Plant Operations Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Operations Manager – Snack Food Manufacturing

Chambersburg, PA | Three-Shift Operation

If you know that great snacks do not happen by accident... and you love turning a busy manufacturing operation into a safe, efficient, high-performing team, we want to meet you!

At our Chambersburg facility, we manufacture the snacks people love, including potato chips, extruded snacks, pretzels, and popcorn. We are looking for an experienced Operations Manager who understands the pace and complexity of snack food manufacturing and has successfully led a three-shift operation.

This is a highly visible, hands-on leadership role for someone who can bring people, processes, and production together. You will oversee daily production, warehouse, and maintenance activities while leading and developing two to three Shift Supervisors. Your goal will be to build an operation that consistently delivers strong results in safety, food quality, service, cost, and productivity.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the day-to-day operations of a fast-paced, three-shift snack food manufacturing facility.
• Develop, coach, and hold Shift Supervisors and their teams accountable for results.
• Support a culture where safety, food quality, teamwork, and continuous improvement come first.
• Ensure compliance with GMPs, food safety requirements, sanitation standards, and company policies.
• Drive improvements in production output, capacity, efficiency, labor utilization, product quality, and cost.
• Review production schedules and allocate people and resources effectively.
• Monitor performance, identify problems, and implement timely corrective actions.
• Ensure products are manufactured to specification and shipped to our Bethel warehouse on time.
• Partner with Maintenance to improve equipment reliability, minimize downtime, and fully utilize plant assets.
• Recruit, train, motivate, and develop production associates and leaders.
• Lead plant cleaning and sanitation activities, including equipment, packaging machines, walls, and floors.
• Maintain accurate and timely production records, reports, and operational data.
• Communicate priorities, challenges, and results effectively across departments and shifts.

What You’ll Bring

• Prior operations leadership experience in snack food manufacturing is strongly preferred .
• Demonstrated experience leading a three-shift manufacturing operation .
• Proven success leading production teams and developing frontline supervisors.
• Strong knowledge of GMPs, food safety, sanitation, workplace safety, quality, inventory, and production processes.
• Experience with budgeting, production planning, labor management, resource allocation, and continuous improvement.
• Working knowledge of food manufacturing equipment and plant maintenance needs.
• Strong computer skills, including the ability to work with spreadsheets, formulas, and operational reports.
• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Business Management, Operations Management, or a related field is preferred.
• Strong decision-making, problem-solving, communication, and people-leadership skills.
• The ability to create accountability, lead by example, and remain adaptable in a changing environment.

What Success Looks Like

You will know you are making an impact when:

• Associates work safely and understand what is expected.
• Supervisors confidently lead their shifts and collaborate across the operation.
• Production goals are consistently achieved without compromising quality.
• Downtime, waste, and unnecessary costs are reduced.
• Products are made correctly and delivered on time.
• The plant continues to become safer, stronger, and more efficient.

The Environment

Snack manufacturing is active, fast-moving, and hands-on. This position regularly works in an environment that may be wet, oily, noisy, and warm. The Operations Manager must be comfortable spending time on the production floor and being visible across all shifts.

If you are a practical, people-focused operations leader who knows snack food manufacturing and enjoys building teams that deliver results, we would love to hear from you.