Position Summary:

To control manufacturing location activities to achieve company profit and growth objectives primarily through controlling product quality, quantities, and costs associated with the location. This is to be done in accordance with all company policies and procedures and all federal, state, and local statutes.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

• Assure all food products meet Food Safety Standards and specifications of all jurisdictional entitles of Ventura Foods and its customers. ( FDA, City and County Health Dept.)
• Manage and control assets to achieve and improve cost objectives while meeting or exceeding Customer's expectations. The major cost areas being labor, ingredient yields, production costs, and Plant overhead expenses.
• Manage department safety and health programs to meet OSHA and Ventura standards with emphasis on reducing and eliminating employee injuries and worker's compensation claims. Manage and control department equipment and processes to meet all environmental regulations of the federal, state and local governments (EPA, ADEM, and NPDES).
• Manage to meet or exceed acceptable scores/ratings on all internal and external audits. Assure that Ventura's HR policies are administered fairly and in accordance with company benefits and policies. This includes hiring, promotion and termination of department employees.
• Prepare, implement, and manage capital and operating budgets timely and effectively for department. Manage to attain service levels of 98.5% case fill and 95.5% order fill (preventative maintenance, foods and materials locator system, OEE/Informance programs, and work order systems).
• Work with Sales and R&D to obtain and control projects that develop into production requirements for ongoing business and focus on less scrap and increase capacity. Maintain department facilities and grounds in good repair and consistent with high standards
• Maintain and encourage employee participation in new and creative ideas for cost control, new products and process enhancements to aid in the longevity of Ventura foods as a company. Ensure operational model is implemented to drive day to day focus and results and fully support JDE initiatives.
• Responsible for assuring compliance with all Food Safety policies, procedures and regulatory criterion including the current SQF code, Good Manufacturing Practices, and the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and associated Preventive Controls.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor degree or equivalent experience
• 7-10 years of food manufacturing experience

Knowledge and Skills:

• High level of business savvy and ability to deal with both daily facility problems and with highest levels of management (internal and external).
• Proficient in MS Word and Excel spreadsheets.
• Good working knowledge of product formulas, costing, and experience in bringing R&D endeavors to fruition.
• Requires leadership and teambuilding skills. Ability to aggressively manage change, and skilled at handling employee disputes and maintain good employee morale.

Why Join Us:

Ventura Foods offers career growth opportunities as well as competitive compensation and benefits:

• Medical, Prescription, Dental, & Vision – coverage beginning on your 1st day for eligible employees

• Profit Sharing and 401(k) matching (after eligible criteria is met)

• Paid Vacation, Sick Time, and Holidays

• Employee Appreciation Events and Employee Assistance Programs

• Salary Base Range of $118,000 – $155,000 for Employees Located in California*

• Annual bonus (based on the incentive program terms and conditions)

• The “base salary range” provided above is a good faith estimate of what we expect to pay for this position. The range provided is for California-based employees as Ventura Foods is required by California State Law to post pay rates. Ventura Foods reserves the right to pay outside of the given range based on a variety of factors including but not limited to: candidate skills and experience, complexity of the job, budgetary factors, and location/geography. Ventura Foods conducts regular reviews of compensation ranges and therefore reserves the right to alter this range at any given time.