Director, Plant Operations

The Director of Plant Operations owns end-to-end performance of the plant, including safety, quality, fulfillment, and cost. This role leads a cross-functional leadership team and drives operational excellence in a fast-paced, high-volume food manufacturing environment.

At Home Chef, this isn’t just about running a plant. You’ll play a key role in shaping how we operate, scale, and deliver for our customers every single day. From leading high-impact teams to solving complex operational challenges, this role sits at the center of our business and has a direct line to the customer experience.

You will be responsible for building strong teams, improving performance, and driving consistent execution across all plant functions, while fostering a culture rooted in accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

What You’ll Do

Own Plant Performance & Strategy

• Set and execute the vision and strategy for on-time fulfillment of all production goals
• Lead and develop department leaders across production, warehouse, quality, maintenance, CI, and inventory
• Anticipate and proactively address operational challenges impacting performance
• Partner cross-functionally with corporate teams to remove barriers and drive results
• Ensure staffing plans align with production needs and operational goals

Lead, Develop & Inspire Teams

• Coach and develop leaders to build a high-performing, accountable organization
• Create a culture rooted in Home Chef’s “Customer First” mindset
• Drive employee engagement, retention, and a positive work environment
• Partner with HR to effectively manage employee relations, performance, and talent planning
• Lead regular communication cadences to align teams on performance, priorities, and goals

Drive KPIs & Financial Performance

• Own plant-level financial performance, including cost management and budget adherence
• Establish and drive accountability to key operational KPIs (safety, quality, delivery, cost)
• Develop and execute action plans to improve performance and achieve targets
• Maintain a strong understanding of cost drivers and operational efficiencies

Ensure Operational Excellence & Facility Standards

• Champion a “Safety First, Quality Always” culture across all levels of the organization
• Maintain a clean, organized, and audit-ready facility
• Ensure compliance with GMPs, food safety standards (SQF), and regulatory requirements
• Oversee inventory management practices and WMS implementation
• Drive adoption of tools, systems, and technologies that improve plant performance

Lead Continuous Improvement & Change

• Identify root causes of operational issues and implement sustainable solutions
• Partner with Continuous Improvement teams to deploy and scale initiatives
• Hold teams accountable to standard operating procedures while identifying opportunities to improve them
• Lead change management efforts across processes, systems, and teams

What Success Looks Like

• Consistently delivers on-time fulfillment and production targets
• Builds and develops a strong, accountable leadership team
• Improves key KPIs across safety, quality, cost, and efficiency
• Creates strong alignment between plant operations and corporate partners
• Establishes a culture of ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement

What You Bring

• 10+ years of experience in plant or manufacturing operations, preferably within food production
• Proven experience leading leaders in a high-volume, fast-paced environment
• Strong track record of owning and improving operational KPIs and plant performance
• Experience driving continuous improvement and change management initiatives
• Demonstrated ability to build high-performing teams and positive workplace cultures
• Strong business acumen with the ability to understand and manage cost drivers
• Excellent communication, leadership, and decision-making skills
• Experience with WMS, ERP systems, and standard business tools (Excel, etc.)

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