We’re looking for a Director of Operations to oversee production, quality, maintenance, sanitation, planning, packaging, and warehouse/logistics for a growing food manufacturer in Milwaukee. The leader needs to be hands-on and technically engaged, with strong people leadership skill and prior food manufacturing site leadership experience.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead plant operations across production, ingredient preparation, processing, packaging, production planning, QA, sanitation, maintenance, and finished-goods warehousing.
- Build a visible, people-first leadership presence through plant walks, meetings, coaching, performance management, and clear communication with employees and managers.
- Maintain food safety and quality systems, including HACCP, SQF, SOPs, sanitation, customer requirements, and regulatory compliance.
- Manage employee safety and OSHA requirements; support incident reduction and safe work practices.
- Improve productivity, cost control, conversion costs, waste, and cost of goods sold.
- Oversee preventive and reactive maintenance, parts inventory, plant equipment, and facility improvements.
- Coordinate new product and packaging changes with R&D, QA, procurement, IT, sales, and customers.
- Maintain accurate production, paperwork, inventory, and finished-goods fulfillment processes.
- Develop operational depth and documentation across the plant.
Required Skills:
- Fluent Spanish and English communication.
- Plant or site operations leadership in food manufacturing.
- Hands-on understanding of production, food safety, quality, sanitation, and maintenance.
- People leadership in a production environment, including workforce engagement and accountability.
- Operational problem-solving, cost control, and continuous improvement.
- Ability to work onsite in the Milwaukee plant and adapt hours to business and production needs.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in operations management or equivalent experience preferred.
- 10 years in operations and 5 years in plant leadership
- Strong communication, analytical, decision-making, and financial skills.
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Office, Power BI, and Nav; ability to use AutoCAD Viewer
Preferred Experience:
- Continuous improvement training or a strong CI track record.
- Consumer packaged goods manufacturing.
- Refrigerated, ready-to-eat, deli, or other perishable food production.
- HACCP, SQF, food safety, and audit experience.
