Production Manager – Flavors and Ingredients Candidate

SEEKING A ROLE AS: Production Manager or Plant Manager (growth track) in the Food & Beverage industry.

PROFILE: A high-impact Operations Leader with 13+ years of progressive leadership experience in regulated food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and chemical manufacturing environments. Known for driving operational discipline, leading capital expansion projects, strengthening safety culture, and delivering measurable productivity improvements. Brings full ownership of production operations, multi-shift team leadership, and a strong background in Lean manufacturing and compliance-driven environments.

LOCATION: Based in the Greater Chicago area. Open to relocation and travel as needed.

SKILLS & ACHIEVEMENTS:
• 13+ years of progressive operations leadership across CPG, beverage, and regulated manufacturing environments.
• Led installation and commissioning of major capital equipment—including spray dryers, PLC systems, RTOs, reactors, and utilities—with minimal operational disruption and strong ROI.
• Led multi-shift operations with 70+ indirect reports and 4 direct reports.
• Delivered 15–20% productivity improvements, exceeding corporate KPI targets through Lean initiatives and constraint management.
• Increased plant capacity by 35% through successful capital expansion and equipment commissioning while maintaining 90%+ on-time service levels.
• Reduced workplace injuries by up to 84% by implementing a proactive, culture-driven safety program.
• Reduced waste by 30% and improved operational efficiency by 20% through structured Lean initiatives and scheduling optimization.
• Developed and standardized SOPs aligned with GMP and HACCP requirements to strengthen compliance and operational consistency.

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS:
• HACCP Certified
• Continuous Improvement & Supervision Certifications
• Associate Degree with Academic Honors

COMPENSATION:
Target compensation aligned with operations leadership roles; open to a market-competitive base salary in the $130-150k range plus incentive structure based on scope and responsibility.

If you’re interested in speaking with this Operations & Production Leader who can drive productivity, strengthen safety and compliance programs, and deliver scalable results in CPG and regulated manufacturing environments, then…
Contact:
Joe Sommerfeldt
joes@kinsa.com
Worksite Preference:Open
Employment Preference:Permanent