VP Manufacturing

Job Description

Position: VP Manufacturing

Department: Operations

Reports To: COO

Salary Type: Exempt

Location: Irwindale, CA

Groupe Bonduelle is a company that is making a positive impact

Groupe Bonduelle is the world leader in ready-to-use plant-rich food. By joining our company you will have an opportunity to make a positive and sustainable impact on yourself, others and the planet. You will play an active part in our mission to inspire the transition toward a plant-rich diet to contribute to people's well-being and planet health.

Groupe Bonduelle Fresh Americas is the U.S. business unit of France based Groupe Bonduelle (BON.PA). We are the first business unit of Groupe Bonduelle to become a Certified B Corporation. We operate four processing facilities throughout the U.S. and employ nearly 3,000 Associates who focus on producing and bringing to market fresh vegetable products, prepared salads and plant-based meal solutions.

Groupe Bonduelle is a 170 year old French family-owned company that has been at the forefront of plant rich food innovations since 1853. Our ready-to-use plant-rich food products are grown on 173,000 acres by our grower partners and marketed in nearly 100 countries. The company currently employees more than 12,000 Associates globally.

Join us at Bonduelle Fresh Americas for an opportunity to advance your career in a culture that places people first. As a valued member of our company, you will have the opportunity to support our environmental and social initiatives to drive progress against our corporate social responsibility and B Corp certification ambitions.

At Bonduelle Fresh Americas, we make contributing to a better future through plant-based food our top priority.

Position Summary:

The Vice President, Manufacturing will report to the Chief Operating Officer and be responsible for leading manufacturing operations for BFA’s plants in the United States, which includes plants in Swedesboro, New Jersey, Jackson, Georgia and Irwindale, California. You would also be responsible for planning and executing the manufacturing activities necessary to meet the needs of the company’s growth strategy and to deliver on cost commitments. Reporting directly to the Vice President, Manufacturing will be three Site Directors.

Specific responsibilities will include, but not be limited to the following:

Develop and implement manufacturing strategies to align with the company's Objectives, Goals, Strategies, and Measures (OGSM).

Oversee and guide a network of manufacturing plants to ensure strategic alignment and effective execution.

Foster a strong culture of food safety, quality, and people safety, ensuring outcomes that surpass expectations of both internal and external stakeholders.

Drive financial performance to meet or exceed budgetary goals.

Collaborate closely with HR, Quality, Finance, Agricultural Operations, Supply Chain, Logistics, Engineering, and Operational Excellence teams.

Promote the development of both leadership and technical skills within the team.

Establish work methods, procedures and KPIs ensuring the efficient operation of the organization and production of high-quality products.

Execute automation projects to deliver planned operations cost reductions. Serve as a champion of continuous improvement to drive ownership of performance and efficiency at all levels in the plants.

Educate plant management teams on the fundamentals of planning and controlling daily, weekly, and monthly costs.

Understand the customer order fulfillment process to achieve the highest fill-rate and highest inventory turnover possible.

While providing tactical leadership of BFA’s plants, participate in strategic decisions as they relate to manufacturing and distribution.

Execute operating plan as developed by Executive Staff to support brand recognition, growth, and profit plans.

Review and approve cost control reports, cost estimates, and manpower and facilities requirements forecasts.

Manage the function and allocated resources to ensure that objectives are met – within company mission, department mission, and procedures/guidelines.

Evaluate functional operations on an ongoing basis and initiate action to enhance productivity, efficiency, effectiveness, and profitability.

What you will Do:

Deliver Safety, Quality, and Food Safety goals.

Deliver cost commitments for the Operations.

Clearly define, develop, and communicate the strategy and tactical plan for BFA’s manufacturing operations.

Collaborate on and implement an automation strategy to enhance margins, productivity, quality, and safety.

Aggressively drive Manufacturing Excellence program for the Sites. Foster a culture that encourages continuous improvement and the implementation of best practices.

Achieve the key metrics and targets which will be determined in conjunction with the Chief Operating Officer.

Build a strong pipeline of Manufacturing talent by assessing the Manufacturing team, hiring top talent, identifying development plans in key roles, and ensuring mentoring/coaching is practiced by all leaders.

Minimum Qualifications:

A minimum of 10 to 15 years of experience in a Consumer Goods company, responsible for manufacturing, continuous improvement, inventory control, quality control, engineering/maintenance, as well as shipping, receiving, and warehousing.

Ten years of experience in a management role with well-regarded organizations known for process discipline and results. Experience leading multiple plants.

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering/Operations or other related fields is required. An MBA or equivalent graduate degree is preferred.

Proven ability to recruit, train, and motivate a team in order to balance staffing strength with profitability and growth.

Demonstrated experience of Lean tools (5S, TPM, kanban, kaizen, value stream management, visual factory, poka-yokes, heijunka, SMED, etc.).

Demonstrated capability in food safety.

Experience with very short “field to fork” cycle time.

Ability to effectively lead a team of A-players who work in multiple locations in a fast-paced business.

Solid technical grounding.

Possesses the ability to work effectively and collaborate across an organization.

Entrepreneurial, hands-on, with a strong bias for action.

Change agent – Industry leader with a proven track record of establishing an environment susceptible to change and thinking outside the box.

Excellent interpersonal, communications, and presentation skills.

Innovative problem solver with a focus on Continuous Improvement.

Uncompromising Integrity – will get the results, but the right way.

Compensation

The listed range for this position is $177,000 - $265,000 but the actual package offered may vary depending on different factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation for this position would include other elements which include a yearly bonus.