Director of Operational Excellence

Who We Are

At Freshpet, our goal is to change the way people nourish their pets forever. We strive to strengthen the bond between people and our pets so that we both live longer, healthier, and happier lives while being kind to the planet. We believe that if we can create fresh, real foods that pets love and help them live healthier lives, that their pet parents will also enjoy the many benefits of a rich life shared with a pet.

We started off with a mission to change the way pet parents feed dogs and cats, but we also wanted to be a company that had a thoughtful approach to how we operate. We wanted to do things differently, make great products but be gentle to the planet, good to the people who touch our business, and leave a positive impact with everything we do. We work hard every day to ensure that the original vision is met, starting with making the highest quality foods in our kitchens to running our business with integrity, transparency, and social and environmental responsibility. IT’S AMAZING WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN YOU START COMPLETELY FRESH!

What We Offer

At Freshpet, we offer a competitive salary and an excellent benefits package, including medical, dental and vision insurance, basic and optional life insurance, short- and long-term disability protection, flexible spending accounts, and a 401(k) plan with company match, paid parental leave, pet insurance, tuition assistance, a generous PTO plan and so much more!

What You will Do

Freshpet seeks diverse and passionate people who thrive in a dynamic environment, focused on continuous learning, living Freshpet’s Values and staying true to our operating principles of Pets, People and Planet.

The Director of Operational Excellence is responsible for developing and executing the strategy to improve the work systems and profitability by implementing an Operational Excellence methodology that identifies major improvement opportunities and manages the overall project portfolio of such projects. He/she supports and defines the projects, the specific deliverables, and ensures accurate business case, follow-up of progress, and results in function of pre-defined objectives, targets, and timelines; all aligned with the Company’s short-, mid-, and long-term goals.

This role will report to the SVP of Manufacturing and Engineering and will partner with Operations and Site Leadership Teams to develop and lead the transformational process that will deliver Operational Excellence as a new way of working for a sustainable culture of continuous improvement.

How You Will Make an Impact

• Lead, and have full oversight of a newly launched Operational Excellence Program in partnership with an external strategic partner.
• Plan, develop, and coordinate Operational Excellence initiatives in support of the overall Organizational and Operational Excellence strategy of the Company.
• Clearly lay out and communicate improvement strategies with cross-functional teams to change and positively disrupt performance.
• Champion a culture and workplace environment that embraces positive change.
• Identify, develop, and implement cost improvement projects through operational efficiencies and loss elimination.
• Clearly define, track, and report metrics related to Operational Excellence, and appropriately adjusts implementation strategy.
• Leads training and educational efforts to expand Operational Excellence and work systems Company wide.
• Establish an OEE program to track, identify, and eliminate losses in production.
• Conduct diagnostics to identify areas for improvement.
• Conduct Value Stream Mapping exercises to define processes as well as eliminate losses.
• Work with the sites to implement and streamline/improve processes to transition from a traditional manufacturing leadership environment to sustainable work systems.
• Ensure focus on sustainability of improvements through proper training and skill building of leaders across functions in the business.
• Support a continuous improvement culture at the corporate level as much as at the sites level.

What You Will Bring

• Degree and relevant experience in a Manufacturing related field.
• 7+ years of progressive Operational Excellence experience leading a CI team in a complex multi-site manufacturing environment.
• Ability and willingness to step in and be part of the Manufacturing Leadership bench strength to lead a site when/if needed.
• Proven track record of major transformational changes.
• Demonstrated experience in implementation of Operational Excellence and Continuous Improvement projects in a food manufacturing environment.
• Proven experience with Lean Six Sigma and/or TPM to drive business results.
• Impact, influence, lead, and respond to change management initiatives.
• Strong leadership, supervisory and interpersonal skills to work collaboratively and effectively across departments, diverse teams, executives, and staff at all levels.
• Experience facilitating integration and collaboration.
• Strong data and analytical skills; ability to translate data into actionable intelligence.

Personal Characteristics

• Results-oriented leader who is self-motivated to achieve and exceed targets and who will empower, motivate, and inspire others similarly. A team leader and team player who holds self and others accountable.
• An unquestioned level of integrity, with high level of flexibility, tenacity, and physical/intellectual energy. A personality and manner that demonstrates confidence, respect for others, sound judgment, and a straightforward tenor to interpersonal relationships. Someone who encourages others to engage.
• A “roll up your sleeves” strategic doer, with a “get it done” attitude, and strong interpersonal skills that are equally effective in a boardroom, customer meeting, as well as on the manufacturing floor.

Our Commitment to a Diverse Workforce:

At Freshpet, we embrace and encourage our employees’ differences in age, sex, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique.

Freshpet aims to foster, cultivate, and preserve a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our employees are our most valuable assets. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities, and talent that our employees invest in their work represents a significant part of not only our culture, but our reputation and company’s achievement as well. Freshpet is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Disclaimers

We are interested in every qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States. However, we are not able to sponsor visas.

Freshpet is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. Please, no phone calls or emails. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at Freshpet via-email, the Internet or in any form and/or method without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of Freshpet. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by Freshpet as a result of the referral or through other means.