Vice President, Operations - Remote Eligible

Job Title

Lead and deliver world-class performance and competitive operations strategy for a division. Provide leadership to achieve operational excellence for all aspects of end-to-end accountability in the customer to factory supply chain. Lead manufacturing operations for current and future assets to meet demand in market as well as to ensure milk supply requirements by farmer member owners is efficiently handled. Ensure cost budgets, quality targets, delivery targets, health and safety, and environmental targets are met. Clear metrics and frameworks deployed to align with division strategies. Drive profitable growth, increase efficiencies, and lead execution of continuous improvement efforts. Build and develop a sustainable high-performing organization and team with the capabilities needed to deliver manufacturing operations vision and strategy linked to the DFA and division strategies. Deliver one DFA standard that is globally best in class to achieve top rated customer service, lowest landed cost of dairy, and a highly efficient/reliable supply chain.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead and optimize manufacturing operations to produce and deliver our core products, leveraging DFA's scale across the USA; drive profitable growth and increase efficiencies in the end-to-end manufacturing footprint
• Implement a long-term plan covering people, processes, technology (SAP, automation), metrics, and data
• Optimize performance through integrated systems and processes providing timely, role-based information to build knowledge and improve the commercial edge to manufacturing
• Implement benchmarking across operations sites and best practice with a global lens
• Accelerate competitive advantage by rapidly commercializing new product and implement technologies that will deliver significant step changes in performance and productivity
• Work across our supply chain to impact global benchmarks of best-in-class performance surrounding delivered-in full-on time (DIFOT) and logistics costs to serve. Leverage benchmarks to deliver year-over-year improvements in these key business metrics, focusing on exceeding metrics for dairy and/or food and beverage standards
• Partner with sales and operations planning and supply chain/IBP lead to ensure scheduling of manufacture at sites and warehouse and supply chain operations are aligned to the tactical and operational plans
• Provide leadership to achieve operational excellence and so that employees drive success through continuous improvement and procedural compliance. Ensure operational excellence for all aspects of manufacturing operations and position assets to meet customer demands in market
• Review our manufacturing footprint, capital planning process, growth structure; implement cost improvement plans
• Drive workplace safety and continuous improvement on metrics to remove risks on safe work environment
• Partner with quality to guarantee food safety and effective, efficient quality assurance throughout the full supply chain
• Implement world-class manufacturing dairy technology and optimize operating systems to deliver results and be responsive to dynamic supply and demand signals; build dynamic alignment where possible with customers and manufacturing sites
• Build and develop a high-performing organization and team with the capabilities needed to deliver manufacturing and supply chain vision and strategy
• Grow and develop talent, provide support and direction to the team regarding performance objectives, IDPs and career conversations, managerial courage and empowerment; bring innovate ideas on factory and site leadership to ensure pipeline of talent is built across manufacturing network
• Demonstrate key competencies in DFA leadership framework, change management and organizational savvy; display executive maturity and operate cross functionally in a collaborative manner; build high performance cross-functional teams

Requirements:

• Undergraduate degree (or equivalent combination of experience and education)
• 15 or more years of diversified global business experience in the food industry in the areas of food technology, production plant management and operations, procurement and supply chain management
• Manufacturing operations leader across global companies in the food industry, preferred dairy industry experience.
• Experience with drying technology, required.
• Leadership experience in company with best-in-class manufacturing operations and supply chain capabilities
• 6+ years of management experience that includes leading senior management and a significant and/or multiple areas
• Certification and/or License – may be required during course of employment
• Exceptional capability in building operational excellence across manufacturing facilities
• Strategic orientation to set vision and make key decisions with confidence
• Self-directed leader with the ability to set high standards and deliver results
• Thorough understanding and knowledge of manufacturing operations, dairy technologies, project management and supply chain strategies
• Broad exposure to change and transformation initiatives, project management, restructuring, and continuous improvement processes
• Excellent collaboration, influencing and relationship building skillset
• Able to capture and leverage data driven insights
• Able lead change and drive a culture of continuous improvement and engagement
• Able to manage competing priorities and work in challenging environments
• Able to develop and guide strategy, deliver results, and build future leaders
• Must be able to read, write and speak English
• Travel 50-75% of the time

An Equal Opportunity Employer including Disabled/Veterans

Pay Range $300,000 - $330,000 / year