Plant Manager

PS SEASONING & SPICES•Iron Ridge, WI

About The Position

The Plant Manager is responsible for safe, compliant, and cost-effective production of seasonings, rubs, and sauces. The role translates the Director of Operations’ priorities into daily execution across blending, liquid and sauce processing, packaging, sanitation, quality, warehousing, and shipping and receiving. With Quality reporting through Operations, the Plant Manager is accountable for production results and product quality. Working through supervisors and team leads, the Plant Manager establishes reliable operating systems and develops leaders to sustain consistent performance.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Operations Management, Engineering, Food Science, Business, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
At least 7 years of experience in food or CPG manufacturing, including 3 years leading supervisors in a plant setting.
Strong knowledge of GMPs, HACCP, allergen control, sanitation programs, quality systems, and OSHA requirements.
Experience leading or working closely with QA/QC teams, including specifications, testing, holds, and corrective action.
Proven record of improving safety, quality, delivery, and cost results.
Experience building budgets and managing labor and spending.
Hands-on experience with an ERP system for production, inventory, and lot traceability.
Strong leadership, problem-solving, organization, and communication skills.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office.
Ability to stand and walk for extended periods and occasionally lift up to 50 lbs.
Must follow GMP, PPE, and safety requirements in a production environment.

Nice To Haves

Experience with dry blending, seasonings, or liquid sauce production.
SQF Practitioner or PCQI certification.
Lean or Six Sigma training.

Responsibilities

Lead a safety-first culture across all shifts and areas; oversee incident prevention, investigations, corrective actions, OSHA compliance, PPE, safeguards, lockout/tagout, and safety training.
Work with QA and QC to ensure product quality from incoming materials through finished goods; align on checks, testing, specifications, and release; manage nonconforming product holds, investigations, and disposition.
Track quality measures, including complaints, holds, rework, and first-pass quality, and drive root-cause corrective action.
Monitor supplier and ingredient performance and partner with Purchasing to resolve quality issues.
Partner with Regulatory & Compliance to uphold GMPs, food-safety plans, allergen control, sanitation, and SQF requirements, and maintain audit and inspection readiness.
Deliver the production schedule while protecting on-time shipments and customer service; coordinate with Planning, Purchasing, and the warehouse to ensure materials, labor, and equipment are ready.
Lead daily and weekly production meetings; track output, downtime, yield, and schedule attainment, and address performance gaps.
Own plant labor, overtime, material yield, waste, and spending against budget; build the annual plant budget and capital requests with the Director of Operations and take corrective action when results fall short.
Ensure accurate production and inventory reporting, including job completion and pallet records; maintain proper management and closure of production and partner with the inventory team to ensure inventory accuracy.
Lead continuous improvement in changeovers, throughput, yield, and structured problem-solving.
Partner with Maintenance on preventive maintenance and equipment reliability for seasoning and sauce lines; evaluate and recommend equipment and process improvements to support growth.
Hire, develop, and lead production supervisors, team leads, and the Quality team; build backup coverage for critical roles.
Set clear expectations, follow up consistently, and address attendance, conduct, and performance issues promptly and fairly with HR.
Create standard work, training, and qualification plans; foster a culture of safety, food safety, quality, accountability, and continuous improvement throughout the plant.