Position: Plant Manager / Assistant Plant Manager
Industry: Food Manufacturing
Location: Irvine, CA
Work Hours: M-F 8:00-17:00
Work Style: On-Site
Salary Range: $70-100K/year (exempt position)
Supervisory: YES
Benefits: Health, Dental, Vision, 401K, PTO and more
Position Overview
We are seeking a Plant Manager or Assistant Plant Manager to support a food manufacturing facility undergoing plant expansion. This role is responsible for overseeing daily plant operations, ensuring regulatory compliance, managing on-site staff, and supporting hands-on operational needs.
The ideal candidate has strong experience in food manufacturing operations, supervision, and people management, and is comfortable working directly on the production floor when needed.
Key Responsibilities
- Oversee daily plant operations for a food manufacturing facility with approximately 10-20 employees
- Plan, implement, and manage operations in compliance with all applicable regulatory and compliance requirements (food safety, sanitation, labor, etc.)
- Support and participate in facility expansion and structural enhancement projects
- Manage on-site personnel, including hiring, termination, performance management, and coordination with team leads
- Create and manage staff schedules and shifts to ensure operational efficiency
- Provide regular operational reports to senior management
- Monitor production, inventory, and operational metrics using Excel and other reporting tools
- Assist hands-on with production support, equipment operation, and basic machinery troubleshooting as needed
- Ensure smooth communication between management and the production floor
- Respond to operational issues and emergencies, including availability for weekends and holidays when required
Qualifications & Requirements
- Experience in food manufacturing plant operations and on-site management
- Proven supervisory or management experience in a production or factory environment
- Strong knowledge of regulatory and compliance requirements within the food industry
- Hands-on mindset with willingness to support floor operations and equipment troubleshooting
- Strong sense of responsibility and ability to respond to urgent operational needs
- Excellent English communication skills (verbal and written)
- Proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel, with strong ability to manage numerical data such as inventory and production metrics
- Ability to work effectively with frontline staff and leadership teams
Preferred Qualifications
- Bilingual in Spanish or Japanese (preferred but not required)
- Experience supporting facility expansion or operational scale-up projects
Working Style
- Hands-on, proactive, and detail-oriented
- Comfortable working both in an office setting and on the production floor
- Able to manage people, processes, and numbers simultaneously