Job Description

Job Title: Senior Director / Vice President of Manufacturing Operations

Location: Mason, Ohio

Reports To: Site Director

Department: Operations

Job Type: Full-Time, Onsite

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced and strategic Senior Director or Vice President of Manufacturing Operations to lead our day-to-day food manufacturing operations. This individual will be accountable for ensuring that our products are produced on time, within specification, and in alignment with our company's quality and growth goals . This role will be a key operational leader, deeply embedded in cross-functional collaboration with the Business, Commercial, and R&D teams to ensure our facility is positioned to deliver on-spec product and scale efficiently and effectively.

Key Responsibilities

• Manufacturing Leadership : Oversee day-to--day manufacturing operations, including production, scheduling, quality, and inventory control. Ensure products are made to spec and delivered on time.

• Plant Strategy & Execution : Drive continuous improvement and long-term planning for manufacturing scalability, product line extensions, reliability, and efficiency across one or more facilities.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration : Serve as the primary operational liaison with the Commercial, Business, and R&D teams to ensure manufacturing capabilities and capacities align with new product development and business objectives.

• Operational Excellence : Establish and monitor KPIs (OTIF, yields, waste, cost, throughput, downtime, etc.) to ensure performance meets targets and supports company growth.

• Scaling & Capacity Planning : Develop capital plans and operating strategies to scale production in line with projected demand, new product launches, and evolving market needs.

• Quality & Compliance : Partner with Quality, Food Safety, and Regulatory teams to ensure GMP compliance and uphold company and customer standards.

• Team Building & Leadership : Build and lead a high-performing manufacturing team. Foster a culture of accountability, safety, and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive experience in a manufacturing role in a food/consumable related category, with 3+ years in a senior operations leadership role

• Demonstrated success scaling production operations in a fast-growing company, and a history of partnering with R&D teams to bring pilot products to mass commercial / ready-to-manufacture scale

• Deep understanding of food manufacturing processes, quality systems, and regulatory requirements (e.g., GMP, HACCP, FDA)

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a track record of data-driven decision making

• Proven experience building and managing high-performing, cross-functional teams

• Excellent communication and leadership skills, with the ability to align diverse stakeholders

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Food Science, Operations, or a related field (MBA or advanced degree a plus)
• Demonstrated experiencing working with manufacturing ERPs and warehouse management systems

Nice to Have

• Experience with early-stage food brands or rapidly scaling manufacturing environments

• Background in capital project execution or facility build-outs

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