Seeking a highly motivated and experienced Produce Distribution Operations Manager to oversee and optimize daily operations in our fast-paced distribution environment. This role ensures efficient workflow, maintains quality standards, and drives productivity while leading a dynamic team. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in logistics, inventory management, and team leadership within the produce industry.

Salary: $90-$100K with $20K bonus potential

Benefits: Health, Dental, Vision, STD, Life Insurance, 401K match, Paid time off

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE ROLE

• Coach and develop supervisors and team leads to ensure alignment with performance goals and standards.
• Identify career development opportunities and work with HR to implement individual growth plans.
• Build a high-performance team culture that rewards accountability, results, and collaboration.
• Provide hands-on support and coaching to teams during production and process improvement initiatives.
• Own daily, weekly, and monthly KPI tracking, including labor efficiency (cases per labor hour), cost per case, line uptime, and order fulfillment.
• Use data from RedZone and other platforms to analyze trends, identify bottlenecks, and implement corrective actions.
• Ensure teams understand performance metrics and how they impact bonuses and business performance.
• Coordinate closely with scheduling, sales, and procurement teams to align production plans with demand forecasts.
• Develop, implement, and enforce SOPs for all key production activities, including prep, changeovers, packaging, labeling, and sanitation.
• Ensure consistency in execution across all shifts by training supervisors and line leads on standard work practices.
• Lead structured Gemba walks and line reviews to ensure adherence to standards and identify areas for improvement.
• Ensure all incoming raw materials are properly scanned, tagged, and tracked for accurate input data.
• Monitor yield performance daily; identify and resolve discrepancies between raw input and finished goods.
• Partner with QA and Receiving to ensure raw product quality aligns with specifications and customer requirements.
• Coach and develop supervisors and team leads to ensure alignment with performance goals and standards.
• Identify career development opportunities and work with HR to implement individual growth plans.
• Build a high-performance team culture that rewards accountability, results, and collaboration.
• Provide hands-on support and coaching to teams during production and process improvement initiatives.
• Own daily, weekly, and monthly KPI tracking, including labor efficiency (cases per labor hour), cost per case, line uptime, and order fulfillment.
• Use data from RedZone and other platforms to analyze trends, identify bottlenecks, and implement corrective actions.
• Ensure teams understand performance metrics and how they impact bonuses and business performance.
• Coordinate closely with scheduling, sales, and procurement teams to align production plans with demand forecasts.
• Develop, implement, and enforce SOPs for all key production activities, including prep, changeovers, packaging, labeling, and sanitation.
• Ensure consistency in execution across all shifts by training supervisors and line leads on standard work practices.
• Lead structured Gemba walks and line reviews to ensure adherence to standards and identify areas for improvement.
• Ensure all incoming raw materials are properly scanned, tagged, and tracked for accurate input data.
• Monitor yield performance daily; identify and resolve discrepancies between raw input and finished goods.
• Partner with QA and Receiving to ensure raw product quality aligns with specifications and customer requirements.
• Drive shrink reduction through accurate reporting and proactive root cause analysis.
• Partner with QA/QC teams to maintain audit-ready status and ensure production aligns with food safety and product specifications.
• Communicate product specs and quality requirements to line teams and monitor compliance.
• Support resolution of quality issues quickly and effectively.
• Host customer visits and manage facility tours as needed.
• Champion continuous improvement initiatives across the facility.
• Identify waste and inefficiencies using Lean methodology and Kaizen principles.
• Facilitate process improvement projects to enhance productivity and reduce costs.
• Promote a culture of learning from successes and failures, emphasizing root cause thinking.
• Support implementation and daily use of digital tools including RedZone, CMMS (maintenance system), and raw inventory scanning systems.
• Leverage data from these systems to drive decisions and improve operations.
• Ensure accurate and timely data entry for inventory, labor, and quality systems.
• Ensure all operations comply with OSHA, GMP, and internal safety protocols.
• Immediately address and report any safety hazards or incidents.
• Lead safety walks and partner with the safety team to maintain a safe, clean working environment.
• Empower employees to stop production if unsafe conditions or product quality concerns arise.
• Manage the operations budget, with accountability for the labor and production cost components of the P&L.
• Provide explanations for cost variances and lead efforts to improve cost per case.
• Work with purchasing to ensure supply needs are met within budget.
• Create capital project justifications and support ROI-based improvement proposals.

Qualifications:

• 5+ years of experience in a food manufacturing or fresh-cut produce environment
• 3+ years of leading production teams with direct reports
• Demonstrated experience managing KPIs and improving labor efficiency.
• Strong understanding of inventory control and yield tracking
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel, Outlook, and production software systems (ERP, MRP, WMS)
• Ability to work effectively in a bilingual, fast-paced, team-oriented environment.
• Servant leadership mindset with a focus on coaching and collaboration
• Strong problem-solving and organizational skills

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bilingual English/Spanish strongly preferred.
• Experience using Produce Pro, RedZone, and CMMS tools.
• HACCP, PCQI, or Lean Six Sigma certification is a plus.