Head of Plant Operations, Norwich CT
Position Summary
The Head of Plant Operations owns the full performance of the Mini Melts manufacturing facility - safety, quality, output, cost, and people - and sets the operational strategy needed to support the company's growth. This is an executive-level role: it carries end-to-end P&L accountability for the plant, leads the site's senior leadership team, and represents plant operations directly to the C-suite. The Head of Plant Operations builds the systems, talent, and capital plan that will scale the facility over the next several years, while ensuring every case produced meets the highest standards of food safety and quality.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Operational & Strategic Leadership
- Own full P&L accountability for the plant, including output, labor, waste/yield, cost per case, and capital spend.
- Set the annual and multi-year operating strategy for the facility, translating company growth targets (including scaling well beyond current daily production levels) into a concrete capacity, staffing, and capital plan.
- Lead capital planning and execution for major projects - line expansions, new equipment, automation, and facility upgrades - partnering with the CEO/CFO and Finance on business cases and ROI.
- Ensure all products are produced to the highest food safety and quality standards, and that the plant is audit- and inspection-ready at all times (SQF, customer, and regulatory).
- Own the full suite of plant KPIs - output vs. target, labor efficiency, waste/yield, inventory accuracy, cost per case, safety incident rate, and budget performance - and report results directly to executive leadership.
Executive & People Leadership
- Directly lead the plant's management team building bench strength and succession depth at every level.
- Set the leadership standard for the site - structure, accountability, and decision-making authority - and develop leaders to own problem-solving within their areas rather than escalating routine issues.
- Drive workforce planning for a rapidly scaling operation, including organizational design, staffing models, and shift structure as volume grows.
- Serve as the primary voice of plant operations in cross-functional and executive discussions, representing the facility's needs, risks, and opportunities.
Continuous Improvement & Innovation
- Champion a continuous improvement culture across the plant, sponsoring Lean/Six Sigma initiatives and formal problem-solving methodologies.
- Lead evaluation and rollout of new equipment, automation, and process technology (e.g., cupping, X-ray inspection, cryogenic freezing systems) to improve throughput, yield, and safety.
- Build the operational infrastructure - systems, SOPs, and data tools - needed to support consistent performance as the company scales to new lines, shifts, or locations.
Financial & Administrative
- Hold purchasing and spending authority for plant operations.
- Own the plant's operating budget and capital budget in partnership with Finance and the CFO; deliver against cost and margin targets.
- Approve departmental budgets and spending recommendations from direct reports.
Decision-Making Authority
The Head of Plant Operations holds full executive authority over plant-level operations, including production, quality, safety, staffing, and budget decisions. This role sets direction for the site's leadership team, makes final decisions on operational and capital matters within approved budget, and has the authority to act immediately in urgent situations without prior approval. Strategic decisions with company-wide impact (e.g., major capital investment, new facility planning, org-wide policy) are made in partnership with the CFO and executive leadership.
Key Working Relationships
- Internal: CFO, CEO and executive leadership, Finance, Supply Chain, and all plant department leaders.
- External: Equipment vendors and integrators, key raw material and packaging suppliers, food safety auditors and regulatory bodies, and collaboration with demand planning and commercial teams on capacity alignment.
Technology & Systems
- SAP (ERP), SharePoint, Microsoft Excel, Samsara, iAuditor.
- Deep working knowledge of plant production equipment, including cupping machines, X-ray inspection, and cryogenic freezing systems, plus familiarity with automation and capital project management tools.
Qualifications
Education & Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Operations Management, Engineering, Food Science, or a related field required; MBA or advanced operations/manufacturing certification strongly preferred.
- 12-15+ years of progressive manufacturing operations experience, including 5+ years in a senior plant leadership role (Plant Manager or above); food, beverage, or CPG manufacturing required.
- Demonstrated experience leading capital projects, P&L ownership, and organizational scaling in a high-growth manufacturing environment.
- Proven track record building and developing multi-layered leadership teams, not just individual contributors.
Licenses & Certifications (Preferred)
- HACCP, PCQI, SQF Practitioner, or comparable food safety certification.
- Lean Manufacturing / Six Sigma Black Belt or equivalent strongly preferred.
Core Competencies
- Strategic & Financial Acumen (Advanced) - P&L ownership, capital planning, and translating growth targets into operational plans.
- Executive Communication (Advanced) - representing plant operations to the C-suite and influencing at the executive level.
- Leadership Development (Advanced) - building and developing a multi-layered leadership team, not just direct execution.
- Problem-Solving (Advanced) - analytical thinking, root cause analysis, and sound decision-making under pressure.
- Technical Proficiency (Advanced) - manufacturing systems, production equipment, ERP, and plant data tools.
- Change Leadership (Advanced) - leading a rapidly scaling operation through significant organizational and capital change.
- Attention to Detail (Advanced) - accuracy, quality control, and process adherence in a food safety environment.
Work Environment & Physical Requirements
- Manufacturing plant environment, including cold/frozen production areas and cryogenic processing.
- Regular presence on the production floor; ability to stand, walk, and move throughout the facility for extended periods.
- Regular travel to executive meetings and occasional extended hours as production and growth demands require.
