Food Operations Management Jobs in Barrie, ON (NOW HIRING)

About Us

We are a mid-sized food manufacturing company.

Position Summary

The Operations Director is responsible for leading the execution of manufacturing operations across all production, warehousing, maintenance, and operational support functions. This role is accountable for delivering safe, reliable, and efficient day-to-day operations while ensuring production targets, quality standards, customer commitments, and financial objectives are consistently achieved.

Working through a team of operational managers, the Operations Director drives operational excellence by establishing performance expectations, developing leaders, improving processes, and ensuring consistent execution across all operational areas. The role serves as the senior operational leader responsible for translating the strategic direction established by the Vice President, Operations & Supply Chain into measurable operational results.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

• Provide leadership and direction to all Operations Managers responsible for manufacturing, warehousing, maintenance, and other operational functions.
• Ensure production plans are executed safely, efficiently, and in accordance with customer requirements.
• Balance labour, equipment, and facility resources to maximize productivity and operational performance.
• Remove operational barriers and ensure cross-functional coordination between Production, Warehouse, Maintenance, Quality, Planning, and Supply Chain.
• Monitor operational performance daily and implement corrective actions where required.

Leadership & People Development

• Lead, coach, mentor, and develop Operations Managers to strengthen leadership capability and operational effectiveness.
• Build a culture of accountability through clear expectations, regular performance discussions, and coaching.
• Drive succession planning and leadership development throughout Operations.
• Partner with Human Resources on workforce planning, recruitment, employee relations, and performance management.
• Foster an engaged, respectful, and high-performing workplace culture.

Production Excellence

• Ensure production schedules are achieved while maintaining high standards for quality, food safety, efficiency, and customer service.
• Monitor capacity utilization and labour efficiency.
• Ensure effective coordination between production shifts and departments.
• Support rapid resolution of operational issues impacting service or productivity.

Warehouse & Material Flow

• Oversee warehouse operations to ensure efficient receipt, storage, inventory control, and shipment of materials and finished goods.
• Ensure inventory accuracy and material availability to support uninterrupted production.
• Drive improvements in warehouse productivity and inventory management.

Maintenance & Asset Reliability

• Provide leadership to the Maintenance Manager to ensure equipment reliability and maximum operational uptime.
• Ensure preventative and predictive maintenance programs are executed effectively.
• Support planning and execution of capital projects and equipment improvements.
• Drive initiatives that improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).

Safety, Food Safety & Quality

• Promote a culture where safety and food safety are everyone’s responsibility.
• Ensure compliance with all legislative, regulatory, and company requirements.
• Ensure operational leaders investigate incidents and implement sustainable corrective actions.
• Partner with Quality to ensure products consistently meet customer and regulatory requirements.

Financial Management

• Manage departmental operating budgets and labour costs.
• Monitor productivity, overtime, waste, and operational expenses.
• Identify opportunities to improve profitability through operational efficiencies.
• Support annual budgeting and capital planning activities.

Continuous Improvement

• Champion Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives across Operations.
• Standardize work practices and operating procedures.
• Use operational data and KPIs to identify trends and drive performance improvements.
• Lead projects focused on productivity, waste reduction, quality improvement, and cost savings.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Supply Chain, Planning, Procurement, Sales, Finance, Quality, Engineering, and Human Resources to ensure organizational alignment.
• Participate in operational planning and business review meetings.
• Support new product introductions, customer requirements, and business growth initiatives.

Decision-Making Authority

The Operations Director has authority to:

• Establish operational priorities across all manufacturing departments.
• Allocate labour and operational resources.
• Approve staffing levels and overtime within budget.
• Approve operational process improvements and workflow changes.
• Recommend hiring, promotions, disciplinary action, and terminations for manager-level positions.
• Escalate significant operational risks, capital requirements, and strategic issues to the Vice President, Operations & Supply Chain.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Safety

• Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR)
• Lost-Time Injuries
• Near Miss Reporting
• Safety Audit Results

Operational Performance

• Production Attainment
• Schedule Adherence
• Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
• Labour Productivity
• Capacity Utilization
• Downtime

Warehouse Performance

• Inventory Accuracy
• Inventory Turns
• Picking Accuracy
• Material Availability

Quality

• First Pass Yield
• Customer Complaints
• Internal Defect Rate
• Food Safety Compliance

Financial

• Labour Cost
• Overtime
• Waste Reduction
• Manufacturing Cost per Unit
• Budget Performance

Leadership

• Employee Engagement
• Manager Development
• Turnover
• Succession Readiness

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in operations management, Engineering, Supply Chain, Business, or a related discipline preferred.

Experience

• Minimum 10 years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience.
• Minimum 5 years leading multiple managers across manufacturing operations.
• Experience within food manufacturing, consumer packaged goods, or a related manufacturing environment preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional operations and delivering measurable improvements in productivity, quality, safety, and cost.

Core Competencies

• Operational Leadership
• Coaching & Developing Leaders
• Manufacturing Excellence
• Financial Acumen
• Lean Manufacturing & Continuous Improvement
• Strategic Execution
• Decision Making
• Planning & Organization
• Collaboration & Influence
• Change Management
• Customer Focus
• Accountability

We are an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and accessible workplace. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates and are committed to providing a fair and equitable hiring process. Accommodations are available upon request throughout all stages of the recruitment and selection process.

Notice to Applicants: This posting represents an active employment opportunity. AI-enabled recruitment tools may be used to support certain aspects of the applicant screening process; however, all candidate assessments and hiring decisions are made by our hiring team.