The Director of Plant Operations owns end-to-end performance of the plant, including safety, quality, fulfillment, and cost. This role leads a cross-functional leadership team and drives operational excellence in a fast-paced, high-volume food manufacturing environment.

At Home Chef, this isn’t just about running a plant. You’ll play a key role in shaping how we operate, scale, and deliver for our customers every single day. From leading high-impact teams to solving complex operational challenges, this role sits at the center of our business and has a direct line to the customer experience.

You will be responsible for building strong teams, improving performance, and driving consistent execution across all plant functions, while fostering a culture rooted in accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

What You’ll Do

Own Plant Performance & Strategy

• Set and execute the vision and strategy for on-time fulfillment of all production goals
• Lead and develop department leaders across production, warehouse, quality, maintenance, CI, and inventory
• Anticipate and proactively address operational challenges impacting performance
• Partner cross-functionally with corporate teams to remove barriers and drive results
• Ensure staffing plans align with production needs and operational goals

Lead, Develop & Inspire Teams

• Coach and develop leaders to build a high-performing, accountable organization
• Create a culture rooted in Home Chef’s “Customer First” mindset
• Drive employee engagement, retention, and a positive work environment
• Partner with HR to effectively manage employee relations, performance, and talent planning
• Lead regular communication cadences to align teams on performance, priorities, and goals

Drive KPIs & Financial Performance

• Own plant-level financial performance, including cost management and budget adherence
• Establish and drive accountability to key operational KPIs (safety, quality, delivery, cost)
• Develop and execute action plans to improve performance and achieve targets
• Maintain a strong understanding of cost drivers and operational efficiencies

Ensure Operational Excellence & Facility Standards

• Champion a “Safety First, Quality Always” culture across all levels of the organization
• Maintain a clean, organized, and audit-ready facility
• Ensure compliance with GMPs, food safety standards (SQF), and regulatory requirements
• Oversee inventory management practices and WMS implementation
• Drive adoption of tools, systems, and technologies that improve plant performance

Lead Continuous Improvement & Change

• Identify root causes of operational issues and implement sustainable solutions
• Partner with Continuous Improvement teams to deploy and scale initiatives
• Hold teams accountable to standard operating procedures while identifying opportunities to improve them
• Lead change management efforts across processes, systems, and teams

What Success Looks Like

• Consistently delivers on-time fulfillment and production targets
• Builds and develops a strong, accountable leadership team
• Improves key KPIs across safety, quality, cost, and efficiency
• Creates strong alignment between plant operations and corporate partners
• Establishes a culture of ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement

What You Bring

• 10+ years of experience in plant or manufacturing operations, preferably within food production
• Proven experience leading leaders in a high-volume, fast-paced environment
• Strong track record of owning and improving operational KPIs and plant performance
• Experience driving continuous improvement and change management initiatives
• Demonstrated ability to build high-performing teams and positive workplace cultures
• Strong business acumen with the ability to understand and manage cost drivers
• Excellent communication, leadership, and decision-making skills
• Experience with WMS, ERP systems, and standard business tools (Excel, etc.)

More About Us

The Process Engineer is responsible for identifying and implementing process improvements across Home Chef fulfillment plants, with primary focus on machine operations. This role partners closely with cross-functional teams to improve process efficiency, equipment reliability and adherence to standard work processes.

Detailed Responsibilities:

Process Ownership & Standard Work

• Own centralized portioning processes by developing, and maintaining standard work, operating parameters, and process documentation for portioning systems
• Develop, track and analyze key process performance indicators (KPIs) for critical machinery, using data and on-floor observations to identify variability, inefficiencies, and improvement opportunities impacting safety, quality, throughput and yield.
• Lead scoping & implementation of process improvements and updates to standard work, ensuring changes are practical, sustainable, and aligned with day-to-day operational activities. 

On the Floor Support & Training 

• Maintain regular on-floor presence to observe process execution and assist with real-time troubleshooting of portioning operations.   
• Coach machine operators, leads, and supervisors on proper process execution and equipment operation, reinforcing adherence to standard work and expected performance standards.  
• Develop, update, and deliver training materials tied to standard work to build operator capability and support sustained process improvements.  

Cross-functional Integration  

• Serve as a key liaison between plant operations and cross-functional partners, including maintenance, engineering, and corporate CI teams to communicate process needs, issues, and improvement opportunities.  .
• Support process trials, new product trials, and process or equipment changes.

This position requires <10% travel

Qualifications

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability needed for this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities.

• Experience in food manufacturing is preferred; strong candidates may have experience in supply chain, plant operations, or operational excellence roles.
• Experience supporting and improving automated machinery, with a working understanding of mechanical systems, controls interactions, and equipment operating parameters.
  Exceptional communication skills with a demonstrated ability to drive results, manage conflict, build alignment, and collaborate effectively across cross-functional teams and with external partners.
  Strong project management skills, with experience prioritizing multiple workstreams and facilitating structured problem-solving among diverse stakeholders.
• Strong analytical skills, including experience using Excel to analyze data, build models, and clearly communicate insights to partners.
• Self-starter with a strong sense of ownership and a can-do mindset, focused on finding solutions and enabling progress rather than identifying obstacles. Demonstrated willingness to take initiative, adapt to changing priorities, and take on work of varying size and complexity.
  High energy, strong interpersonal skills, and a proven ability to influence without authority while maintaining flexibility and accountability.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to see the big picture while also diving into the details required to execute and sustain improvements.
• Completion of a four-year degree program in a related field (please describe): STEM degree such as Chemical or Mechanical Engineering and 1-2 years of experience in operations strongly preferred

More About Us