Plant Manager
Plant Manager
Location: Kelso, WA
About the Company
A leading food manufacturing organization seeking an experienced Plant Manager to provide overall leadership for a large-scale production facility. This role will oversee production, warehousing, distribution, engineering, quality, safety, and workforce development while helping drive operational excellence, profitability, and future growth.
This is a highly visible leadership position that partners closely with operations, quality assurance, engineering, human resources, finance, regulatory agencies, and customers to ensure the facility consistently delivers safe, high-quality products in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide overall leadership for all plant operations, including production, warehousing, distribution, maintenance, safety, and support functions.
- Develop and execute short- and long-term operational strategies that improve cost performance, efficiency, product quality, and profitability.
- Build, coach, and develop leadership teams while fostering a culture of accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement.
- Ensure compliance with all food safety, quality, regulatory, environmental, and workplace safety requirements.
- Partner with engineering, quality, and technical teams to support capital projects, process improvements, new product initiatives, and facility expansion efforts.
- Lead budgeting, workforce planning, and operational performance management to support future growth and business objectives.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Food Science, or a related field.
- 10+ years of progressive leadership experience within food manufacturing, food processing, protein, meat, or poultry operations.
- Proven success managing plant-wide operations with responsibility for production, quality, safety, warehousing, and financial performance.
- Strong understanding of food safety systems, regulatory compliance, quality assurance, and continuous improvement practices.
- Demonstrated experience with budgeting, labor planning, cost controls, capital projects, and operational performance metrics.
- Excellent leadership, communication, team-building, and employee relations skills with the ability to influence at all levels of the organization.
FAQs
Congratulations, we understand that taking the time to apply is a big step. When you apply, your details go directly to the consultant who is sourcing talent. Due to demand, we may not get back to all applicants that have applied. However, we always keep your resume and details on file so when we see similar roles or see skillsets that drive growth in organizations, we will always reach out to discuss opportunities.
Yes. Even if this role isn’t a perfect match, applying allows us to understand your expertise and ambitions, ensuring you're on our radar for the right opportunity when it arises.
We also work in several ways, firstly we advertise our roles available on our site, however, often due to confidentiality we may not post all. We also work with clients who are more focused on skills and understanding what is required to future-proof their business.
That's why we recommend registering your resume so you can be considered for roles that have yet to be created.
Yes, we help with CV and interview preparation. From customized support on how to optimize your CV to interview preparation and compensation negotiations, we advocate for you throughout your next career move.