Plant Manager (V1207)

Current job opportunities are posted here as they become available.

The Wellness Pet Company is on a mission to help the next generation of pet parents fulfill a shared life of wellbeing with their pets through a foundation of proven nutrition. We are committed to crafting high-quality pet food, dental chews, treats, and topper recipes that are made with the perfect balance of high-quality natural ingredients paired with the latest scientific research and technologies. As a community of people working together, Wellies are positively obsessed with how to deliver proven health outcomes that pet parents can see and pets can taste. Wellies bring their best to work every day, come ready to collaborate, embrace the hard things, and own their outcomes.

When you join Wellness Pet, you join a team whose aligned values and purpose create a unique and exciting place to work every day. Join us on our adventure to fulfill a life of wellbeing together with pets and their parents.

Wellness Pet Company - Veendam is a high-tech producer of vegetarian, starch-based dog snacks sold under the name WHIMZEES. WHIMZEES are sold in more than 45 countries worldwide.

Our employees take pride in the natural products we produce for the pets who depend on us. We offer our employees a positive, friendly work environment where you can grow your skills, competitive pay, and excellent benefits – Come for a walk with us today!

Position Summary:

The Plant Manager is responsible for the overall leadership, performance, and strategic direction of the manufacturing site. This role ensures the safe, efficient, and cost-effective production of high-quality products while meeting customer delivery expectations.

The Plant Manager drives continuous improvement, manages full site financial performance, and builds a high-performing organization grounded in accountability, collaboration, and operational excellence.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Lead all aspects of site operations with full accountability for results
• Define and execute site strategy aligned with corporate objectives
• Establish, monitor, and drive KPIs across Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Engagement
• Represent the site with corporate leadership, customers, and external stakeholders
• Own site budgeting, forecasting, and capital investment planning (CAPEX/OPEX)
• Ensure effective risk management and business continuity plans
• Other duties as assigned

Operations Oversight & Optimization:

• Maintain overall accountability for production performance and service levels
• Set production capacity, resource plans, and output targets
• Analyze operational data to identify and resolve inefficiencies
• Drive cross-functional alignment across production, maintenance, quality, and supply chain

Quality, Food Safety & Compliance:

• Ensure compliance with all food safety and quality standards (HACCP, BRC/IFS, ISO, GMP)
• Lead audit readiness and execution (internal and external)
• Foster a strong quality and food safety culture
• Act as an escalation point for quality incidents and recalls

Health, Safety & Sustainability:

• Ensure compliance with all health, safety, and environmental regulations
• Lead sustainability initiatives (energy, waste, water reduction)
• Track and report ESG performance metrics
• Lead, coach, and develop the site leadership team
• Drive talent development and succession planning
• Build engagement across a multi-shift workforce
• Ensure clear and effective communication at all levels

Stakeholder Management:

• Translate corporate strategy into site-level execution
• Partner with central functions (Supply Chain, HR, Quality, Engineering, Finance)
• Build alignment and momentum for change initiatives
• Report performance, risks, and improvement progress to senior leadership

Performance Management:

• Analyze operational data and identify improvement opportunities
• Drive corrective actions for deviations in performance
• Support the development and execution of production improvement plans
• Lead performance reviews and operational meetings

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, Business, Food Science, or related field
• 8–10+ years of manufacturing leadership experience (food or pharma preferred)
• Proven success leading plant and operations
• Experience in matrix or international organizations preferred
• Experience in shift-based manufacturing environments

Core Competencies: Operational Excellence:

• Strong manufacturing and process knowledge
• Data-driven and KPI-focused
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement

Business & Leadership Skills:

• Strong financial and business acumen
• Effective stakeholder management across functions and cultures
• Decisive, resilient, and results-oriented

Leadership & Communication:

• Coaching and development-focused leadership style
• Strong communication skills across all organizational levels
• Ability to influence and align teams

Working Conditions:

• Work within a 5-shift continuous production environment
• Regular presence on the production floor
• Dynamic environment requiring flexibility and operational decision-making

The Wellness Pet Company is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We celebrate diversity and are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, or Veteran status.

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