Description
We are conducting a search on behalf of a well-established, purpose-driven food manufacturing company with a national footprint and a complex, perishable supply network. This organization is seeking a seasoned Chief Operating Officer (COO) to serve as the CEO’s senior operational partner and a core member of the Executive Leadership Team.
This role offers enterprise-wide responsibility across multi-site manufacturing, supply chain, agricultural operations, transportation, warehousing, and customer service, with a strong mandate to drive operational excellence, integrated planning, and disciplined execution—while advancing sustainability and social responsibility initiatives.
The Opportunity
Enterprise & Executive Leadership
- Act as the CEO’s principal operational partner and a key voice on the Executive Leadership Team.
- Establish enterprise operating rhythms, governance, KPIs, and accountability.
- Lead integrated planning and execution across the organization, including Integrated Business Planning (IBP).
Manufacturing (Multi-Site)
- Provide executive oversight of multiple manufacturing facilities through senior plant leadership.
- Ensure consistent food safety, quality, labor, and operational standards.
- Drive productivity, yield, cost, asset utilization, and labor efficiency improvements.
- Champion continuous improvement and standardization across all sites.
Supply Chain & Planning
- Lead planning, logistics, network optimization, systems, and supplier interfaces.
- Drive supply chain transformation through process excellence, simplification, and technology enablement.
- Partner cross-functionally to align demand planning, supply response, and execution.
Agricultural Operations
- Lead grower strategy and agricultural execution through third-party partners.
- Ensure supply availability aligned to forecast while meeting food safety, sustainability, and regulatory standards.
- Represent the organization in key industry and agricultural forums.
Transportation, Warehousing & Customer Service
- Oversee company-owned assets, dedicated fleets, and 3PL partners.
- Improve service, reliability, capacity utilization, and cost performance.
- Drive cross-functional alignment to improve OTIF (On-Time, In-Full) performance and customer satisfaction.
Operational Excellence & Culture
- Lead data-driven continuous improvement initiatives to reduce waste, improve cost per case, and enhance resilience.
- Build and develop high-performing leadership teams.
- Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and urgency across historically siloed functions.
What Success Looks Like
- Rapid credibility as an enterprise-wide operational leader and trusted CEO partner.
- Alignment of manufacturing sites under a consistent operating model.
- Measurable improvements in service levels, waste reduction, cost per case, and transportation efficiency.
- Stronger IBP execution and cross-functional decision-making.
- Improved customer service performance and operational execution.
Ideal Background
- 15+ years of senior operational leadership across manufacturing, supply chain, agriculture, logistics, and customer service.
- Experience in food, CPG, fresh, or other perishable environments strongly preferred.
- Proven success leading complex, interdependent operating organizations.
- Strong financial, analytical, and systems-thinking capabilities.
- Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
Why This Role
This is a high-impact COO role with real scale, complexity, and purpose—ideal for an executive who thrives at the intersection of operations, strategy, and sustainability.