Job Details

Summary:

Operations Manager leads daily plant operations at our gummy manufacturing facility in La Mirada. Certified to NSF GMP, NSF GMP for Sport, and SQF (GFSI) standards, our facility utilizes starchless gummy technology to produce high quality and innovative dietary supplement gummies. Operating three shifts across five days a week with a team of approximately 100 employees. The Operations Manager operates in a fast-paced environment and takes ownership of team development, operational performance, and cross-functional collaboration.

The Operations Manager has technical and operational experience in gummy manufacturing with a proven ability to lead through ownership and continuous improvement.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead and manage daily manufacturing operations across three production shifts to ensure safety, quality, delivery, and cost targets are met or exceeded.
• Develop, manage, and continuously optimize the production schedule to meet customer demand while balancing labor, raw material, and equipment resources.
• Champion the execution of key performance indicators (KPIs) including OEE, throughput, yield, scrap, safety, quality, OTS, cost, and labor efficiency. Analyze trends and lead initiatives to drive improvement.
• Foster a culture of ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement throughout the plant.
• Build and maintain collaborative relationships with other department leaders, including Quality, Supply Chain, R&D, Maintenance, and HR, to align priorities and solve problems proactively.
• Provide clear, consistent communication and direction to team members and other stakeholders.
• Lead the development and execution of short- and long-term plant objectives in alignment with company goals and customer requirements.
• Coach, mentor, and develop frontline supervisors and team leads to build bench strength, improve performance, and support professional growth.
• Monitor compliance with NSF GMP, NSF for Sport, and SQF (GFSI) requirements. Partner with the Quality team to support audits, CAPAs, and training.
• Manage labor and resource allocation across shifts, including responding to unplanned downtime or production disruptions.
• Ensure team adherence to safety protocols and environmental standards; actively promote a culture of safety.
• Other duties as assigned, based on the needs of the business

Qualifications:

• Strong working knowledge of gummy manufacturing, including both technical/formulation and operational aspects.
• Familiarity with starchless depositing technology is highly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams in an NSF GMP, NSF for Sport, or SQF-certified facility.
• Proven track record of managing KPIs, creating production schedules, and meeting deadlines.
• Exceptional communication, relationship-building, and problem-solving skills.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with a proactive approach to planning and issue resolution.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office applications, especially Excel, Outlook, Word, and Teams.
• Experience in Lean manufacturing environment
• Experience with ERP and manufacturing scheduling systems (e.g., Syspro, MasterControl, NetSuite, SAP, or similar).
• Bilingual (Spanish/English) (preferred)

Education/Experience:

• 2-or 4- year college or university degree or its equivalent in Business, Engineering, Science (preferred).
• 5-8 years of experience in manufacturing operations, including at least 2 years in a leadership or supervisory role.

Work Environment:

• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to work near moving mechanical parts, fumes, heat, or airborne particles and risk of electrical shock.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Physical Demands:

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Physical demands require sitting for extended periods of time, walking, bending, reaching, carrying, and occasionally lifting and/or moving objects up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include Close vision, Peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl and talk or hear.