Vice President of Manufacturing

Schweid & Sons • College Park, GA

3d • Onsite

About The Position

Schweid & Sons is a family-owned and operated premium ground beef company with a proud heritage spanning four generations. We supply top-quality beef to Retail, Foodservice, and National Account customers across the U.S. and are committed to quality, customer service, and innovation in protein manufacturing.

The Opportunity

Schweid & Sons is seeking an exceptional Vice President of Manufacturing to lead and elevate a multi-site, premium protein manufacturing organization at a critical stage of growth and operational maturity. This is a highly visible executive role accountable for people safety, food safety, quality, service, cost, reliability, and the deployment of a disciplined Lean operating system—while preserving the craftsmanship, values, and heritage of a fourth-generation family business.

Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer, the Vice President of Manufacturing will shape the next evolution of Schweid & Sons’ manufacturing platform by embedding Lean Manufacturing, Daily Management Systems (DDS), and TPS-based or equivalent to deliver predictable performance, engaged teams, and world-class execution.

This role is intentionally designed for a Lean practitioner—someone who has built operating systems, developed leaders, and sustained results over time. It is also a key succession role within the operations organization, with the expectation that the successful executive will develop the capability and enterprise perspective required for broader responsibility over time, including advancement to Vice President of Operations or Chief Operating Officer, based on performance and business needs.

Requirements

• 15+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience, must be in Pharmaceutical, food or protein manufacturing
• Proven success leading multi-site manufacturing organizations in regulated environments
• Deep, hands-on experience implementing Lean Manufacturing, TPS-like programs, Daily Management Systems, or Integrated Work Systems
• Strong leadership of maintenance, reliability, and asset care functions
• Track record of measurable improvements in safety, uptime, productivity, and cost
• Demonstrated capability and aspiration to lead beyond manufacturing into enterprise-level operations
• Strong business and financial acumen with executive-level communication skills
• Bachelor’s degree required or suitable, extensive experiences (Engineering, Operations, or Food Science preferred)

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree preferred

Responsibilities

• Establish an uncompromising people-safety culture grounded in visible leadership, accountability, and genuine care for employees at every level.
• Make safety a core operating value, fully integrated into Lean systems, DDS routines, leader standard work, and performance management—not a standalone program.
• Drive behavior-based safety, hazard identification, near-miss reporting, and root-cause problem-solving to eliminate risk and prevent injuries.
• Ensure leaders at all levels are trained, engaged, and accountable for safety leadership on the plant floor.
• Achieve sustained improvement toward zero injuries through disciplined systems and continuous improvement.
• Champion a food-safety-first culture across all manufacturing locations.
• Ensure full compliance with USDA, FSMA, HACCP, GMPs, and customer requirements.
• Maintain audit readiness and lead corrective and preventive action programs.
• Lead the design, deployment, and maturation of an enterprise Lean Management System grounded in TPS or equivalent integrated work systems.
• Improve and sustain Daily Direction Setting (DDS) with clear goals, visual management, tiered accountability, and escalation.
• Establish leader standard work, structured problem solving (root cause analysis), and routine Gemba engagement.
• Move the organization beyond tools to culture, capability, and leadership behaviors.
• Drive continuous improvement using tools and principles to include Lean, TPM, Kaizen, Six Sigma, and high-performance work systems.
• Develop and execute a manufacturing strategy aligned with growth, margin, service, and reliability objectives.
• Lead multi-site operations with consistent standards across union and non-union environments.
• Deliver 100% on-time customer service through predictable, stable processes in a make-to-order organization.
• Own OEE performance across productivity, yield, labor efficiency, downtime, and cost.
• Provide strong executive leadership over maintenance, reliability, and plant engineering.
• Establish and sustain robust asset-care strategies, including preventive, predictive, and condition-based maintenance.
• Integrate maintenance fully into Lean systems, DDS, and TPM routines.
• Improve OEE, uptime, and maintenance cost effectiveness through disciplined execution and reliability engineering.
• Own long-term asset health, lifecycle planning, and operational risk mitigation.
• Develop and execute multi-year capital investment plans aligned with safety, reliability, capacity, and ROI.
• Ensure capital projects are delivered on time, on budget, and sustainably integrated into operations.
• Operate as an enterprise leader with a holistic view of end-to-end operations.
• Partner closely with the COO and executive peers on operating priorities, strategic initiatives, and capital allocation.
• Build the leadership capability, systems thinking, and judgment required for expanded operational responsibility over time, including potential progression to VP Operations or COO.
• Build and develop a high-performing manufacturing, maintenance, and plant engineering leadership team.
• Identify and develop Lean leaders at all levels through coaching, training, and structured development.
• Drive succession planning and ensure bench strength across the organization.
• Promote a culture of initiative, ownership, urgency, accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Benefits

• Bonus Program: This position is bonus incentive eligible.
• Time Off: PTO, Safe & Sick Time, and Paid Holidays.
• Health Benefits: Medical, vision, dental, HRA and voluntary disability benefits.
• Financial Benefits: 401(k) + employer match and life insurance.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees