Apply Now

Plant Director

Braden River, FL, US • Posted 8 hours ago • Updated 6 hours ago

Full Time

On-site

$175000/yr

Vaco by Highspring

Fitment

Dice Job Match Score™

🔢 Crunching numbers...

Job Details

Skills

Summary

SUMMARY
Seeking a strong operational leader to serve as Plant Director overseeing two bakery operations in the Bradenton, Florida area.

This role is responsible for elevating operational discipline, strengthening leadership capability, and building scalable systems that support consistent execution in a private label manufacturing environment. The ideal candidate brings food manufacturing experience, strong private label or branded retail, and a proven ability to professionalize operations while strengthening culture.

What Success Looks Like in This Role:

- Both bakeries operate safely, efficiently, and in full compliance with food safety and regulatory standards
- A strong culture of ownership, teamwork, and continuous improvement is visible on the floor
- Food safety and quality systems are robust, audit-ready, and consistently executed
- Corrective actions address root cause and eliminate repeat issues
- Service levels for private label customers are consistently met or exceeded
- Operational metrics (safety, quality, labor efficiency, downtime, waste) trend positively and sustainably
- Leadership teams at each site are aligned, developed, and accountable

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

- Provide full operational and P&L leadership for two bakery operations in the Bradenton, FL area
- Drive a “safety first, safety always” culture by ensuring compliance with OSHA, company policies, and safe work practices.
- Strengthen operational discipline by implementing clear performance standards, structured problem-solving, and consistent follow-up.
- Champion food safety and quality in partnership with FSQA leadership, ensuring compliance with BRCGS, FDA, and customer requirements.
- Lead root cause analysis, corrective action development, and systemic process improvements to prevent recurrence of quality issues.
- Lead and develop site leadership teams, including Production, Maintenance, Quality, Warehouse, and HR partners.
- Increase clarity of expectations and accountability at all levels of the organization.
- Establish and monitor KPIs tied to safety, service, quality, cost, and reliability; implement action plans to address performance gaps.
- Maintain strong daily floor presence, engaging supervisors and frontline employees to reinforce standards and drive execution.
- Drive service excellence in a private label environment where responsiveness and consistency are critical.
- Improve labor efficiency, reduce waste, and strengthen reliability through structured continuous improvement efforts.
- Ensure preventive maintenance systems support equipment reliability and food safety requirements.
- Partner cross-functionally with Supply Chain, Commercial, and Finance teams to align production performance with customer commitments and financial goals.
- Lead capital planning and operational investment decisions that support scalability.
- Serve as a visible champion of Engelman’s core values of Quality, Dependability, and Teamwork.
- Perform other duties as required or assigned within the scope of this role.

KPIs THIS ROLE OWNS (Weekly / Monthly)

- Safety performance indicators (TRIR)
- On-time shipment (OTIF)
- Waste / scrap % and associated cost
- Customer complaints and corrective action closures
- Labor and equipment efficiency metrics

BASIC AND PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS (EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE)

Required

- Minimum of 7 years of progressive leadership experience in food manufacturing operations.
- At least 3 years of plant leadership experience with full operational accountability.
- Demonstrated experience strengthening operational systems and improving execution discipline.
- Strong knowledge of food safety regulations, GMPs, sanitation, and audit readiness.
- Experience managing operational budgets and driving financial performance.
- Proven experience developing frontline leaders and building accountability systems.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.

Preferred

- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Food Science, Operations Management, Business, or related field; equivalent combinations of education, training, and experience will be considered.
- Experience in baking operations.
- Experience in private label manufacturing environments.
- Experience leading smaller or multi-site operations with lean organizational structures.
- Bilingual in English and Spanish.

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS (JOB SKILLS, ABILITIES, KNOWLEDGE)

- Ability to raise standards while maintaining team engagement and trust.
- High emotional intelligence paired with strong performance expectations.
- Structured problem-solving and data-driven decision-making capabilities.
- Ability to move with urgency while maintaining operational stability.
- Strong leadership presence with consistent follow-through.
- Clear, confident communicator across all organizational levels.
- Flexibility to adjust schedule as needed to support plant performance

Determining compensation for this role (and others) at Vaco/Highspring depends upon a wide array of factors including but not limited to the individual’s skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, office location and other geographic considerations, as well as other business and organizational needs. With that said, as required by local law in geographies that require salary range disclosure, Vaco/Highspring notes the salary range for the role is noted in this job posting. The individual may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses, and can participate in medical, dental, and vision benefits as well as the company’s 401(k) retirement plan. Additional disclaimer: Unless otherwise noted in the job description, the position Vaco/Highspring is filing for is occupied. Please note, however, that Vaco/Highspring is regularly asked to provide talent to other organizations. By submitting to this position, you are agreeing to be included in our talent pool for future hiring for similarly qualified positions. Submissions to this position are subject to the use of AI to perform preliminary candidate screenings, focused on ensuring minimum job requirements noted in the position are satisfied. Further assessment of candidates beyond this initial phase within Vaco/Highspring will be otherwise assessed by recruiters and hiring managers. Vaco/Highspring does not have knowledge of the tools used by its clients in making final hiring decisions and cannot opine on their use of AI products.

Employers have access to artificial intelligence language tools (“AI”) that help generate and enhance job descriptions and AI may have been used to create this description. The position description has been reviewed for accuracy and Dice believes it to correctly reflect the job opportunity.

Dice Id: 10115369
Position Id: 476172
Posted 8 hours ago

Company Info

About Vaco by Highspring

Vaco is the Talent Solutions division of Highspring, a leading global professional services organization. With expertise in Accounting and Finance, Technology and Digital, and Human Resources and Operations, Vaco provides Contract Staffing and Direct Hire solutions. Vaco’s parent company, Highspring, helps clients with two additional integrated service offerings: Consulting and Managed Services. With more than 10,000 employees across more than 45 offices worldwide, Highspring gives partners the agility to thrive, address challenges, and seize opportunities in a rapidly changing world. Get to know us at vaco.com. 

Go to company profile

Create job alert

Never miss an opportunity! Create an alert based on the job you applied for.

Similar Jobs

COO - Commercial Casualty

Remote

•

2d ago

Position Summary The Chief Operations Officer (COO) is a senior executive responsible for leading and optimizing the companys day-to-day operational functions to support profitable growth, service excellence, regulatory compliance, and scalable performance. The COO provides strategic oversight of core insurance operations, including underwriting support, policy administration, claims operations, customer service, billing, data management, vendor oversight, and process improvement. This executive

Easy Apply

Full-time

$250000

Chief Compliance Officer

Remote

•

2d ago

The Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) is responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing the companys enterprise-wide compliance program to ensure adherence to all applicable federal and state laws, insurance regulations, commercial casualty statutes and requirements, privacy obligations, and internal policies. This executive leader serves as a strategic advisor to senior leadership and the Board of Directors on regulatory risk, ethics, and corporate governance. The CCO promotes a culture

Easy Apply

Full-time

$220000

Field Service Technician - Manufacturing Plant Operations

Remote

•

Yesterday

Job Title: Field Service Technician (FST) Job Type: Direct-hire Location: Dallas / Fort Worth, TX or Kansas City, Missouri Worksite Expectations: 80-90% Field Travel across the Southeast US Region. Compensated for all travel time. Start Date: ASAP Compensation: Full-time employee paid hourly, + overtime: $30.00 - $38.00 / hour (W2) / ($62,000 - $75,000 equivalent + overtime) Travel Details: The FST will cover travel to manufacturing sites across the Southeast US Region. A company credit card

Easy Apply

Full-time

$75000

Sr. Manager, IT Support Operations

Remote

•

Today

Overview: this person will lead and continue maturing the delivery of end user support services across a complex, multi-site healthcare organization. Will have direct accountability for service desk operations, desktop and field support, endpoint services, IT asset management, and identity and access management functions. Ideal Candidate + What we''re looking for: Hasbuilt or significantly matured a support operations function not simply managed one. A leader who has implemented and sustained

Easy Apply

Full-time

$140000

Search all similar jobs