Manager - Contract Manufacturing

Work Shift:

Day

Pay Type:

Salary

Hourly Rate (if applicable):

N/A

Targeted Base Salary Range (if applicable):

$114,300.00 - $148,300.00

JOB OVERVIEW:

The Manager, Contract Manufacturing manages an assigned portfolio of external manufacturing partners and is accountable for delivering safety, food safety, quality, service, cost, capacity, and commercialization objectives. The role translates the contract manufacturing strategy into practical operating plans, partner priorities, and measurable results.

The position coordinates partner performance, qualification and onboarding, commercialization, manufacturing transfers, continuity planning, and continuous improvement within the assigned portfolio. Working with Supply Chain, FSQA, R&D, Engineering, Procurement, Finance, Commercial teams, and external manufacturers, the Manager resolves execution issues, recommends actions, and maintains alignment with established business priorities.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

•  Execute contract manufacturing plans for an assigned portfolio, aligning partner capacity, capabilities, risks, and priorities with established business and supply chain strategies.

•  Coordinate evaluation, due diligence, qualification, onboarding, and stabilization activities for new contract manufacturing partners and production lines.

•  Manage day-to-day relationships with assigned contract manufacturers; maintain operating cadences, escalation paths, business reviews, and accountability for agreed commitments.

•  Maintain partner scorecards, KPIs, and corrective action tracking for safety, food safety, quality, delivery, service, cost, compliance, yield, waste, throughput, and capacity.

•  Facilitate partner performance reviews, document gaps and root causes, coordinate action owners, and follow through until recovery and preventive actions are sustained.

•  Support Procurement and Legal with sourcing events, commercial evaluations, contract negotiations, service levels, capacity commitments, change control, confidentiality, and contract compliance.

•  Analyze tolling, turnkey, cost-plus, fixed-price, and full-service arrangements and provide should-cost and total-cost-of-ownership recommendations.

•  Manage commercialization and manufacturing transfer projects for the assigned portfolio, including project plans, trials, qualification, validation, first production, launch readiness, and post-launch stabilization.

•  Coordinate with Planning, Procurement, Inventory Control, Transportation, Warehousing, and partner sites to support production schedules, material availability, packaging, finished-goods inventory, logistics, and customer service.

•  Provide external manufacturing capacity, constraint, forecast, and risk inputs to S&OP and business continuity processes; maintain alternate-source and recovery actions for assigned products.

•  Manage assigned conversion costs, forecasts, cost variances, productivity initiatives, inventory exposure, write-offs, and Finance-validated savings in partnership with Finance.

•  Coordinate resolution of supply, service, quality, cost, equipment, labor, material, specification, transportation, and scheduling issues; escalate critical risks with fact-based recovery recommendations.

•  Partner with FSQA, Regulatory, and EHS teams on specifications, investigations, corrective actions, audit remediation, regulatory compliance, recall readiness, and applicable safety and environmental requirements.

•  Implement continuous improvement initiatives with external partners using Lean, Six Sigma, capability analysis, structured problem solving, data-based decisions, and relevant manufacturing technologies.

•  Maintain accurate portfolio records and reporting, including contracts, contacts, SKUs, pricing, inventory, components, master data, project status, risks, decisions, and partner performance.

•  Prepare concise updates on partner performance, risks, tradeoffs, and recommended actions for leadership review and cross-functional decision-making.

•  Supervise assigned contract manufacturing team members, establish work priorities, provide coaching and feedback, support development, and reinforce accountability and collaboration.

•  Demonstrate the Blue Diamond Leadership Promise by staying connected to purpose, committed to people, and ambitious about our future.

•  Perform other duties as assigned. This job description reflects management's assignment of essential functions and does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.

MINIMUM JOB REQUIREMENTS         

•  Bachelor's degree in supply chain, business, finance, engineering, operations management, food science, strategic sourcing, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.

•  Minimum 7 years of progressive experience in contract manufacturing, manufacturing operations, supply chain, procurement, commercialization, engineering, or a related discipline.

•  Experience managing contract manufacturers, co-packers, suppliers, or multiple manufacturing sites in food, beverage, CPG, or another regulated manufacturing environment.

•  Experience supporting partner qualification, sourcing, contract discussions, supplier relationship management, and performance reviews.

•  Experience managing commercialization, manufacturing transfer, capacity, performance improvement, cost savings, or continuity projects.

•  Strong business and financial acumen, including working knowledge of cost structures, bids, total cost of ownership, budgets, forecasts, and operational tradeoffs.

•  Working knowledge of production planning, materials and inventory management, logistics, manufacturing quality systems, regulatory compliance, and corrective action processes.

•  Demonstrated cross-functional leadership and project management skills, with the ability to coordinate multiple workstreams and respond to changing priorities.

•  Strong negotiation, analytical, problem-solving, decision-making, written communication, and leadership presentation skills.

•  Ability to build productive internal and external relationships, influence without direct authority, resolve issues, and maintain constructive partner relationships.

•  Experience supervising or coaching employees, setting priorities, providing performance feedback, and supporting development.

•  Ability and willingness to travel approximately 25-40%, including overnight and occasional international travel based on business needs.

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES              

•  Master's degree or MBA in business, engineering, supply chain, operations, food science, or a related discipline.

•  Professional certification such as PMP, CPSM/CPM, APICS/ASCM, or Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.

•  Experience managing external manufacturing relationships for consumer packaged goods, food, beverage, or nutritional products.

•  Knowledge of food safety and quality systems, GFSI certification schemes, supplier qualification, audit programs, manufacturing validation, and recall processes.

•  Experience using SAP, integrated business planning tools, sourcing or procurement technology, project tracking tools, business intelligence dashboards, or advanced spreadsheet analysis.

•  Strong attention to detail, organizational discipline, and ability to translate complex information into clear recommendations and action plans.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

•  Coordinates cross-functional project teams and external partners through established governance processes and influence.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

•  Ability to work in office and desk environments for extended periods.

•  Ability to work in production, warehouse, and plant environments for extended periods during site visits.

•  Ability to walk through multiple buildings, use stairs, and occasionally bend or lift materials or product samples up to 10 pounds.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

•  Hybrid office environment with regular travel to contract manufacturing locations.

•  Regular time spent in manufacturing, production, warehouse, and partner-site environments.

•  May require overnight travel, schedule flexibility, PPE, and compliance with site hygiene, food safety, and safety requirements; exposure to dust, moisture, noise, and hot or cold temperatures.