Operations Manager

Seeking a highly motivated and experienced Produce Distribution Operations Manager to oversee and optimize daily operations in our fast-paced distribution environment. This role ensures efficient workflow, maintains quality standards, and drives productivity while leading a dynamic team. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in logistics, inventory management, and team leadership within the produce industry.

Salary: $90-$100K with $20K bonus potential

Benefits: Health, Dental, Vision, STD, Life Insurance, 401K match, Paid time off

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE ROLE

• Coach and develop supervisors and team leads to ensure alignment with performance goals and standards.
• Identify career development opportunities and work with HR to implement individual growth plans.
• Build a high-performance team culture that rewards accountability, results, and collaboration.
• Provide hands-on support and coaching to teams during production and process improvement initiatives.
• Own daily, weekly, and monthly KPI tracking, including labor efficiency (cases per labor hour), cost per case, line uptime, and order fulfillment.
• Use data from RedZone and other platforms to analyze trends, identify bottlenecks, and implement corrective actions.
• Ensure teams understand performance metrics and how they impact bonuses and business performance.
• Coordinate closely with scheduling, sales, and procurement teams to align production plans with demand forecasts.
• Develop, implement, and enforce SOPs for all key production activities, including prep, changeovers, packaging, labeling, and sanitation.
• Ensure consistency in execution across all shifts by training supervisors and line leads on standard work practices.
• Lead structured Gemba walks and line reviews to ensure adherence to standards and identify areas for improvement.
• Ensure all incoming raw materials are properly scanned, tagged, and tracked for accurate input data.
• Monitor yield performance daily; identify and resolve discrepancies between raw input and finished goods.
• Partner with QA and Receiving to ensure raw product quality aligns with specifications and customer requirements.
• Coach and develop supervisors and team leads to ensure alignment with performance goals and standards.
• Identify career development opportunities and work with HR to implement individual growth plans.
• Build a high-performance team culture that rewards accountability, results, and collaboration.
• Provide hands-on support and coaching to teams during production and process improvement initiatives.
• Own daily, weekly, and monthly KPI tracking, including labor efficiency (cases per labor hour), cost per case, line uptime, and order fulfillment.
• Use data from RedZone and other platforms to analyze trends, identify bottlenecks, and implement corrective actions.
• Ensure teams understand performance metrics and how they impact bonuses and business performance.
• Coordinate closely with scheduling, sales, and procurement teams to align production plans with demand forecasts.
• Develop, implement, and enforce SOPs for all key production activities, including prep, changeovers, packaging, labeling, and sanitation.
• Ensure consistency in execution across all shifts by training supervisors and line leads on standard work practices.
• Lead structured Gemba walks and line reviews to ensure adherence to standards and identify areas for improvement.
• Ensure all incoming raw materials are properly scanned, tagged, and tracked for accurate input data.
• Monitor yield performance daily; identify and resolve discrepancies between raw input and finished goods.
• Partner with QA and Receiving to ensure raw product quality aligns with specifications and customer requirements.
• Drive shrink reduction through accurate reporting and proactive root cause analysis.
• Partner with QA/QC teams to maintain audit-ready status and ensure production aligns with food safety and product specifications.
• Communicate product specs and quality requirements to line teams and monitor compliance.
• Support resolution of quality issues quickly and effectively.
• Host customer visits and manage facility tours as needed.
• Champion continuous improvement initiatives across the facility.
• Identify waste and inefficiencies using Lean methodology and Kaizen principles.
• Facilitate process improvement projects to enhance productivity and reduce costs.
• Promote a c