Summary of PositionThe Plant Manager leads all day-to-day operations of MOJI Food's Seattle food manufacturing site - a central kitchen/commissary producing items such as dumplings, buns, potstickers, noodles, and fillings. This is a hands-on, working plant-manager role with full accountability for the site: safety, food safety and quality, production output and efficiency, material supply, cost, and people. The Plant Manager directly leads the Production Manager and the Purchasing & Warehouse Manager, and provides functional oversight of quality/food safety, sanitation, and maintenance. Reporting to corporate operations leadership, the role translates company plans and demand into safe, compliant, efficient, and cost-controlled daily production.
Key Responsibilities- Site Operations & Production
- Own the full daily, weekly, and monthly operation of the plant; ensure production schedules are met on time, in full, and to specification.
- Direct the Production Manager to plan labor, lines, and output against demand forecasts, store orders, and shipment schedules.
- Balance throughput, yield, labor efficiency, and quality across all lines (dough/wrappers, fillings, forming, cooking/steaming/frying, packaging, freezing/cooling).
- Resolve daily bottlenecks - staffing gaps, equipment downtime, material shortages - and keep the site running.
- Lead seasonal, holiday, new-store, and large-order surge planning.
- Food Safety, Quality & Regulatory Compliance
- Hold the site accountable for FDA, USDA/FSIS (if applicable), Washington State Department of Agriculture, and local food-safety requirements.
- Ensure GMP, HACCP, SSOP, allergen control, traceability, and sanitation programs are implemented and audit-ready at all times.
- Lead the site through regulatory inspections, customer audits, third-party certifications, and mock recalls.
- Champion a food-safety-first culture; stop production when safety or quality is at risk.
- Cost, Budget & Financial Performance
- Own the site operating budget and key cost drivers: labor cost, overtime, material and packaging waste, yield, utilities, and scrap.
- Track and improve cost-per-unit, labor hours per unit, and waste/rework rates.
- Partner with Finance on month-end close, variance analysis, and forecasting.
- Identify and lead cost-reduction and efficiency-improvement projects.
- People Leadership & Development
- Lead, coach, and develop the Production Manager and Purchasing & Warehouse Manager, and through them the supervisors, leads, and hourly staff.
- Build a stable, safe, respectful, and accountable workplace for a multilingual workforce (English /Chinese / Spanish).
- Partner with HR on hiring, onboarding, scheduling, performance, discipline, retention, and employee relations.
- Develop bench strength and cross-training so the site is not dependent on any single person.
- Supply Chain, Materials & Inventory
- Ensure, through the Purchasing & Warehouse Manager, that materials are sourced, received, stored, and staged so production never stops for lack of material.
- Oversee inventory accuracy, FIFO/FEFO, cold-chain control, receiving, and finished-goods shipping to stores and the distribution network.
- Coordinate with corporate purchasing and other state sites on supply, transfers, and standardization.
- Maintenance, Facility & Safety
- Ensure preventive maintenance, equipment uptime, and a clean, organized, 5S-standard facility.
- Enforce OSHA / Washington L& I safety requirements, PPE, LOTO (where applicable), and chemical safety.
- Lead incident investigation, root-cause analysis, and corrective action; drive down recordable injuries.
- Reporting & Continuous Improvement
- Report site performance (safety, food safety, output, quality, cost, delivery, people) to corporate operations leadership.
- Use data to find trends, set targets, and drive continuous improvement.
- Support capital planning, capacity expansion, automation, and new-product scale-up.
Qualifications
- 8+ years of food manufacturing, commissary, or central-kitchen operations experience, with 4+ years in plant/operations management.
- Direct experience managing USDA-inspected facilities (highly preferred for meat processing)
- Proven ownership of a production site's safety, quality, output, cost, and people.
- Strong working knowledge of GMP, HACCP, SSOP, allergen control, sanitation, and food-safety regulations.
- Demonstrated ability to manage budgets, labor, and operational KPIs.
- Strong leadership of multilingual, multi-shift teams in a fast-paced environment.
- Ability to read and act on production, labor, yield, cost, and inventory data.
Preferred Skills- Experience in Asian food / dumpling / noodle / frozen / ready-to-eat / bakery production.
- Bilingual English / Chinese (strongly preferred given the workforce and corporate communication); English / Spanish a plus.
- Experience with multi-site restaurant or commissary supply, ERP / R365, and new-product launches.
- HACCP / PCQI / SQF certification; lean or Six Sigma exposure.
- Bachelor's degree in food science, engineering, supply chain, business, or related field (or equivalent experience).
Physical Requirements / Work Environment
- On-site role in a food manufacturing environment with cold, hot, wet, and noisy areas.
- Ability to stand, walk, and move throughout the plant for extended periods; lift up to 25-50 lbs as needed.
- Ability to wear required PPE (hairnet, gloves, safety shoes, freezer gear).
- May require early-morning, evening, weekend, or holiday coverage based on production needs.
Be our partners and enjoy these with us:- Salary ranges: $120,000 - $150,000 per year, depending on experience, scope, and
qualifications - Comprehensive Medical insurance, vision insurance, dental insurance
- Paid Sick leave: 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours
- Paid Time off
- Paid Holidays
- 401k retirement plan
- Employee Discount Programs
- Opportunities for growth and career advancement
