Operations Specialist

Our client operates a food manufacturing and milling facility in Northern California and is hiring a General Manager to own day-to-day plant performance. This is a direct-hire role covering production, people, safety, food safety, quality, maintenance, and plant financial results.

The ideal candidate has hands-on food manufacturing or processing experience and can run a plant to USDA, FDA, OSHA, and customer food-safety standards—not just keep the line moving.

Plant operations

• Lead manufacturing, milling, packaging, warehousing, and shipping to hit volume, yield, quality, and on-time delivery goals.

• Build production schedules that balance mill capacity, incoming raw product, labor, and customer commitments.

• Drive continuous improvement in throughput, yield, shrink, downtime, and cost per unit.

• Oversee preventative maintenance, sanitation, and capital projects so equipment stays reliable and audit-ready.

Food safety, quality, and compliance

• Own the site food-safety program: HACCP/HARPC, GMPs, allergen control, sanitation, and pest control.

• Maintain FDA, USDA (as applicable), FSMA, and customer audit compliance (SQF, BRC, or equivalent).

• Lead third-party, customer, and regulatory audits and close CAPAs on time.

• Partner with Quality on specs (grade, moisture, foreign material, pack integrity), holds, complaints, and traceability.

Safety and workforce

• Run a visible OSHA program: LOTO, confined space, forklift, grain-handling/combustible dust, PPE, incident investigation, and training.

• Hire, develop, and hold accountable supervisors and hourly teams in operations, maintenance, sanitation, and shipping.

• Staff for seasonal peaks and enforce California wage-and-hour, meal/rest, and injury-reporting rules.

• Build a floor culture that treats safety and food safety as non-negotiable.

Financial and commercial support

• Own or strongly influence plant P& L: labor, yield, supplies, maintenance, and overhead versus budget.

• Partner with sales and logistics on customer requirements, load-out, and service recovery.

• Report operating results to ownership or senior leadership and flag capacity, quality, or cost issues early.

Required

•        7+ years of progressive leadership in food manufacturing, grain/rice milling, or related processing (canning, ingredients, bakery, snack, or similar).

•        At least 3 years leading a plant, shift structure, or major production department with supervisors reporting to you.

•        Working command of food-safety systems (HACCP/HARPC, GMPs, FSMA) and a record of passing customer or GFSI-style audits.

•        Practical OSHA knowledge in a plant setting — not classroom-only. Comfortable with LOTO, powered industrial trucks, and process-safety basics in grain or bulk-food handling.

•        Proven ability to hit production, yield, and cost targets while keeping people and product safe.

•        Strong written and verbal communication; able to work with ownership, customers, auditors, and the production floor.

•        Proficiency with production reporting, basic Excel or ERP, and workforce scheduling.

•        Authorization to work in the United States and ability to work on-site at a Northern California plant, including early starts and seasonal peak hours.

Preferred

•        Rice, grain, flour, or feed milling experience.

•        USDA-inspected or continuously inspected facility background.

•        Bilingual English/Spanish.

•        Union leadership experience, if applicable to the site.

•        PCQI, SQF Practitioner, or equivalent certification; OSHA 30.

•        P& L ownership on a prior plant role.