Director of Operations - Berkeley Culinary

Whitsons Culinary Group•Berkeley, IL

20h•$130,000 - $150,000

About The Position

The Director of Operations (GM) of the Berkeley Facility is the senior site leader responsible for overseeing all production, culinary, warehouse, sanitation, quality, and logistics operations within Whitsons’ Berkeley Prepared Meals manufacturing plant. The GM ensures that all aspects of the facility operate safely, efficiently, and in full alignment with organizational standards, delivering exceptional quality, service reliability, and cost performance. The GM provides strategic direction, leads managers and supervisors across multiple operational departments, and drives continuous improvement to support scalability, product consistency, and operational excellence. As the highest-ranking leader onsite, the GM partners closely with Culinary, Procurement, Finance, Facilities, Safety, HR, and Corporate Operations to ensure the facility meets evolving customer requirements and Whitsons’ long-term business objectives.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required (Operations, Food Production, Business, Supply Chain, or related field preferred).
HACCP certification (required).
10+ years of experience in manufacturing or food production environments, with a minimum of 5 years in food manufacturing.
5+ years of management experience leading multi-department teams.
Strong background in production operations, workforce leadership, quality compliance, and cost management.
Strategic Thinking
Financial & Analytical Acumen
Continuous Improvement Mindset
Project Management
Advanced Problem Solving & Root Cause Analysis
Talent Development & Leadership
Communication & Influencing Skills
Operational Excellence & Standardization
Collaboration & Cross-Functional Partnership

Nice To Haves

Additional food safety or process improvement certifications preferred.
Bilingual Spanish highly preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute a site-level operational strategy aligned with Prepared Meals growth and efficiency objectives.
Lead all core functional areas of the Berkeley Facility, including production, culinary, logistics, inventory management, warehousing, sanitation, and facility operations.
Set annual operational goals, performance benchmarks, and workforce plans to ensure high output, quality, and service reliability.
Maintain a strong culture of accountability, teamwork, integrity, and continuous improvement across the entire facility.
Oversee daily manufacturing operations to produce high-volume prepared meals in a safe, efficient, and cost-effective manner.
Ensure full adherence to SOPs, recipe and yield standards, USDA/HACCP requirements, allergen controls, and internal audit expectations.
Optimize production efficiency through improved labor utilization, equipment readiness, balanced line flow, and proactive scheduling coordination.
Partner with Culinary leadership on menu execution, product quality, process improvements, and new product introduction.
Lead and develop a team of managers, supervisors, and operational leads across all departments.
Ensure clear performance expectations, conduct regular coaching and evaluations, and address performance issues promptly.
Build bench strength and succession planning for key facility roles.
Promote a respectful, high-performance environment with strong communication and collaboration across functions.
Partner with the Facilities team on preventive maintenance, equipment uptime, and capital project planning.
Oversee construction, renovations, and upgrades required to support production growth or compliance needs.
Ensure safe operation of all machinery, adherence to lockout/tagout procedures, and compliance with OSHA and company standards.
Drive a safety-first culture through training, reinforcement, hazard prevention, and timely incident response.
Ensure strict adherence to HACCP, GMP, USDA, and internal quality standards.
Conduct regular production floor reviews to verify food safety practices, sanitation execution, and facility cleanliness.
Collaborate with QA leadership to investigate and resolve quality deviations, customer complaints, and compliance issues.
Oversee facility budgets, labor targets, material usage, shrink control, and cost management initiatives.
Ensure proper use of Whitsons’ business systems (X3, SAP, etc.) to validate material and labor variances and maintain data accuracy.
Review production dashboards, KPIs, and variance reports to identify savings opportunities and operational efficiencies.
Support pricing models, margin objectives, and annual planning needs for the Prepared Meals division.
Maintain strong communication with internal customer teams and external partners relying on Berkeley meal production.
Ensure operational readiness to meet daily customer requirements, seasonal fluctuations, and special program needs.
Participate in customer discussions, audits, and operational reviews as needed.
Work collaboratively with Culinary, Production Planning, Procurement, Safety, HR, Finance, and Corporate Operations to align production plans and strategic initiatives.
Ensure production, inventory, and warehouse teams remain synchronized to support accurate material flow, ordering, and planning.
Support operational improvements, system upgrades, and business-wide initiatives impacting the plant.
Identify opportunities to eliminate waste, reduce downtime, and improve throughput and product consistency.
Lead lean initiatives, SOP enhancements, workflow redesigns, and productivity improvement projects.
Complete special assignments and strategic projects as directed by the SVP of Operations or COO.