General Manager

Job Overview:

The General Manager (GM) will lead and oversee the daily operations of a large aseptic dairy manufacturing plant. Reporting directly to the company owners, this role requires a strategic leader with a hands-on approach to drive the plant from its early stages of growth to full production capacity. The GM will ensure safety, optimal efficiency, profitability, and quality while leading a diverse team across various departments, including administrative, quality assurance, production, maintenance, and more.

The GM will be responsible for operational, financial, and team management, as well as ensuring compliance with all quality standards and regulatory requirements. They must be highly focused on achieving manufacturing excellence, ensuring our incoming and outgoing supply chain are optimized, driving aggressive growth targets, meeting customer demand, and maintaining the highest standards of safety, customer service, and product quality.

This role is critical to the company’s growth trajectory and requires a dynamic leader who can deliver operational excellence while aligning with the company's long-term goals.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Leadership and Team Management

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of 150+ employees across all functional areas including operations, finance, IT, HR, maintenance, and quality.
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, cross-department collaboration, and urgency to exceed customer expectations.
• Serve as the key liaison between the company owners and plant operations, providing regular updates on performance and strategic initiatives.
• Drives effective communication with customers, owners, suppliers, and employees.

2. Operational Excellence and Efficiency

• Drive plant performance to meet aggressive production and growth goals, transitioning from early growth to full production capacity.
• Ensure aseptic processing standards are always adhered to, ensuring product safety and quality.
• Oversee production scheduling, capacity planning, supply chain (both incoming and outgoing), and resource allocation to optimize efficiency.
• Implement lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, or other process improvement initiatives to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and minimize downtime.
• Establish and monitor KPIs such as OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness), first-pass yield, and lead times.

3. Financial Management

• Develop and manage the plant’s budget, ensuring financial targets are met or exceeded.
• Monitor cost control measures and drive cost-saving initiatives without compromising quality or safety.
• Analyze financial data and provide reports to ownership on profitability, expenses, and cost optimization.
• Set and track key financial KPIs such as EBITDA, margin improvement, and cost per unit.

4. Strategic Planning and Growth

• Partner with company owners to develop and execute the plant’s long-term growth strategy.
• Oversee capital projects and investments to ensure they align with production growth and operational needs.
• Align production capacity with market demand, ensuring plant readiness for scaling up operations.
• Develop and implement strategies to meet aggressive production goals while maintaining quality and regulatory compliance.

5. Quality Assurance and Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure the plant meets all regulatory standards, including FDA, USDA, and any relevant local and international regulations.
• Maintain and improve the plant’s quality management system (QMS) to ensure product quality and consistency.
• Lead initiatives focused on quality improvement, customer satisfaction, and product innovation.
• Ensure strict adherence to aseptic production standards, HACCP, and GMP protocols.

6. Safety and Environmental Stewardship

• Promote a safety-first culture, ensuring all safety standards and environmental regulations are met.
• Monitor and report safety KPIs, including lost time incidents, near misses, and environmental compliance.
• Ensure maintenance programs are in place to reduce equipment downtime and safety risks.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs listed are not illustrative and all-inclusive):

Operational Efficiency:

• OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness): Target > 50%
• Production Yield: First pass yield of > 92%
• Downtime: Target to minimize unplanned downtime to < 3%
• Throughput: Increase production throughput to match demand, with aggressive scaling timelines.

Financial Metrics:

• Cost per Unit Produced: Optimize to ensure best-in-class cost-efficiency without sacrificing quality.
• EBITDA Margin: Achieve and maintain EBITDA margins in line with industry benchmarks.
• Waste Reduction: Minimize production waste through lean practices and continuous improvement.
• Return on Capital Employed (ROCE): Ensure positive ROI on all capital investments.

Quality and Compliance:

• Product Defect Rate: Maintain defect rate < 1 per 40k units across all product lines.
• Customer Satisfaction Score: Ensure customer satisfaction score > 95%.
• Customer Ontime Release: Exceed 95%
• Regulatory Compliance: Zero non-compliance or warning letters from FDA/USDA and other regulatory agencies, as well as customer compliance.
• Audit Performance: Pass all internal and external audits with a 100% compliance score.

Safety and Environmental:

• Incident Rate: Target zero lost-time incidents.
• Preventive Maintenance Compliance: Ensure 100% of preventive maintenance is performed on time.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Food Science, Business Administration, or related field. MBA preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in a senior leadership role in fluid diary manufacturing, with previous aseptic production or plant management experience is highly preferred.
• Proven experience managing large teams and rapidly scaling operations.
• Demonstrated experience driving financial performance (P&L responsibility), operational efficiency, and quality improvements in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong leadership and team-building capabilities, with a focus on building a strong culture of excellence, customer service, and urgency.
• Exceptional problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Financial acumen and ability to manage P&L.
• Knowledge of lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, or other continuous improvement methodologies.
• Familiarity with regulatory standards, practices, and programs, including, but not limited to: FDA, USDA, HACCP, PCQI, and GMP.

COMMITMENT TO ETHICS AND EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY:

Our Company is firmly committed to conducting business in compliance with the letter and spirit of the law and other accepted standards of business conduct as reflected in the company's policies. Our Company is proud to be an equal employment opportunity employer. Our Company is committed to selecting, developing, and rewarding the best person for the job based on the requirements of the work to be performed and without regard to race, age, color, religion, sex, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, disability/handicap, marital status, protected veteran status, uniform status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, genetic information, gender identity and expression, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law. EEO.

DISCLAIMER:

The preceding position description has been designed to indicate the general nature of work performed; the level of knowledge and skills typically required; and usual working conditions of this position. It is not designed to contain, or be interpreted as, a comprehensive listing of all requirements or responsibilities that may be required by employees in this position.