Plant Manager

Company Overview: 

At Gold Star, we offer feed and nutrition services and commodity trading in the northeastern U.S., primarily to dairies. As feed and commodity specialists, our customers count on us to originate feed for the mills, manufacture it according to their unique specifications and handle logistics for a safe and smooth delivery every time. 

Job Summary: 

The Plant Manager oversees all aspects of production, delivery, maintenance, and customer service for the Gold Star feed mill.  Provide day-to-day leadership support to the location, including all operations, safety, customer service, maintenance, cleanliness, and grain quality within the facility. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Direct and manage all plant operations to ensure safe, efficient, timely, and quality-controlled feed production while meeting customer and business requirements.
• Own plant production planning and execution, including scheduling, workflow, labor utilization, equipment availability, ingredient availability, and coordination with transportation and other supporting functions.
• Manage plant staffing and organizational structure, including determining appropriate staffing levels, scheduling employees, controlling overtime, identifying staffing gaps or excess capacity, and making recommendations regarding hiring, reassignment, performance management, and reductions in force.
• Manage labor effectively to meet production requirements while controlling overtime and ensuring employees operate within established company work-hour and scheduling expectations.
• Proactively identify operational constraints—including ingredient availability, transportation limitations, equipment issues, and staffing shortages—and develop solutions to minimize their impact on production, labor utilization, and customer service.
• Maintain Safe Feed/Safe Food certification and ensure compliance with Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs), company quality programs, regulatory requirements, and established operating procedures.
• Maintain accurate ingredient, finished-feed, packaging, and supply inventories; investigate discrepancies and implement appropriate corrective actions.
• Ensure established quality-control procedures are followed, review and analyze quality data, investigate deviations, implement corrective actions, and communicate relevant findings to Operations and Quality leadership.
• Own plant safety performance and actively enforce company safety policies, procedures, training requirements, and expectations. Identify and correct unsafe conditions and behaviors and hold employees accountable for compliance.
• Interview, select, onboard, train, coach, and develop employees while ensuring the plant has appropriately trained personnel and adequate cross-training to support operational continuity.
• Establish clear performance expectations, provide timely feedback, address performance and behavioral issues, and consistently hold employees accountable for meeting company standards.
• Lead the entire plant team and develop supervisors and other key employees to strengthen leadership capability, succession planning, and employee growth.
• Manage plant operating costs and identify opportunities to improve productivity, labor efficiency, waste, rework, downtime, inventory control, and overall operating performance.
• Monitor plant performance using established operational and financial metrics and develop corrective action plans when performance does not meet expectations.
• Foster a culture of safety, accountability, continuous improvement, collaboration, and opportunistic curiosity, creating an environment where employees are encouraged to identify problems, challenge inefficiencies, and pursue better ways of operating.
• Communicate effectively with senior leadership and cross-functional partners regarding plant performance, staffing, operational risks, significant issues, and corrective actions.
• Take ownership of plant-level problems through resolution rather than relying solely on supporting departments to identify or implement solutions.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications:  

• College degree in Ag Business or Feed/Milling Science is a plus. 
• 2-3 years feed mill supervisory experience preferred. Extensive exposure to batch feed manufacturing, pelleting, grain processing, and truck/rail operations. 
• High level of detail, multi-tasking, analytical, and problem-solving skills with intuition to create solutions. 
• Positive, self-motivated individual with organization, communication, and negotiation skills. 
• Communication skills – listen, provide feedback both verbally and in writing. 
• Teamwork skills – build a positive, safe work environment with the goal of low turn-over. 
• Leadership skills – demonstrate passion for the job and build the vision for the future. 
• Strong customer service commitment.  

Physical Demands: 

• Frequent sitting, use of computer, communication via telephone
• Ability to navigate an office environment.
• Must have the ability to climb ladders, lift up to 75 lbs, bend, kneel, stand for long periods, work in confined spaces, work with heights, and work in harsh environments (hot, cold temperatures and a dusty conditions).
• Regular and predictable attendance on site. 
• Job may require occasional travel within the United States.