Senior Plant Manager - Food Manufacturing

Job Description

Job Description

Senior Plant Manager – Food Manufacturing

Job Location: San Jose, CA 95110

Work Location Type: On-Site

Salary Range: $148,453.99 – $190,000.00 + 20% Annual Bonus

About Us

We are a leading provider of aviation catering and hospitality logistics, partnering with the nation's leading airlines and retailers to deliver millions of meals and exceptional service experiences every year across dozens of sites throughout the United States. Built on a legacy of operational excellence, culinary expertise, and continuous innovation, we are committed to setting the industry standard in aviation catering, airline services, last-mile logistics, and retail commerce. Our people are the heart of everything we do. A career here is more than a job – it's an opportunity to grow, lead, and make an impact in a fast-paced, team-driven environment.

The Opportunity

As General Manager, you'll take the lead in driving both the strategy and day-to-day success of a multi-site production and distribution operation anchored in San Jose. This is a unique, multi-facility role: the San Jose location serves as the production hub supplying food for the San Jose, San Francisco, and Oakland markets, with roughly 340 employees across the three sites reporting up through this role (with the majority based in San Jose). You'll guide business direction, oversee performance, and ensure everything runs smoothly while delivering strong results across all three locations, traveling between sites as needed to support the business.

Just as important, you'll build and inspire a high-performing team — coaching, developing, and motivating employees to do their best work every day. We're looking for a leader who is direct and decisive but also genuinely cares about their people: firm and fair rather than heavy-handed, someone who will reinforce a positive, accountable culture rather than undo one. This is an exciting opportunity for a hands-on leader who thrives in a fast-paced setting, enjoys making decisions that impact the business, and wants to make a real difference across a key multi-site operation.

Why You'll Love Working Here

• Medical, Dental, Vision – Eligible Day 1

• Employer-paid life insurance & AD&D benefits

• 401(k) with company match

• Paid vacation, sick time, and holidays

• Tuition reimbursement

• Free meals and parking

• Career growth opportunities within a large, established organization

How You'll Make a Difference

• Own the overall operational, financial, and performance results across the San Jose, San Francisco, and Oakland facilities

• Develop and execute the annual business plan and budget in alignment with regional strategy, with full P&L ownership

• Lead short- and mid-term production planning to ensure on-time, high-quality delivery of food products and services

• Drive continuous improvement using Lean/Six Sigma principles to improve efficiency, cost, and service

• Ensure optimal deployment of people, equipment, materials, and capital resources across all three sites

• Maintain full compliance with FDA, USDA, OSHA, EPA, DOT, and HACCP regulations

• Champion a culture of safety, quality, accountability, and engagement

• Lead, develop, and motivate a diverse, multi-site workforce, including unionized teams

• Directly oversee a leadership team including Senior Operations Manager, Quality Manager, Safety Manager, and Transportation Manager

• Partner closely with Sales, Culinary, Finance, HR, Supply Chain, and external stakeholders

• Initiate and manage capital projects to support growth and operational excellence

• Ensure all customer contracts, company standards, and delivery commitments are consistently met across all locations

• Operate in a real-time, 24/7 operating environment requiring sound, fast decision-making

What We're Looking For in a Candidate

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent operational leadership experience

• 10+ years of progressive operations, manufacturing, or logistics leadership experience (2–5 years considered for exceptional candidates)

• Proven success leading large, multi-department operations with 5+ direct reports

• Full P&L / budget ownership experience

• Experience in food manufacturing, processing, or other regulated/food safety environments strongly preferred

• Working knowledge of Lean/Six Sigma and continuous improvement

• Experience managing union labor relations

• Ability to lead through complexity, change, and high operational pressure in a 24/7 environment

• Excellent communication, real-time decision-making, and leadership presence

• Track record of exceeding expectations and driving performance improvement

Preferred Background

• Airline/airport logistics

• Capital project management

• Large-scale production experience (250+ employees; multi-facility experience a plus)

• Turnaround operations

• 24/7 cargo/aviation facility experience

We are an EEO and Affirmative Action Employer of Women/Minorities/Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities.