Title: Head of Operations (Food Manufacturing)

Location: San Leandro

Reports To: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

About the Role

The Head of Operations (Food Manufacturing) will be responsible for leading and integrating the end-to-end operations of the organization, ensuring alignment with business goals to enable revenue growth, drive profitability, and create outstanding customer and consumer experiences. This executive will oversee procurement, planning, manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, quality, food safety, and operational excellence, ensuring efficiency and scalability in a fast-paced and competitive market.

As a key member of the executive leadership team, the Head of Operations (Food Manufacturing) will build and foster an engaged, high-performing team and drive a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and accountability. He/She is a critical thinker who has an inclusive approach to building a team focused on operational excellence, while also having a strong taste and eye for culinary excellence,

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Business Impact

• Develop and execute an operations strategy that aligns with company objectives for growth, profitability, and customer experience.
• Drive operational excellence across the supply chain, manufacturing, and distribution to maximize efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
• Ensure seamless cross-functional collaboration with Sales, Marketing, R&D, and Finance to support business priorities.
• Leverage data and analytics to drive informed decision-making and optimize performance.

People & Culture

• Foster a culture of engagement, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing operations team, ensuring strong leadership at all levels.
• Establish clear goals, KPIs, and performance metrics to ensure team alignment and execution excellence.

Operational Excellence & Cost Management

• Optimize manufacturing, production planning, and supply chain processes to drive efficiency, reduce costs, and improve agility.
• Oversee procurement and supplier relationships to ensure cost-effectiveness, quality, and sustainability.
• Implement lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, and other continuous improvement methodologies to enhance productivity.
• Establish and oversee proper inventory and planning protocols to balance inventory risk with customer service

Safety, Quality & Risk Management

• Ensure a world-class safety culture, with a focus on employee well-being, accident prevention and compliance with all regulations.
• Identify and mitigate food safety threats. Ensure suppliers, manufacturing environment, equipment and employee practices are all aligned with food safety best practices. Establish and maintain appropriate testing protocols.
• Maintain and continuously improve product quality standards to exceed customer and consumer expectations.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate operational risks across the supply chain, logistics, and production processes.
• Ensure compliance with all industry regulations, certifications, and sustainability initiatives.

Customer & Consumer Experience

• Enhance speed-to-market capabilities to meet consumer demand and market trends.
• Collaborate with customer service and sales teams to ensure operational alignment with customer needs.
• Drive initiatives to enhance on-time, in-full (OTIF) delivery performance and supply chain reliability.
• Utilize consumer insights and data analytics to optimize supply chain and product availability.

Qualifications & Experience

• 10+ years of experience in CPG operations, supply chain, or manufacturing leadership roles.
• Proven track record of leading large-scale operations in a high-growth or transformation environment.
• Deep understanding of manufacturing, logistics, procurement, and end-to-end supply chain management.
• Experience driving cost efficiency, operational improvements, and business performance.
• Strong leadership and people management skills, with a focus on culture-building and talent development.
• Expertise in Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Strong financial and business acumen with experience managing budgets, P&L, and capital investments.
• Experience with ERP systems, data analytics, and automation technologies to drive operational efficiencies.
• Excellent communication, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.