Job SummaryThe Director of Manufacturing is a senior operations leader responsible for end-to-end manufacturing performance at JonnyPops. This role owns 24/7 production execution, safety, repairs & maintenance priorities, and people leadership, while building the systems, standard work, and leadership capability required to scale.
This leader integrates people, process, and equipment to deliver safe, high-quality, efficient production that supports brand growth, seasonal demand, and long-term capacity plans-operating both in the business and on the business.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities- Ensure exceptional plant performance as measured by:
- Human & Food Safety
- Attainment
- Scrap
- Labor $/Pop and Overhead $/Pop
- Manufacturing & Production Leadership
- Own 24/7 manufacturing operations, ensuring safe, efficient, and high quality output
- Establish, document, maintain, and sustain standard work for critical manufacturing processes
- Generate and lead continuous improvement initiatives to increase throughput, reliability, and efficiency
- Leverages production and operating data and other inputs to direct the resolution of operational, manufacturing, and maintenance issues to ensure minimum costs and prevent operational delays
- Quality & Food Safety
- Partner closely with Quality department to embed food safety and quality systems into daily operations
- Reinforce quality as a nonnegotiable operating discipline
- Safety & Compliance
- Create and sustain a strong safety culture across all shifts and teams
- Ensure compliance with OSHA and internal safety standards
- Proactively address hazards, near misses, and incidents with corrective actions
- Consistently create safety awareness among all employees to prevent safety incidents and achieve company safety goals
- Maintenance Leadership and Engineering Partnership
- Develop and manage R&M/Engineering priorities to ensure proper maintenance of the physical plant and equipment for quality and food safety, line up-time, and production efficiency.
- Own preventative maintenance execution and downtime reduction strategies
- Partner with Engineering to ensure equipment reliability and uptime
- People Leadership & Talent Development
- Lead, coach, and develop supervisors and managers to build a high performing manufacturing team
- Ensure effective communication, collaboration, and teamwork between all plant operations team members
- Ensure clear expectations, accountability, and performance management
- Foster engagement, ownership, and continuous improvement at all levels
- Hire, develop, and retain talent aligned with JonnyPops values
- Cross Functional Collaboration
- Effectively partner with Supply Chain, Quality, R&D, Engineering, Finance, and Commercial teams
- Provide operational input on new products, scale up feasibility, and commercialization
- Financial & Operational Discipline
- Manage manufacturing budget and operating costs
- Monitor labor, material, and overhead efficiency
- Use metrics and scorecards to drive fact based decisions and continuous improvement
Minimum QualificationsEducation:
- Bachelors (or equivalent experience) in Manufacturing Operations, Industrial Engineering, Operations or related field.
Experience & Skills:
- 7+ years of food manufacturing experience preferably in wet food / dairy products.
- Demonstrated experience working with LEAN Manufacturing Principles.
- Working mechanical knowledge of equipment.
- Must be familiar with GMP's (Good Manufacturing Practices) and QC standards required in a foods packaging environment.
- Experience hiring, leading and developing an effective production team.
- Must be able to manage multiple tasks and balance competing priorities in a dynamic environment.
- Proven experience maintaining or implementing metrics to measure and manage performance.
- Effective written communication and presentation skills. Ability to influence up, down and across organization levels.
- Strong MS Office skills (Excel, Word, and Outlook)
- Strong planning and prioritization skills.
- Adaptable, resilient, flexible, fast-paced/sense of urgency.
Food Safety Requirements:- Ensure all frozen novelty products meet established safety, quality, and regulatory standards (e.g., FDA, HACCP, USDA).
- Partner with Quality leadership to develop and implement quality control protocols, inspection procedures, and corrective actions to maintain product excellence.
- Participate in regular audits and inspections of production facilities, addressing issues proactively.
Expected Pay Range:
$150,000 - $180,000 annual salary
Employees may be eligible for additional incentive/bonus programs*
JonnyPops offers a competitive benefits package which includes the following:
- Medical/Health Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Vision Insurance
- HSA
- FSA
- DCFSA
- Life & AD&D Insurance
- Short & Long Term Disability
- FTO/PTO
- EAP Programs
- Paid Holidays
- Employee Referral Program
- Sick & Safe Leave
- 401k
- Company Sponsored Meal Plan
* Hired candidates may be eligible to receive additional compensation in the form of bonuses and/or commissions.
