Director, Operations (Protein)

Overview

JOB SUMMARY: Lead and direct all plant operations for our protein products division, ensuring the achievement of key objectives related to safety, quality, efficiency, cost, and customer satisfaction. This role requires a dynamic leader with a proven track record in meat processing and a commitment to fostering a high-performing team. You will be responsible for driving continuous improvement, optimizing production, and maintaining strong relationships with key stakeholders.

Responsibilities

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Operational Leadership (40%): Plan, direct, and implement daily operations, developing and implementing standards to exceed departmental and company objectives while adhering to all regulatory and company guidelines. This includes optimizing production processes, maximizing yields, and minimizing waste.

 

Team Management & Development (20%): Direct and mentor a large team (up to 300 employees) through subordinate managers and supervisors. Responsibilities include assigning work, providing training and development opportunities, conducting performance evaluations, and fostering a motivated and engaged workforce.

Stakeholder Management (15%): Establish and maintain strong relationships with customers, vendors, and raw material suppliers to enhance the company's reputation within the industry. This includes collaborating cross-functionally to ensure the best outcomes for the company and its customers.

Performance Analysis & Improvement (15%): Oversee the auditing, evaluation, and analysis of operational procedures, safety protocols, quality control measures, and efficiency metrics. Prepare and submit required reports to ensure accurate and timely information for decision-making. Drive continuous improvement initiatives with a zero-loss mindset.

Strategic Collaboration & Communication (5%): Coordinate and lead weekly management review team meetings, ensuring the presentation of key data for analysis, review, and strategic decision-making. Effectively communicate operational performance and strategic initiatives to key stakeholders.

Additional Duties (5%): Perform other related and assigned duties as necessary.

Leadership

Manages, through subordinate Managers and Supervisors, up to 300 mostly hourly employees

 

Performance Categories

• Safety First: Champion a safety-first culture through proactive safety awareness and engagement.
• Quality Excellence: Ensure food safety is never compromised. Maintain high-quality performance to minimize customer concerns and achieve excellent quality audit ratings.
• Cost Optimization: Minimize cost to the customer and maximize return to the company through.
• Maximizing yields and eliminating waste
• Optimizing raw material usage for least-cost formulations
• Implementing and documenting cost savings initiatives
• Minimizing conversion costs
• Maximizing labor and production efficiency
• Continuous Improvement: Be a champion of continuous improvement with a zero-loss mindset.
• Employee Engagement: Foster a positive work environment and develop your team to make the company an employer of choice.
• Sustainability: Ensure facility targets for sustainability initiatives are achieved.

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  Education and experience equivalent to:

 

Education/Certification:

Bachelor’s degree in from an accredited college institution

 

Experience:

7 to 10 years of relevant work experience in a meat processing environment with increasing management experience

 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

 

Knowledge of (B/basic; J/journey; E/expert):

• Budgetary concepts and procedures (E)
• Raw materials purchasing, formulation, and packaging (E)
• Quality assurance concepts and techniques (E)
• Beef processing regulations, processes, and procedures (E)
• Management concepts and techniques (E)
• Project management concepts and techniques (E)
• Safety concepts and techniques (E)
• PC word processing/spreadsheet software applications (B)

Skill and ability to:

• Expert-level knowledge of budgetary concepts and procedures, production/operations concepts and techniques, food safety concepts and techniques, and management concepts and techniques.

• Knowledge of project management concepts and techniques.

• Knowledge of the beef processing industry and equipment.

• Proven ability to manage and motivate employees in a t