Pilot Plant Operations Manager - R&D
About The Position
The Technology Process Center (TPC) is PepsiCo Foods Core R&D pilot plant, providing pilot-scale capabilities across multiple food platforms. As a critical link between research, development, and commercialization, TPC enables the testing, scaling, and validation of products, processes, and technologies that support PepsiCo's innovation agenda. The TPC Pilot Plant Manager leads across all functions, including operations, maintenance, safety, food safety, quality, warehouse, and additional support teams. They are accountable for the day-to-day performance of the facility, ensuring safe operations, operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and delivery of business commitments. The role also leads the development of the site's long-term capabilities, resources, and organizational plans to support future business and R&D priorities.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s Degree preference for engineering disciplines
- Minimum 7 years’ leadership experience in a Food/Consumer Goods manufacturing environment with demonstrated capability to lead multifunctional teams (operations, maintenance, safety, food safety) of a minimum of 20 people
- Recognized Health and Safety qualification such as IOSH / NEBOSH / OSHA, with good understanding of Health and Safety (Equipment Safety (MESS), LOTO, Process Safety, Risk Assessments)
- Food Safety, qualified to HACCP level 3 or higher, experience with either AIB, BRC, FSSC22,000
- This position is limited to persons with indefinite right to work in the United States
Responsibilities
- Provide strategic and operational leadership for the R&D Pilot Plant, ensuring the site enables PepsiCo's innovation, productivity, capability, and commercialization agenda through safe, efficient, and effective delivery of R&D test runs and programs.
- Define and execute the long-term vision, operating strategy, and capability roadmap, including resource planning, organizational capability, infrastructure readiness, and operational excellence to meet future business needs.
- Accountable for overall site performance, including safety, quality, food safety, service, talent, productivity, financial stewardship, and continuous improvement.
- Champion a world-class safety culture by providing leadership over Environmental, Health, and Safety programs, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and PepsiCo standards.
- Own the site's Food Safety and Quality Management Systems, including FSSC22000 implementation and sustainment, ensuring robust governance, regulatory compliance, audit readiness, and continuous improvement.
- Accountable for site's operating budget, including labor, maintenance, contract services, utilities, ingredients, and operating expenses, ensuring effective resource allocation, financial discipline, and delivery of business objectives.
- Lead and develop a high-performing organization by driving talent management, succession planning, leadership development, employee engagement, and organizational effectiveness across all site functions.
- Collaborate across the Global Process Centers to drive standardization, leverage best practices, optimize resources, and accelerate capability deployment.
- Build strong partnerships with internal stakeholders to ensure the delivers against current and future R&D needs
Benefits
- Paid parental leave
- vacation
- sick
- bereavement
- Medical
- Dental
- Vision
- Disability
- Health
- Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Insurance (Accident, Group Legal, Life)
- Defined Contribution Retirement Plan
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
