Jobs and Careers
TH
Director, Plant Operations
ThistleUnited Statesfull_timeVerifiedPosted 13 Jan 2024
About the role
ABOUT THISTLE:
Thistle was co-founded in 2013 by Ashwin Cheriyan and Shiri Avnery, PhD with a mission to make it easy to get and stay healthy while improving the sustainability of our food system. We deliver delicious, ready-to-eat plant-forward meals, snacks, and cold press juices to our customers’ doorsteps to empower our customers to improve personal and planetary health by eating more plants. To date we’ve delivered over 20 million nourishing meals to customers across the West and East Coast and we’re just getting started! The San Francisco Business Times named us one of the Top 100 Fastest Growing Private Companies in the Bay Area in 2023, and Inc. awarded us Best in Business in 2022 among companies that “go above and beyond” in both food and sustainability sectors.
ABOUT THE ROLE:
Reporting directly to the SVP, Manufacturing & Logistics, the Director, Plant Operations primary responsibilities include the daily management and coordination of plant operations while ensuring profitability of operations and compliance with all labor, safety, environmental and corporate policies and regulations. This position oversees all plant operations-related activities: food prep, cooking, production (plate and pack operations), warehouse, and sanitation. You will be responsible for product quality, labor efficiency, ingredient costs, food safety, workplace safety, regulatory compliance, and employee development. Thistle is vertically integrated in its manufacturing and last mile operations, and is rapidly expanding its footprint across the US. This role will play a critical role in building the future of the network and business.
We are looking for a proven leader with deep operational experience in food manufacturing at scale. You should be data- and process-driven, able to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, and an empathetic servant leader with experience building and scaling large teams and bringing operations to the highest levels of food safety, employee safety, and operational efficiency. This role is a key link between our team on the ground and company leadership, providing steadfast and motivating leadership to our front-line employees while ensuring efficient communications between plant departments, cross-functional partners, and the executive team.
This is not a desk job - we are looking for hands-on candidates who enjoy getting in the trenches with the team and understanding the challenges they face, identifying opportunities, and working to thoroughly oversee the implementation of new practices and initiatives. If you are results-driven, people-focused, and supportive in your approach to operations, this role offers the opportunity to build a future for yourself and make a tremendous impact.
This role is based in Vacaville, CA. Outside of base compensation, role may be eligible for additional performance-based variable incentives.
WHAT YOU'LL DO:
Thistle was co-founded in 2013 by Ashwin Cheriyan and Shiri Avnery, PhD with a mission to make it easy to get and stay healthy while improving the sustainability of our food system. We deliver delicious, ready-to-eat plant-forward meals, snacks, and cold press juices to our customers’ doorsteps to empower our customers to improve personal and planetary health by eating more plants. To date we’ve delivered over 20 million nourishing meals to customers across the West and East Coast and we’re just getting started! The San Francisco Business Times named us one of the Top 100 Fastest Growing Private Companies in the Bay Area in 2023, and Inc. awarded us Best in Business in 2022 among companies that “go above and beyond” in both food and sustainability sectors.
ABOUT THE ROLE:
Reporting directly to the SVP, Manufacturing & Logistics, the Director, Plant Operations primary responsibilities include the daily management and coordination of plant operations while ensuring profitability of operations and compliance with all labor, safety, environmental and corporate policies and regulations. This position oversees all plant operations-related activities: food prep, cooking, production (plate and pack operations), warehouse, and sanitation. You will be responsible for product quality, labor efficiency, ingredient costs, food safety, workplace safety, regulatory compliance, and employee development. Thistle is vertically integrated in its manufacturing and last mile operations, and is rapidly expanding its footprint across the US. This role will play a critical role in building the future of the network and business.
We are looking for a proven leader with deep operational experience in food manufacturing at scale. You should be data- and process-driven, able to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, and an empathetic servant leader with experience building and scaling large teams and bringing operations to the highest levels of food safety, employee safety, and operational efficiency. This role is a key link between our team on the ground and company leadership, providing steadfast and motivating leadership to our front-line employees while ensuring efficient communications between plant departments, cross-functional partners, and the executive team.
This is not a desk job - we are looking for hands-on candidates who enjoy getting in the trenches with the team and understanding the challenges they face, identifying opportunities, and working to thoroughly oversee the implementation of new practices and initiatives. If you are results-driven, people-focused, and supportive in your approach to operations, this role offers the opportunity to build a future for yourself and make a tremendous impact.
This role is based in Vacaville, CA. Outside of base compensation, role may be eligible for additional performance-based variable incentives.
WHAT YOU'LL DO:
STRATEGY:
- Work with executive leadership to devise the annual plan and budget based on company goals and objectives
- Define OKRs and strategic plan for key initiatives, including the setting of meaningful metrics (COGS drivers, efficiency, waste, concessions performance, etc.) for reporting, meeting operational and financial goals, and communicating goals and progress against them to the team
- Help define and lead the execution of facilities improvement projects, including build outs, equipment automation, future growth, and process automation
- Analyze and control plant expenditures to ensure conformity with budgetary requirements and P&L
- Ensure site compliance to all labor, safety, and environmental regulations
- Work with R&D, product, engineering, and marketing to develop new product launch strategies
OPERATIONAL:
- Lead, supervise and monitor the execution of all plant production activities, including receiving, prep, cook, plate, pack, and warehouse operations, to ensure the safe and efficient operation of people, equipment, and facilities
- Rigorously measure operational metrics and KPIs and build a data-driven culture of high performance, accountability, quality, and food/workplace safety in operations
- Ensure effective preventive maintenance and repair of all material handling systems and equipment to minimize downtime
- Analyze problems in the production chain, identify their root cause, and establish procedures to reduce or eliminate them
- Provide support to internal and external audits; assist the QA Director in ensuring proper team member training, compliance, and enforcement of all company policies including food safety, GMPs, SOPs, SSOPs, HACCP, and all local, state, and federal laws
- Ensure compliance with Company policies, as well as all Federal, State, and Local Employment laws and OSHA regulations
PEOPLE MANAGEMENT:
- Lead a diverse supervisory and manageme
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