Plant Director

About Sara Lee Frozen Bakery:

Sara Lee Frozen Bakery became a stand•alone company in 2018 when it was purchased by Kohlberg and Company (private equity) from Tyson Foods. Our desserts have always stood for incredible flavor and superior value in the frozen food aisle and away from home markets. The Sara Lee Frozen Bakery collection of top brands includes Sara Lee, Chef Pierre, Bistro Collection, Superior on Main and Cyrus OLearys.

Sara Lee Frozen Bakery is proud to take these iconic brands into a new era and to continue the evolution that transformed one small Chicago bakery into an American institution. Using carefully sourced ingredients and time-honored recipes, the company is committed to making lifes moments a little sweeter, putting its customers first and discovering new ways to make everyones favorite foods even better.

Working for

Sara Lee:

Our vision is to be the worlds most beloved bakery by creating irresistible foods, growing with our customers, and delivering value for all. We will achieve success through collaboration and innovation in an environment where employees feel empowered to execute with speed. We believe that each of us has unique points of difference and experience to offer. We believe that there is always a better way, and we will never be satisfied with status quo. If you have an entrepreneurial spirit, continually seek process improvements and a strong sense of customer service, then this is the right type of environment for you.

Summary:

The Bakery Director, Traverse City, MI will be an integral part of the COOs leadership team. This leader will be responsible for leading from the plant floor, engaging, and inspiring the work force to improve operating efficiency and productivity while improving safety and quality systems. The Bakery Director should bring a multi-dimensional and differentiating capability to better the plant. Examples of this include best practice experience, technical expertise and a strength in change management.

The Traverse City, MI plant employs ~400-450 associates and has 11 lines. Lines generally operate 2-3 shifts 5 days/week.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Establish and foster teamwork within the Bakery and with other functions by developing and communicating individual and team metrics; KPIs/objectives that enroll the organization in achieving best in class results.

Establish systems and processes that enable sustainable performance across the Bakery.

Develop organizational and overall talent management capabilities by promoting a strong engagement and performance-oriented culture. Lead the execution of a holistic manufacturing strategy including reliability, continuous improvement, and lean methodology.

Achieve sustainable and ongoing quantitative improvements in safety, quality, productivity, and material usage optimization.

Articulate and drive operating objectives (KPI's) for the plant and ensure the facility operates within budget.

Manage the plant P&L to achieve budget and deliver transformational results for the operation. Plan, organize, and implement actions to meet customer requirements. Responsible for the development of the annual site budget as well as identification of productivity projects.

Develop and lead plans and processes to minimize manufacturing costs through effective utilization of labor, equipment, facilities, materials, and capital. Assure attainment of business objectives and production schedules while ensuring product standards that will exceed Sara Lee Frozen Bakery customers expectations.

Provide strategic and tactical leadership to all functional areas including safety, quality, associate relations, production, maintenance, and sustainability. Lead the safety, health & sustainability by implementing and supporting a strong behavior-based safety observation system and thus reduce the TIR across bakery.

The position responsibilities outlined above are not to be construed as all encompassing. Other duties and responsibilities may be required and/or assigned as necessary.

Education, Knowledge and Skill Requirements:

A Bachelor degree is required, preferably in Engineering or related technical discipline such as Food Science, Supply Chain, etc. An MBA or advanced degree is a plus.

Minimum of 10-15 years of progressively responsible management experience, preferably in the food and beverage business. Plant Manager experience in a private equity-backed environment, with leadership responsibility for 300+ associates. Previous plant experience will include having worked with maintenance, FSQA, planning, engineering, CI/Lean, plant human resources, plant finance/accounting, etc. Robust compliance experience in an environment regulated by the FDA or USDA. Previous Labor Relations experience in a union environment is required.

Proven competencies in driving operational excellence, cost effective capital expenditures, productivity improvements across the organization with emphasis on automation yielding measurable financial, quality and cycle time improvements without compromising product quality or company growth.

Continuous Improvement experience to include system development and implementation in companies with mature systems; however, have an ability to translate the playbook into a middle market company, and move the culture rather than solely implementing the systems and process.

Strong knowledge of manufacturing, supply chain and operational metrics to effectively analyze productivity. Exposure to the year-by-year nuances and complexities of a seasonal businesses.

Demonstrated track record of leading change, operating with discipline, and instilling a culture of accountability. Independent thinking, strong organizational and planning abilities and excellent analytical and problem•solving skills are essential. Strong track record of building a high performing team. Track record of driving change and cultural transformation, managing people and leading teams, including articulating a vision and driving a team to achieve results.

Strong communication skills (exceptional listener, persuasive, and professional communicator).

Personal Attributes:

The Sara Lee Leader is one who:

Role Models Integrity•Creates a culture of respect and inclusion, where all team members are empowered to contribute.

Masters their Craft•Continually develops their skills and expertise to drive self, team, and company forward. Is intellectually curious, asking questions to inspire a better way.

Values Partnerships•Frames the tough issues and works productively through them. Paves the way for their team to build relationships and collaborate effectively.

Behaves Like a Business Owner•Perseveres toward a goal, despite obstacles and distraction.

Navigates Change•Adapts quickly to address the most critical business needs. Leads the charge around capabilities, processes, and systems.

Sara Lee Frozen Bakery provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. Page Break