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Operations Manager (Food Manufacturing)

Conagra Brands

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$51.44-75 /h
PAY RATE
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Council Bluffs, IA
LOCATION
Multiple Shifts
SHIFT

Job Description

As posted by the hiring company

Job Overview:

Reporting to the Plant Manager at the Council Bluffs, Iowa manufacturing facility, this role provides leadership for plant production, sanitation, and daily operations across multiple shifts and departments. The position places a strong emphasis on people leadership, employee engagement, and culture. In partnership with operations leaders and cross‑functional teams, you will help foster a safe, inclusive, and high‑performing manufacturing environment while ensuring the consistent delivery of high‑quality products that meet customer expectations.

A Taste of Your Responsibilities

  • Lead, coach, and develop operations management teams to strengthen leadership capability, technical excellence, and a culture of accountability with consistent execution across all shifts.
  • Foster an environment of trust, engagement, and accountability where issues are identified early and resolved effectively.
  • Lead with safety, quality, and integrity by modeling expected behaviors, holding teams accountable, and developing people and culture through ongoing coaching and engagement at all levels.
  • Think and act with a business‑first mindset, balancing short‑term operational execution with long‑term capability building.
  • Monitor daily production performance to ensure customer commitments and key performance indicators are consistently achieved.
  • Leverage performance data to identify trends, prioritize improvement opportunities, and close performance gaps.
  • Champion safety and quality within operations while actively influencing plant‑wide safety and food quality culture and performance.
  • Lead change initiatives and continuous improvement efforts that strengthen standard work and build long‑term plant capability.
  • Support new product development, product launches, and new equipment start‑ups through disciplined preparation and effective team leadership.
  • Plan, organize, and align resources to optimize production flow and minimize operational losses.
  • Manage departmental budgets and expenditures while balancing operational requirements with financial targets.

Ingredients Required for Your Success

  • Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, business, management, or a related discipline.
  • Minimum of 7 years of experience in food production manufacturing environments.
  • Minimum of 10 years of people management experience within a manufacturing setting.
  • Demonstrated success leading continuous improvement initiatives using Lean and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) methodologies.
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively engage stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
  • Strategic, results‑oriented mindset with the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast‑paced environment.
  • Collaborative leadership style that values diverse perspectives and fosters inclusive, high‑performing teams.

Physical Requirements

Additional details regarding essential job responsibilities and the facility will be shared throughout the hiring process. This role requires regular presence within our manufacturing site and involves physical activities such as walking the production floor, climbing stairs or ladders, kneeling, and performing repetitive tasks requiring hand‑eye coordination. You may be required to lift or carry materials of varying weights and dimensions. The position is based in an active manufacturing environment that includes large, moving equipment, elevated noise levels, and fluctuating temperatures.

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Compensation

Pay Range:$107,000-$156,000

The annual salary listed above is the expected offering for this position. An employee’s actual annual salary will be based on but not limited to: location, relevant experience/level and skillset, while balancing internal Conagra employees’ equity. Conagra Brands will comply with applicable law regarding minimum salaries for exempt employees.

Our Benefits

We care about your total well-being and will support you with the following, subject to your location and role:

  • Health: Comprehensive healthcare plans, wellness incentive program, mental wellbeing support and fitness reimbursement

  • Wealth: Great pay, bonus incentive opportunity, matching 401(k) and stock purchase plan

  • Growth: Career development opportunities, employee resource groups, on-demand learning and tuition reimbursement

  • Balance: Paid-time off, parental leave, flexible work-schedules (subject to your location and role) and volunteer opportunities

Our Company

At Conagra Brands, we have a rich heritage of making great food. We aspire to have the most impactful, energized and inclusive culture in food. As a member of our 18,000+ person team across 40+ locations, you are empowered to reach your potential, make an impact and own your career. We're in the business of building champions – within our people and our iconic brands like Birds Eye®, Slim Jim® and Reddi-Wip®.

Our focus on innovation extends beyond making great food, it also reflects our commitment to embracing new solutions that positively impact our team, the communities we serve and the health of our planet. Foodies Welcome.

Conagra Brands is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, pregnancy, leave status, disability, veteran status, genetic information and/or any other characteristic or status protected by national, federal, state or local law. Reasonable accommodation may be made upon request.