Plant Manager
$100,000–$115,000 year
On-siteBoston, Massachusetts, United States
Job Summary
Direct day-to-day seafood processing activities including receiving, thawing, portioning, and cold storage while ensuring throughput targets and yield standards are met. Oversee refrigerated warehouse operations, maintain ≥99% inventory accuracy through lot tracking and FIFO rotation, and coordinate outbound shipping with third-party logistics providers. Enforce HACCP, SQF, and FSMA regulations by leading internal audits, corrective actions, and serving as the primary contact during regulatory inspections. Manage preventive and corrective maintenance programs for processing equipment and refrigeration systems, tracking KPIs like uptime and MTTR. Own the plant's operating budget by preparing annual forecasts, delivering variance analysis, and executing cost-reduction opportunities across labor, materials, and utilities. Lead and develop a diverse team of supervisors and hourly associates across multiple shifts, ensuring effective training programs for food safety and equipment operation. This role operates in a refrigerated environment requiring multi-shift oversight, weekend availability, and on-call response to emergencies.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Operations Management, Supply Chain, Engineering, or a related field
- Minimum 7–10 years of progressive operations or plant management experience in a food manufacturing environment
- Demonstrated P&L ownership, including budget preparation, variance analysis, and cost reduction delivery
- Proven track record leading multi-shift operations with 50+ hourly employees in a regulated environment
- Experience managing or implementing WMS, ERP, or production scheduling systems
- HACCP certification
- Working knowledge of FDA FSMA requirements, USDA oversight (where applicable), COOL compliance, and OSHA 1910 general industry standards
- Familiarity with refrigeration systems (ammonia or HFC) and cold-chain management practices
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
- Availability for multi-shift oversight, weekend operations, and on-call response to facility or food safety emergencies
- Personal protective equipment (PPE), including steel-toed boots, hairnets, gloves, and hearing protection
Desired Qualifications
- Deep expertise in seafood or perishable food manufacturing
- Data-driven approach to operational excellence
- People-management skills to build and sustain a high-performance team in a fast-paced, temperature-controlled environment
- Experience with Lean, 5S, or equivalent continuous improvement methodologies
- SQF Practitioner or PCQI certification
- Experience with ammonia or HFC refrigeration systems
- Comfort with data dashboards and operational reporting tools
- Exceptional leadership presence — able to motivate and hold accountable a large, diverse hourly workforce
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; comfortable with data and KPI-driven decision-making
- Clear, direct communicator — equally effective on the production floor and in executive presentations
- High integrity; thrives in a fast-paced environment where priorities can shift with market or supply conditions
- Bilingual (English/Spanish)
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