Sr Mgr of Operations

Headquartered in Lakeville, Minn., Post Consumer Brands, a business unit of Post Holdings, Inc., is dedicated to providing people and their pets with delicious food choices for every taste and budget. The company’s portfolio includes beloved brands such as Honey Bunches of Oats®, PEBBLES®, Grape-Nuts® and Malt-O-Meal® cereal, and Peter Pan® peanut butter, as well as Nutrish®, Kibbles ‘n Bits® and 9Lives® dog and cat food. As a company committed to high standards of quality and to our values, we are driven by one idea: To make lives better by making delicious food accessible for all. For more information about our brands, visit www.postconsumerbrands.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook for the latest news.

At Post Consumer Brands, we’ve spent generations showing up for families, starting with breakfast, the most important meal of the day. Our cereals have become a trusted part of daily routines, helping spark conversations, fuel busy mornings, and create everyday moments that bring families closer together, including their furry four-legged family members, who have recently become a part of our story. As families have evolved, so have we. What began at the breakfast table has expanded into snacks, peanut butter, and pet food, because caring for a family means feeding every part of it. With the addition of several iconic pet brands, we’ve extended our purpose: to make high-quality, accessible food for everyone under the same roof.

This phase is still new, and that’s what makes it exciting. As we continue to grow across grocery and pet, we’re looking for people who care about good food, thoughtful work, and the kind of impact that stretches from store shelves to kitchen tables, and food bowls, across the country.

Post Consumer Brands in Battle Creek, Mich., the cereal capital of the U.S., is the company's largest manufacturing plant and home to about 600 team members. When you join the team here, you'll be helping to produce some of the most iconic cereal brands, including Honey Bunches of Oats cereal, PEBBLES cereal, Grape-Nuts and Honeycomb cereal. The Battle Creek plant is also unique as it is home to the original barn where C.W. Post started the Postum cereal company in 1895. The Battle Creek team has deep community roots, supporting the city's Cereal Festival, The Post Foundation, and participating in several volunteer events throughout the year.

The Operations Manager is accountable for managing people safety, food safety, quality, financial performance, morale, customer service and compliance. It is important to develop strategies and practices that support production, continuous improvement initiatives and product quality assurance through communicated objectives and day to day operational goals. Seeks to reduce variances in organizational processes and leverages technology to positively impact quality and results. A key deliverable is to support and drive change necessary to deliver on all operations results in alignment with business strategies while leveraging and developing front line leadership. Support, implement, and maintain food safety and quality practices as required through SQF.

Responsibilities:

• As the Operations Manager for the building, you are effectively the Plant Manager of that facility.
• As the functional plant manager for the building, you are the source of the operational strategic vision for that business.
• Establish environments conducive to high levels of engagement and performance.
• Represent Operations as a strategic business partner with all departments to coordinate activities within the company to drive decision quality.
• Develop and implement plans that are aligned with continuous improvement and Lean Manufacturing principles to deliver business results.
• Develop budgets, labor plans, staffing and capital expenditures.
• Ensure operations resources are focused and aligned on accomplishing key manufacturing tasks and are accountable for making sure they understand how it relates to the business strategy.
• Through their teams, identify constraints limiting performance and seek out new and different solutions, leveraging expertise across the company to support.
• Optimize and develop talent at both the hourly and salaried level through planning, assessment and actions.
• Course correct issues in the facility through the use of daily production meetings and develop actionable items that will enhance deliverables.
• Hold employees accountable for results and behavior in accordance with company values.
• Is dedicated to providing organizational or enterprise wide common systems for designing and measuring work processes
• Creates a learning environment leading to the most efficient and effective work processes
• Where applicable, honor and respect the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) to provide for prompt and peaceful adjustment of differences which may arise between bargaining unit employees and the company.
• All other duties as assigned.

Leadership Competencies: Drive for results; command skills; action-oriented; builds effective teams; managerial courage; conflict management; problem solving; customer focus; developing direct reports; managing vision and purpose; interpersonal savvy; business acumen, total work systems.

EDUCATION:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Manufacturing, Management, Science field.

EXPERIENCE:

• Would prefer a minimum of 10 years of combined related experience, with a preference in food processing/packaging, including at least 10 years of supervisory and leading experience
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing systems and processes.
• Strong knowledge of continuous improvement tools and techniques.
• Able to build relationships and inspire others.
• Demonstrated commitment to continuous improvement through empowerment and management by data

Must be mobile and able to take on broader assignments for additional development opportunities.