Senior Director, Co-Manufacturing New Walnut Creek, CA

What’s it like to work at Kinder’s? Well, there’s a lot of snacking and geeking out over what we all cooked over the weekend. Beyond that, there’s also plenty of hard work. Because we don’t just like flavor, we’re obsessed with it.

With over 100 products sold nationwide, we’re now a top-five brand in multiple flavor categories at Costco, Walmart, Whole Foods, and more. We’re not your typical CPG company. Privately held and founder-led, we like to think of ourselves as a pirate ship in a sea of cruise ships . Our crew is adventurous and fearless. We chart our own course and chase big ideas to make food unforgettable.

As we expand globally and approach $1 billion in revenue, we need more smart-and-scrappy, flavor-obsessed people to come aboard. If you’re looking for a place where you can see the real impact of your work... this is it! Every day, you’ll be part of a journey to add flavor to millions of meals and lives.

How You'll Have An Impact At Kinder’s:

You will work closely with cross-functional teams, including Supply Planning, Quality Assurance, Commercialization, R&D, and Sales to ensure that Co-Manufacturing operations to meet business needs and deliver on key performance indicators. You will participate in the negotiation of supplier contracts, design follow-up practices to monitor performance, and measure realized savings. The Co-Manufacturing Senior Director is responsible for facilitating communication between the contract manufacturer and various internal departments at Kinder’s and will ensure that all contract manufacturing engagements are conducted to the highest ethical standards.

What You’ll Be Doing:

The Co-Manufacturing Senior Director will be responsible for overseeing the company's co-manufacturing operations, including managing relationships with co-manufacturers, ensuring quality and consistency in production, and driving continuous improvement in manufacturing processes.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and manage the Monthly/Quarterly/Annual Co Packer Review processes for your co-manufacturing partners, monitor performance and drive quality, efficiency, cost and case fill improvements with the vendor through implementation of KPI’s and score cards.
• With input from FSQA, PD, Commercialization, Sourcing, Planning, Customer Services and Finance, evaluate the operations and management teams, financial structure, and potential risks at each facility. Make internal recommendations/presentations for new products or transitions of existing products.
• Establish and maintain contract manufacturing relationships. Act as a single point of contact for the supplier on production qualifications, quality/supply issues and KPIs. Be the tactical business link between the Co-Manufacturer and Kinder’s.
• Work with Vendors, PD and Commercialization department to analyze manufacturability of new products, recommending changes that will facilitate efficient manufacturing and lower costs. Develop processes to ensure that products can be commercially reproduced.
• Model theoretical and actual (OEE) at your co-packers. Balance availability of capacity against constraints to line time (clean outs, change overs, down-time, other customers’ line time) at the Co-packer.
• Meet with Co-Packers to discuss ways to manage capacity consistent with our sales forecasts. Prospect redundant and overflow capacity and provide recommendations to plan for unexpected sales growth or an unforeseen constraint to supply.
• Ensure quality and consistency in production, including establishing quality standards and conducting regular audits of co-manufacturing facilities.
• Drive and document continuous improvement in manufacturing processes, including identifying and implementing opportunities for cost savings, increased efficiency, and improved quality.
• Stay current with industry trends and best practices in co-manufacturing and recommend changes to the company's strategy and operations as needed.

What You Bring To The Table:

Skills And Experience

• Minimum of 15 years of experience in manufacturing operations or co-manufacturing, supply chain experience in the food industry.
• Proven track record of managing relationships with co-manufacturers and delivering results in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Demonstrated experience developing and coaching teammates and peers.
• Ability to travel up to 50% of month as needed.
• General computer skills (MS Office, web, etc.), ERP and advanced Excel skills preferred.
• Understand how business drivers such as OPEX, CAPEX, MOQs, OEE, throughput, yield and scrap ultimately affect a deal in terms of quality, delivery, and cost.
• Demonstrated understanding of end-to-end CPG supply chain processes with an emphasis on the technical aspects of food/beverage manufacturing and packaging.

Personal Characteristics

• Empathy, self-awareness, and respect.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to use data to drive decision making.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams and external partners.

The expected starting salary range for this role is $215,000- $235,000 per year. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range based on the location of the role. The amount a particular employee will earn within the salary range will be based on factors such as relevant education, qualifications, performance and business needs.

SEASONED FOR SUCCESS:

• No two days here are the same.
• We try to be good team members and good communicators, but we don’t live by hierarchy and structure - everyone is a difference maker here.
• We make a lot of decisions in the face of incomplete information - our team embraces ambiguity and tries to make good decisions fast rather than great decisions slow.
• We believe our job is to take smart risk, not to eliminate risk.
• We believe in growing our skills and becoming a better company with more managerial expertise, but we are an entrepreneurial company at heart.
• We aren’t trying to be average - we want to do exceptional things, and we are willing to work hard to achieve them.

BENEFITS THAT BRING MORE TO THE TABLE:

We offer a range of total rewards that may include paid time off, 401k, bonus / incentive eligibility, equity grants, competitive health benefits, and other family-friendly benefits, including parental leave. Kinder’s benefits vary based on eligibility and can be reviewed in more detail during the interview process.

OUR RECIPE FOR BALANCE:

We believe great culture starts with people. We’re a people-first company built on connection, collaboration, and balance. Most of our work happens in the office to spark creativity and community, but we also offer flexibility so team members have the autonomy to work outside the office when needed to support their work-life balance and personal commitments.

WHERE EVERY INGREDIENT MATTERS:

Kinder's is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, gender, citizenship, marital status, religion, age, disability, gender identity, results of genetic testing, veteran status, as well as any other legally-protected characteristic. If you have a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act or similar law, and you need any accommodation during the application process or to perform these job requirements, please reach out to us at View email address on click.appcast.io