Operations Team Manager

Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery - New London

Starting Salary: $85,000 annually

The final salary offer will be based on the selected candidate's background and experience.

Schedule: Second Shift, Monday-Friday, 3:00 PM-11:00 PM
Employment Type: Full-time, salaried exempt
Work Setting: Dairy and food manufacturing facility
Travel: Occasional travel may be required

As our Operations Team Manager, you'll provide leadership across production, maintenance, quality assurance, and warehouse operations. You'll work alongside supervisors and employees to keep operations running safely and efficiently, maintain high standards for food safety and product quality, and identify opportunities to improve performance.

What You'll Do

• Lead daily operations: Oversee second-shift production, maintenance, quality assurance, and warehouse activities to meet production schedules and business objectives.
• Develop your team: Coach and support supervisors, provide guidance to employees, and create an environment where people are equipped to succeed and grow.
• Champion safety and quality: Reinforce food safety, workplace safety, product quality, and regulatory standards throughout daily operations.
• Drive continuous improvement: Identify opportunities to increase efficiency, reduce waste, improve processes, and strengthen operational performance.
• Coordinate resources: Align staffing, materials, equipment, inventory, and production schedules to meet business and customer needs.
• Build employee capability: Ensure employees have the training, tools, and resources they need to perform their jobs safely and effectively.
• Resolve operational challenges: Partner with supervisors and plant leadership to address equipment issues, production obstacles, order requirements, and product inconsistencies.
• Keep teams connected: Coordinate shift handoffs, communicate performance results, and ensure operational issues and corrective actions receive timely follow-up.
• Set clear expectations: Provide constructive feedback, recognize employee contributions, and address performance concerns fairly and consistently in partnership with Human Resources.
• Lead by example: Bring our core values of teamwork, integrity, innovation, and excellence to life through your leadership and daily decisions.

Requirements

What We're Looking For

We're looking for a leader who combines manufacturing knowledge, sound judgment, and a commitment to helping people perform at their best.

• Experience leading employees in manufacturing, production, or a similar operational environment.
• Strong knowledge of food or dairy manufacturing; five or more years of related industry experience is preferred.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build productive relationships across departments and levels of the organization.
• Strong planning, organizational, and problem-solving skills, including the ability to balance competing priorities and make effective decisions.
• Experience with production scheduling, staffing, inventory management, equipment utilization, or process improvement.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word, and Excel, and the ability to learn enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.
• Ability to interpret production schedules, written procedures, specifications, and other operational information.
• A valid driver's license and willingness to travel occasionally, as needed.

What You Can Expect

This is an active, hands-on leadership role in a dairy manufacturing environment. Your day will include time on the production floor, interacting with employees, coordinating operations, reviewing performance, and using a computer to manage information and priorities.

Occasional lifting or moving of up to 50 pounds may be required when conducting physical inventories or evaluating ingredient and packaging quality.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

Benefits

We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your well-being, financial future, and career growth, including:

• Affordable medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Benefits eligibility beginning the first of the month following 30 days of employment.
• Health Savings Account (HSA), accident, and critical illness coverage.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and additional free resources.
• 401k employer match.
• Paid time off and holiday pay.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Career growth and advancement opportunities.

If you're ready to lead with purpose, support your team, and make a difference in a growing manufacturing operation, we'd love to hear from you!