SVP Manufacturing

Job Description

Job Description

Position Summary

The Senior Vice President, Manufacturing is the enterprise leader responsible for the strategy, performance, scalability, and continuous improvement of Mama’s Creations’ manufacturing network.

This executive owns the development and execution of an enterprise manufacturing strategy that enables profitable growth while delivering uncompromising safety, food safety, Grandma Quality, service, cost, capacity, and operational performance. The SVP will ensure Mama’s manufacturing capabilities evolve ahead of the Company’s growth, customer requirements, innovation pipeline, and acquisition strategy.

The role builds on Mama’s established “One Factory, Three Locations” operating model, creating common operating systems, performance standards, management routines, capabilities, and accountability across the manufacturing network located in NY/NJ.

The SVP Manufacturing will be a key member of the senior leadership team and a strategic partner to Operations, Supply Chain, FSQA, Engineering, Finance, People Operations, Culinary/R&D, Commercial, and other functions.

Base Pay: $250,000 - $300,000; Bonus Target: 40%; LTI Eligible

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Manufacturing Strategy

• Develop and execute Mama’s multi-year manufacturing strategy aligned with the Company’s growth, profitability, innovation, and customer strategies.
• Translate the corporate strategy into clear manufacturing priorities, capabilities, capacity requirements, technology investments, and operating plans.
• Establish the roadmap for an increasingly integrated Mama’s manufacturing network, advancing the One Factory, Three Locations model.
• Determine when capacity should be created through existing facilities, expansion, automation, new facilities, acquisitions, or external manufacturing.
• Anticipate future production requirements and ensure that manufacturing capacity, capabilities, infrastructure, and talent are positioned ahead of demand.
• Regularly assess manufacturing footprint, capacity utilization, constraints, and investment requirements.
• This enterprise orientation is consistent with current external SVP benchmarks, which distinguish the SVP level through manufacturing strategy and footprint optimization rather than simply managing current production.

Manufacturing Performance & Operational Excellence

• Establish a consistent manufacturing operating system with common KPIs, operating reviews, accountability mechanisms, and problem-solving disciplines.
• Drive measurable, sustainable improvement across facilities using Lean manufacturing, structured problem-solving, root-cause analysis, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Identify performance gaps and ensure corrective actions produce durable results rather than short-term fixes.
• Promote sharing of best practices across all manufacturing locations.
• Comparable manufacturing executives are expected to lead continuous process improvement, line efficiency, cost reduction, KPI management, benchmarking, technology adoption, and operational excellence.

Safety, Food Safety & Grandma Quality

• Establish a manufacturing culture where employee safety and food safety are non-negotiable.
• Ensure manufacturing processes consistently deliver Mama’s commitment to Grandma Quality.
• Partner closely with FSQA leadership to maintain compliance with applicable FDA, USDA, FSMA, HACCP, GMP and customer requirements.
• Ensure manufacturing leaders maintain sustained audit readiness and promptly address corrective and preventive actions.
• Ensure productivity improvements never compromise employee safety, food safety, product integrity, or customer requirements.
• Mama’s internal manufacturing leadership model already places food safety, regulatory compliance, audit readiness and Grandma Quality at the center of plant accountability.

Capacity, Capital & Automation Strategy

• Own the long-range manufacturing capacity plan.
• Develop and prioritize the enterprise manufacturing capital roadmap in partnership with Finance, Engineering, Reliability, Supply Chain, and other stakeholders.
• Establish rigorous business cases for capital investments based on capacity, productivity, safety, quality, reliability, labor reduction, growth, and ROI.
• Lead major facility expansions, production line additions, equipment installations, and manufacturing technology investments.
• Evaluate automation opportunities that improve capacity, consistency, employee safety, labor productivity, quality, and scalability.
• Ensure capital projects deliver intended financial and operational benefits following implementation.

Financial & P&L Leadership

• Own enterprise manufacturing budgets and overall manufacturing cost performance.
• Establish annual productivity and cost-improvement objectives across the network.
• Partner with Finance to understand manufacturing cost drivers and identify sustainable margin-improvement opportunities.
• Drive disciplined management of labor, overtime, yield, waste, downtime, supplies, maintenance, and other controllable manufacturing expenses.
• Ensure plant leaders understand the financial impact of operating decisions.
• Balance cost and productivity objectives with safety, service, Grandma Quality, employee capability, and long-term operational health.
• External benchmarks similarly position manufacturing VPs/SVPs as responsible for budgets, capacity, workforce requirements, cost control, quality and resource planning.

Manufacturing Organization & Leadership Development

• Build a high-performing manufacturing leadership organization capable of supporting Mama’s continued growth.
• Lead, coach, develop, and hold accountable senior manufacturing and plant leaders.
• Establish clear decision rights and accountability between enterprise manufacturing leadership and individual facilities.
• Build succession plans for critical manufacturing leadership positions.
• Partner with People Operations on organizational design, workforce planning, leadership development, performance management, employee engagement, and succession.
• Establish leadership expectations that reinforce accountability while maintaining Mama’s values and culture.
• Develop an internal pipeline of future Plant Directors, VPs, and manufacturing executives.

Workforce & Labor Strategy

• Establish the enterprise manufacturing workforce strategy in partnership with People Operations.
• Develop scalable labor models tied to production volumes, product mix, line capabilities, and operating schedules.
• Create greater consistency across plants in labor planning, overtime management, staffing models, skills development, and workforce utilization.
• Champion frontline leadership capability and supervisor development.
• Support strategies that improve attendance, retention, workforce stability, productivity, and employee engagement.
• Evaluate opportunities to reduce dependence on temporary labor and excessive overtime through improved workforce planning, scheduling, automation, and retention.

Reliability, Engineering & Technology

• Ensure manufacturing operations have the asset reliability and infrastructure necessary to achieve business objectives.
• Partner with Engineering and Reliability leadership to build preventive and predictive maintenance capabilities.
• Improve equipment uptime, OEE, line reliability, and maintenance planning.
• Champion appropriate manufacturing technology, automation, ERP/MES capabilities, data visibility, and digital tools.
• Establish disciplined post-implementation measurement to ensure technology investments deliver expected benefits.

M&A and Manufacturing Network Integration

• Develop manufacturing integration plans for acquired businesses.
• Bring acquired manufacturing operations into Mama’s operating system while thoughtfully preserving capabilities, practices, and cultural elements that create value.
• Identify network optimization and synergy opportunities following acquisitions.
• M&A diligence and post-acquisition operational integration are already part of Mama’s Regional VP Plant Operations scope, so I recommend making this substantially more strategic and enterprise-level at the SVP level.
• Cross-Functional & Executive Leadership
• Serve as the senior manufacturing partner to Supply Chain, Procurement, FSQA, Engineering, Finance, People Operations, R&D/Culinary, Sales and other enterprise functions.
• Ensure manufacturing readiness for new product commercialization, customer launches, promotions, and significant volume changes.
• Partner with the co-manufacturing organization to optimize allocation between internal and external manufacturing capacity.
• Provide the executive team with clear visibility to manufacturing performance, capacity, risks, investment requirements, and emerging opportunities.
• Present manufacturing strategy, performance, CapEx priorities, and major operational risks to executive leadership and the Board as requested.
• Mama’s existing co-manufacturing structure owns the external manufacturing network, including capacity, service, cost, quality and commercialization. The SVP Manufacturing should therefore partner closely with that organization rather than duplicate its responsibilities.

Culture & Values

• Lead in a manner that Commits to Craftsmanship, Honors Heritage, and Nurtures Relationships.
• Protect and advance Grandma Quality as the organization grows and manufacturing processes become increasingly sophisticated.
• Maintain visible leadership presence across manufacturing locations.
• Build a culture of disciplined execution, continuous improvement, transparency, respect, accountability, and pride in workmanship.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Business, Food Science, or related discipline; advanced degree preferred.
• 15+ years of progressive manufacturing/operations leadership experience, with significant leadership experience in food, beverage, refrigerated/fresh foods, CPG, or another complex regulated manufacturing environment.
• 7+ years leading multi-site manufacturing operations or an equivalent enterprise manufacturing network.
• Demonstrated success leading large-scale manufacturing organizations through periods of significant growth and change.
• Deep knowledge of food manufacturing operations and applicable FDA, USDA, FSMA, HACCP and GMP requirements.
• Demonstrated ownership of manufacturing budgets, productivity programs, capital investment, and operating performance.
• Strong experience with manufacturing capacity planning, network optimization, equipment investment, and facility expansion.
• Proven ability to build and develop high-performing Plant Managers/Directors/VP -level leaders.
• Strong financial acumen and ability to translate operating performance into EBITDA and margin impact.
• Demonstrated experience establishing KPIs and operating rhythms that drive accountability and continuous improvement.
• Executive-level communication and influencing abilities.
• Bilingual English/Spanish capability beneficial.