Associate Vice President of Manufacturing Operations

• SCHEDULE: Monday-Friday approximately 40+ hours a week
• BENEFITS: This position is full-time benefit eligible, elective benefits include:
  • Medical, dental, hearing and vision insurance.
• Opportunity to contribute to a 401k with a generous Company Match Program, Annual Company Profit Sharing 
• Paid vacation, holiday and sick time. 
• Paid Employee referral program. 

Key Responsibilities

• Support the development and execution of operational strategies aligned with company goals and objectives.
• Lead integrated business planning efforts and establish priorities to meet customer demand, operational goals, and business objectives.
• Oversee production scheduling and coordination with warehouse, receiving, logistics, maintenance, quality, engineering, and other support departments.
• Ensure operational plans are executed effectively to achieve production, quality, service, safety, and cost objectives.
• Develop, monitor, and improve key performance indicators related to safety, quality, productivity, service, cost, and employee engagement.
• Analyze operational performance and implement actions that improve efficiency, profitability, customer satisfaction, and organizational effectiveness.
• Develop and manage departmental budgets, capital expenditures, and resource allocation plans.
• Prepare operational reports, recommendations, and updates for executive leadership.

• Provide leadership and oversight for Engineering, Maintenance, Continuous Improvement, and Capital Project activities
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on operational excellence, process optimization, automation, and waste reduction.
• Lead root cause analysis efforts and implement corrective and preventive actions to improve operational performance.
• Oversee the evaluation, selection, installation, and startup of equipment, technology, and facility improvements.
• Ensure engineering and capital projects are completed safely, on time, within budget, and aligned with business objectives.
•  Partner with Engineering and Maintenance teams to improve equipment reliability, asset utilization, and preventative maintenance programs.
• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures, best practices, and process controls.
• Support long-term capacity planning and facility growth initiatives.

• Provide leadership and direction to manufacturing managers, supervisors, maintenance leaders, and operational teams.
• Recruit, develop, coach, mentor, and evaluate leaders and team members to support succession planning and organizational growth.
• Establish performance expectations and hold leaders accountable for achieving departmental and company objectives.
• Foster employee engagement through effective communication, recognition, accountability, and leadership presence.
• Ensure compliance with all company, safety, food safety, and quality requirements.
• Promote a culture of promoting Herr Foods values including, safety, quality, accountability and integrity.
• Support audits, inspections, regulatory compliance activities, and strategic business initiatives as required.

•  Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Manufacturing, Business, or a related field required; Master's degree preferred.
• Minimum of 8-10 years of progressive manufacturing and operations leadership experience, including oversight of production, engineering, and maintenance functions.
•  Demonstrated experience leading capital projects, equipment installations, automation initiatives, and facility improvements.
• Proven experience implementing process improvement and operational excellence initiatives.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing operations, engineering principles, financial management, asset management, and operational performance metrics.
• Experience managing budgets, capital expenditures, and strategic operational initiatives.
•  Strong leadership, coaching, communication, conflict resolution, and team development skills.
•  Excellent analytical, decision-making, and problem-solving abilities.
• Experience with ERP systems and manufacturing technology platforms preferred.
•  Food manufacturing or consumer packaged goods experience preferred.
• Travel between multiple production locations within Ohio will be required regularly (weekly)
•  Ability to travel domestically up to 10% as needed