Job Description

Title:                   Plant Manager

Department:     Operations

Reports To:       Refer to location organizational chart

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At Mennel, we believe in doing right and bringing our best to our people who are helping to feed the world. We promote teamwork and recognize the individual contributions everyone makes to the overall success of the company.

JOB SUMMARY: In this role, you will help sustain Mennel’s tradition of excellence established in 1886 as well as support our food safety programs and mission to reliably deliver superior quality, uniformity, and service. The Plant Manager is a high-impact, hands-on leader responsible for the safe, efficient, and strategic operation of the entire facility. This individual must demonstrate a strong presence on the production floor, serve as a visible change agent, and inspire teams to reach new levels of performance. The Plant Manager is accountable for cultivating a culture of continuous improvement, operational excellence, and uncompromising commitment to safety, quality, and compliance. 

PRIMARY WORK SHIFT: 

Monday through Friday, 7AM – 5PM or as the workload requires. Flexibility for extended hours and on-site leadership is expected.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily with or without accommodation. 

• Follow all food and personal safety rules and regulations in respect to GMP’s, OSHA, HACCP, the Global Food Safety Initiative, the US FDA Food Safety Modernization Act as stated in the FS&Q Statement, and sanitation guidelines as set forth by the company as listed in Corporate Health, Safety & Environmental (HSE) and attend all required training sessions. Maintain the department/facility in an everyday audit ready condition.
• Overall responsibility for personnel safety, product quality, food safety, operational performance, environmental, health, and safety compliance, all local, state, and federal standard compliance, and otherwise, the overall performance of the entire plant operations.  
• Uses the Corporate Mission, Quality, and Safety Statements as guiding principles in the decision-making process to ensure the highest standards of personnel safety, product quality, food safety, environmental stewardship, and regulatory compliance.
• Develop and maintain an “always audit-ready” mindset with rigorous adherence to internal and external food safety and quality standards.
• Lead by example with a visible, engaged presence on the production floor, demonstrating genuine ownership and passion for plant operations.
• Actively drives a culture of accountability, integrity, and continuous improvement across all functional areas.
• Set a clear, strategic vision for the plant with actionable goals; lead the team through successful implementation and sustainable change.
• Be a catalyst for transformation by identifying operational inefficiencies and spearheading initiatives that result in measurable improvements through continuous improvement efforts.
• Empower supervisors and staff through coaching, development, and high expectations, building leadership strength at every level. Instill a proactive, solutions-oriented mindset in response to production or quality challenges; foster a collaborative, problem-solving work environment.
• Communicate effectively at all levels—from the plant floor to senior leadership—translating goals into daily actions and results.
• Understands the business in which we operate and knows how the inputs and outputs affect the end results.
• Serve as the site leader for the HACCP team, document control, and grain quality processes, and act as the backup for key plant personnel.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Provides direct leadership for all plant personnel, with a focus on building high-performance teams that embody the company's mission and values.

QUALIFICATIONS: 

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required to perform this job. 

• Bachelor’s degree in Milling Science, Food Manufacturing, Operations Management, or related field—or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 6-10 years of progressive leadership experience in a food production environment, with a strong track record of results and change leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence, coach for performance, and drive sustainable improvements.
• Strong operational acumen, critical thinking, and decision-making ability under pressure.
• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills.
• Strong passion for hands-on leadership, with a bias for action and ownership of plant outcomes.
• Solid understanding of GMPs, HACCP, OSHA, FSMA, GFSI, and other regulatory standards.

LANGUAGE SKILLS:

Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, memos, procedures and plans. Ability to write, complete checklists and other basic documentation and correspondence. Ability to effectively present information or data in one-on-one and small group situations to co-workers, supervisors, and managers.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS: 

Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.

REASONING ABILITY:

Must use solid judgment when making decisions. Must have the ability to quickly recognize and plan for changing work duties and events.

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:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; use hands to perform maintenance tasks, reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, twist, crouch, or crawl, and talk or hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds or more. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:  

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to conditions that are typical to a fast- paced manufacturing environment, including: moving equipment and machinery, dusty, hot/humid, and cold conditions; employee must be willing to work in all weather conditions, at heights, and in the presence of airborne particles. The noise level in the work environment usually requires the use of hearing protection. Work involves exposure to common wheat allergens. The employee is also regularly exposed to conditions that are typical of an office environment.