Plant Director

Work is Sweet!

'Quality without Compromise' is not just a motto at See’s Candies. It is the most important ingredient in our recipe for success. See’s Candies has been in business since 1921 and maintains a reputation for producing the highest quality candy and providing superior customer service.

See’s is a leader in the confectionery industry with over 250 retail shops across the USA, a growing e-commerce business, and expanding opportunities internationally. We are seeking friendly, enthusiastic individuals who are passionate about helping us grow and thrive in our second century.

Job Description Summary:

POSITION OBJECTIVE:
The Plant Manager provides strategic and hands-on leadership for tree regional manufacturing facilities, overseeing all aspects of Production, Packaging, and Maintenance operations. This role ensures the consistent delivery of high-quality products to See's selling divisions, while driving operational excellence and developing a culture of ownership, accountability and empowerment and collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders.

The pay range for this position is expected to be $215-$240k annually; however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Job Description:

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Multi-Plant Operational Leadership

• Lead, direct, and coordinate day-to-day production and packaging operations across both regional manufacturing sites.
• Ensure output meets quality standards, production plans, and cost targets.

Team Development and Performance Management

• Develop leadership talent, enables and fosters a culture of ownership, accountability.
• Responsible for on sight succession planning.
• Manage site leadership teams; establish and develop goals, KPIs, and performance metrics to drive Safety, Quality, Service and Cost.

Change Leadership and Culture Development

• Lead cultural transformation by promoting a high-performance, inclusive environment.
• Embed change management best practices to ensure sustainable adoption of improvements and organizational alignment.

Continuous Improvement

• Champion and deploy TPM, Lean, and Six Sigma methodologies to reduce waste, increase OEE, and drive operational efficiency.
• Responsible to deliver strategic CI plans and results for sites.
• Partner with SME and Plant Manager of San Francisco to standardize CI approach across See’s manufacturing sites.

Compliance Leadership

• Ensure strict adherence to workplace safety, food safety (HACCP, GMP, SQF), and environmental regulations.
• Collaborate with SME to implement and monitor the workplace safety and food safety programs.
• Ensure plant operations are compliant with applicable collective bargaining agreements.

Production Planning and Materials Coordination

• In partnership with Planning, ensure alignment of production schedules with inventory goals, raw material availability, and customer demand.
• Collaborate with Logistics on efficient material flow and finished goods distribution.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as primary operational interface for cross-functional partners in Safety, Quality, Supply Chain, Human Resources, Engineering, Finance, R&D and Marketing.
• Support new product introductions, seasonal launches, and product transitions through effective change management and cross-departmental coordination.

Capital Projects and Engineering Coordination

• Collaborate with facility infrastructure team.
• Partner with Engineering on equipment and utilities upgrades, installations, and commissioning to meet capacity and innovation needs.

Labor Relations

• Represent sites in union discussions and negotiations in collaboration with Human Resources.

Other Responsibilities

• Manage special projects and strategic initiatives as assigned by senior leadership.
• Contribute to enterprise-level strategy and operations benchmarking with other See’s locations.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience: Minimum 10 years in progressive leadership roles within food manufacturing; multi-plant leadership experience preferred.
• Continuous Improvement Expertise: Deep working knowledge of TPM, Lean Manufacturing, and Six Sigma practices with a track record of measurable success.
• Change Management: Demonstrated success managing organizational and operational change, technology adoption, and cultural transformation.
• Leadership & Commun