Plant Manager / Production

We are a leading Northeast family-owned food, agricultural products, and agricultural services organization headquartered in Pennsylvania, providing animal nutrition and feeds, specialty protein production, processing, and marketing, on‑farm protein production services, and grain, fertilizer, and ingredient procurement. Key Responsibilities Safety & Regulatory Compliance Champion and enforce all plant safety programs, including LOTO, machine guarding, PPE, ergonomics, and hazard mitigation. Ensure full compliance with USDA/FSIS regulations, HACCP, SSOP, GMP, and other food safety requirements. Oversee pre‑operational inspections, CCP monitoring, metal detection programs, calibration systems, and labeling accuracy. Maintain cold‑chain integrity and sanitary conditions across all departments. Lead audit readiness and ensure proper documentation for USDA, third‑party, and customer audits. Operations & Production Leadership Direct all plant operations to meet or exceed production schedules, throughput targets, and customer demand. Monitor plant‑wide KPIs including yields, labor efficiency, waste, giveaway, downtime, and first‑pass quality. Optimize staffing levels, equipment utilization, and line configurations to maximize productivity. Manage daily production planning and communicate changes across departments. Ensure consistent adherence to product specifications (cuts, weights, packaging, labeling). People Leadership & Culture Lead, develop, and coach supervisors, leads, and frontline employees across all shifts. Drive accountability for performance, attendance, and adherence to company policies. Foster a culture of safety, teamwork, and continuous improvement. Oversee employee training programs including SOPs, equipment operation, food safety, and knife safety. Conduct regular leadership meetings, shift reviews, and communication sessions. Quality & Food Safety Partner closely with Quality Assurance to manage product integrity, deviations, holds, and customer complaints. Ensure all process controls are followed and non‑conformances are prevented or corrected. Lead root‑cause analysis (e.g., 5‑Why) and corrective/preventive action implementation. Drive continuous improvement in product quality and compliance metrics. Continuous Improvement & Efficiency Identify and lead initiatives to improve yield, reduce waste, minimize downtime, and enhance throughput. Support Lean manufacturing, 5S, and standard work implementation across the facility. Encourage employee engagement in improvement ideas and problem‑solving efforts. Reporting & Systems Management Oversee accurate reporting of production metrics including yields, labor usage, downtime, and inventory. Ensure ERP/MES systems are properly utilized with accurate data entry for production counts, scrap, and rework. Maintain traceability and documentation required for regulatory and internal audits. Qualifications High school diploma required; Bachelor’s degree in Operations, Food Science, or related field preferred. 5–10 years of progressive leadership experience in food or meat processing, including plant‑level management. Strong knowledge of USDA/FSIS regulations, HACCP, SSOP, GMP, and food safety systems. Proven ability to lead large teams in a fast‑paced, high‑volume production environment. Strong communication, leadership, decision‑making, and problem‑solving skills. Experience with ERP/MES systems and production reporting tools preferred. Work Environment Cold, wet, high‑speed food production environment with exposure to raw meat and USDA oversight. Required use of PPE (cut‑resistant gloves, coats, hearing protection, etc.). Ability to work flexible hours including early mornings, evenings, weekends, and extended hours as needed. Frequent standing, walking, and lifting (up to 50 lbs). #J-18808-Ljbffr The Wenger Group