Job Description

Our client, a large and established food production manufacturer, is seeking a Plant Manager to lead operations at one of their flagship facilities in the Winchester, VA region. This is a key leadership role overseeing a high-volume, food production environment. The Plant Manager will be responsible for driving performance, ensuring compliance and food safety standards, and fostering a culture of accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and hands-on leadership across all production, maintenance, and quality operations.
• Drive operational excellence through lean manufacturing principles, performance metrics, and process improvements.
• Partner with HR and union representatives to manage labor relations, negotiate, and maintain a positive, compliant working environment.
• Lead and develop a diverse team of production supervisors, engineers, and frontline employees.
• Ensure safety, quality, and productivity goals are achieved while maintaining cost efficiency.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with corporate leadership, supply chain, quality assurance, and engineering teams to align on production goals and initiatives.
• Oversee capital projects, budgets, and performance improvement initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Operations Management, Engineering, Food Science, or a related field (Master’s preferred).
• 8+ years of progressive leadership experience in food manufacturing or a closely related industry.
• Strong understanding of GMP, HACCP, SQF, and FDA compliance standards.
• Demonstrated success in implementing Lean/CI practices and improving plant KPIs (OEE, yield, throughput, etc.).
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and change management skills.

Why This Opportunity

This is an excellent opportunity to join a stable, growing organization that values its people, invests in modern operations, and takes pride in delivering high-quality products nationwide. The ideal candidate is a dynamic, results-oriented leader who thrives in a fast-paced manufacturing environment and is passionate about developing teams and driving operational performance.

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