Plant Manager

Plant Manager – Food Manufacturing

Location: Hackensack, NJ

Employment Type: Full-Time | Permanent | On-Site

Industry: Food Manufacturing

The Opportunity

Willcox Matthews is recruiting an experienced Plant Manager for an established food manufacturing business in Hackensack, New Jersey.

We are looking for a hands-on manufacturing leader with a proven background in food production, operational improvement and team development.

This position will take responsibility for daily plant operations, driving improvements in productivity, efficiency, quality and cost performance while building a strong, accountable manufacturing team.

Bilingual English and Spanish skills are highly desirable.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead daily plant operations across production, maintenance and quality.
• Manage and develop production supervisors and manufacturing teams.
• Drive operational performance against KPIs, including productivity, downtime, waste and labour efficiency.
• Identify and implement continuous improvement initiatives to increase efficiency and reduce costs.
• Oversee production planning, staffing, scheduling and labour management.
• Work with maintenance teams to improve equipment reliability and minimise downtime.
• Maintain high standards of food safety, product quality and workplace safety.
• Lead root cause analysis and implement effective corrective actions.
• Support operational budgets, cost control and resource planning.
• Build a positive, results-driven culture focused on accountability and employee development.

What We're Looking For

Essential:

• Proven management experience within food manufacturing or food production.
• Previous experience as a Plant Manager, Operations Manager, Production Manager or similar.
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing operations, production planning and operational KPIs.
• Experience leading production teams and developing supervisors.
• Demonstrated success improving productivity, reducing waste and controlling costs.
• Strong leadership, communication and problem-solving skills.

Desirable:

• Bilingual English and Spanish communication skills.
• Experience managing multi-shift manufacturing operations.
• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Degree in Engineering, Food Science, Operations Management or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

The Ideal Candidate

You will be a visible, hands-on leader who is comfortable working directly with production teams, identifying opportunities for improvement and taking ownership of plant performance.

We are particularly interested in candidates who combine strong technical manufacturing knowledge with the ability to motivate teams and deliver measurable operational improvements.

Interested?

If you have a strong background in food manufacturing leadership and are looking for your next opportunity in Hackensack, NJ, we would like to hear from you.

Apply today with your updated resume for a confidential discussion.

Willcox Matthews is a specialist recruitment consultancy supporting manufacturing and engineering businesses across the United States.