experience in food manufacturing operations.
Knowledge of food or flavor processing and/or chemical processing, GMPs, and clean design.
Strong understanding of plant and facility management.
Working knowledge of safety, quality, maintenance, and HR disciplines and their interaction within a plant.
Familiarity with batch and continuous processing, filtration techniques, extraction, and product packaging.
Experience with MS Office applications, including MS Project.
Understanding of lean manufacturing and a strong focus on continuous improvement.
Experience with highly automated equipment and facilities.
Familiarity with food safety programs such as SQF, Kosher, and Halal.
Strong safety and quality awareness.
Ability to build teams, develop employees, encourage employee involvement, and grow internal leadership.
Strong analytical, prioritizing, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to solve problems using structured approaches as well as creativity.
Strong ownership of the team, environment, and facility conditions.
Strong work ethic and sense of urgency.
High energy, positive attitude, and hands-on approach, with the ability to keep multiple projects and priorities on track.

Nice To Haves

Four-year B.S. degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, or Manufacturing Engineering preferred.
Green belt desirable.

Responsibilities

Lead production department operations to achieve cost, quality, and safety KPI objectives.
Implement continuous improvement principles to increase operational efficiency and improve yield and cost performance.
Lead execution of weekly production schedules, R&D trials, capital improvements, and maintenance activities.
Implement operational learnings and best practices to improve performance.
Foster a continuous improvement culture.
Develop teams to solve day-to-day operational issues and meet short- and long-term performance goals.
Lead change effectively, driving business changes while minimizing the impact on people.
Communicate and collaborate cross-functionally to help resolve operational issues.
Identify and eliminate losses to improve costs and quality.
Ensure company standards for product quality, formulations, and plant safety are followed.
Promote employee safety through safety programs and safe work practices and conditions.
Maintain a work environment that adheres to compliance and regulatory guidelines.
Work directly with local and state regulatory authorities to ensure site compliance.
Assure departmental support, execution, and alignment with company ESG initiatives.
Establish clear performance expectations and maintain an effective performance management process, reviewing direct reports’ progress against mid-year and annual plans.
Evaluate business unit capabilities, skills, and resource alignment to ensure performance against objectives.
Build employee capability through employee relations, hiring, training, and communication for front-line hourly and salaried personnel, and provide career development opportunities.