POSITION SUMMARY

We are seeking a results-driven Plant Manager to lead all aspects of operations for our hot-fill and aseptic beverage manufacturing facility in Hendersonville, NC. The Plant Manager is responsible for ensuring excellence in safety, food safety, quality, production performance, equipment reliability, customer service, financial performance, and leadership development.

This position provides strategic direction and hands-on leadership across Production, Quality and Food Safety, Maintenance, Sanitation, Continuous Improvement, Warehouse, and related support functions. The Plant Manager will ensure the facility consistently produces safe, high-quality products on time, in compliance with regulatory and customer requirements, and at the lowest sustainable cost.

Primary Responsibilities Include:

• Lead day-to-day plant operations to achieve safety, food safety, quality, service, productivity, reliability, and financial objectives.
• Build and sustain a culture where employee safety, food safety, quality ownership, accountability, and operational discipline are non-negotiable expectations.
• Ensure compliance with FDA regulations, GMPs, HACCP and preventive controls, customer standards, company policies, and third-party audit requirements.
• Maintain robust control of hot-fill and aseptic manufacturing processes, including thermal processing, CIP/SIP systems, sanitation, environmental monitoring, hygienic zoning, and package integrity.
• Partner closely with Quality and Food Safety leaders to maintain audit readiness, prevent contamination, manage deviations, lead root-cause analysis, and implement effective corrective and preventive actions.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on OEE, throughput, yield, schedule attainment, labor productivity, conversion cost, material usage, and overall equipment reliability.
• Lead Maintenance and Engineering priorities to improve equipment uptime, reduce unplanned downtime, strengthen preventive maintenance programs, and support long-term asset reliability.
• Develop, justify, and execute capital projects that improve safety, capacity, reliability, quality, productivity, and cost performance.
• Manage the plant operating budget, monitor financial performance, and deliver sustainable cost and productivity improvements.
• Develop plant leaders and employees through coaching, performance management, training, succession planning, and accountability systems.
• Sustain Lean Manufacturing, TPM, Six Sigma, and other continuous improvement methodologies to improve daily management and operational performance.
• Serve as the senior site leader during customer visits, regulatory inspections, internal reviews, and third-party certification audits.

KEY PERFORMANCE MEASURES

• Employee safety performance and safety culture maturity.
• Food safety, quality performance, and regulatory compliance.
• SQF, GFSI, customer audit, and inspection readiness results.
• OEE, throughput, downtime, and production efficiency.
• Schedule attainment, order fulfillment, and customer service performance.
• Equipment reliability, preventive maintenance effectiveness, and downtime reduction.
• Yield, waste, rework, and material usage performance.
• Labor productivity, conversion cost, and budget performance.
• Employee engagement, retention, training, and leadership development.
• Continuous improvement savings, project execution, and operational discipline.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide leadership and oversight for Production, Quality and Food Safety, Maintenance, Sanitation, Warehouse, Continuous Improvement, and related plant functions.
• Communicate job expectations; plan, monitor, and evaluate performance; coach and develop direct reports.
• Motivate and develop leaders to ensure an engaged, accountable, and high-performing workforce.
• Establish goals and objectives aligned with business strategies and operational priorities.
• Routinely review plant performance with the management team and implement actions to achieve targeted results.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on operational excellence, cost reduction, and process reliability.
• Effectively communicate plant goals, objectives, and results at all levels of the organization.
• Support and reinforce a culture of safety, food safety, quality, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure staffing and resources are aligned with operational requirements and business needs.
• Develop succession plans and leadership capabilities to support long-term organizational growth.
• Empower employees to identify and address safety, food safety, and quality issues within their scope of responsibility.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Minimum Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, Food Science, Business, or a related field; equivalent experience may be considered.
• Ten or more years of progressive manufacturing experience, including significant leadership responsibility in a plant or operations environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional manufacturing teams, including Production, Quality, Food Safety, Maintenance, Engineering, Sanitation, Warehouse, and Continuous Improvement.
• Strong working knowledge of GMPs, HACCP or preventive controls, sanitation programs, FDA regulations, and high-hygiene manufacturing environments.
• Proven ability to manage plant operating budgets, labor utilization, production performance, cost reduction initiatives, and capital projects.
• Strong leadership presence with the ability to establish expectations, build accountable teams, coach leaders, resolve conflict, and communicate effectively across all organizational levels.
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills utilizing data-driven decision-making, root-cause analysis, corrective action systems, and continuous improvement methodologies.

Additional Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in aseptic, hot-fill, low-acid beverage, dairy, food, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, or other highly regulated manufacturing environments.
• Experience with thermal processing, CIP/SIP systems, aseptic filling, package integrity programs, environmental monitoring, allergen control, and sanitation validation.
• Working knowledge of SQF, BRC, FSSC 22000, GFSI, customer audits, FDA inspections, and similar certification programs.
• Lean Manufacturing, TPM, Six Sigma, OSHA, food safety, or operations leadership certifications.
• Experience leading facility expansions, production line start-ups, major equipment installations, automation improvements, or capital-intensive reliability projects.

LEADERSHIP PROFILE

The successful candidate is a hands-on, results-oriented manufacturing leader who combines technical expertise with sound business judgment and exceptional people leadership skills. The Plant Manager must be highly visible on the production floor, decisive under pressure, disciplined in execution, and capable of building trust with employees, customers, auditors, and senior leadership. This leader creates an environment where safety and food safety are non-negotiable, quality is owned by operations, equipment reliability is prioritized, and continuous improvement is embedded into daily operations.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS & WORKING CONDITIONS

This position requires sufficient physical ability to work in a production setting.

FREQUENT: Ability to talk and hear; ability to stand, walk, climb stairs, stoop, bend and/or crouch; push/pull; lift up to 50 pounds; use of hands and fingers to operate machinery/equipment and all manual and electronic equipment in area of responsibility. Exposure to wet and humid conditions and fluctuations in ambient temperature (seasonal).

OCCASIONAL: Squatting, kneeling, ability to reach above and at shoulder height. Ability to wear a dust mask, and perform Confined Entry using LOTO program. Exposure to toxic and corrosive chemicals.

VISION: Ability to use close and distance vision, as well as color and peripheral vision with or without correction. Must be able to visually detect obstacles and potential dangers in a fast-paced production environment involving high speed equipment and powered industrial lift equipment.

HEARING: Ability to hear in the normal audio range with or without correction. Exposure to noise levels from pumps, machinery, forklift traffic, bottle lines and exhaust fans.

This job description is not intended to contain a comprehensive list of the responsibilities that are required to successfully perform in this position. Other duties as assigned are part of every job description. The conditions herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals to perform the essential job functions.