Job Title : Plant Manager of CRSD-Chicago

Background to Operations: The Case Ready Seafood Division (“CRSD”) of Santa Monica Seafood is focused on prepackaged chilled seafood products for retailers, both plain raw product and added-value options.

Job Location and Work Environment: This position will reside at the CRSD’s Midwest location located in Hodgkin, Illinois, a 50,000 SF highly automated facility in an industrial park environment with total headcount ranging from 85 – 100 personnel. The work environment will encompass multi-unit retail operations, as well as a refrigerated processing, packaging and an office environment. Other CRSD divisions are located in Los Angeles, CA and Baltimore, Maryland. Plant Manager will interface with CRSD Plant Managers in Los Angeles and Baltimore, as well as with Santa Monica Seafood corporate departments in Los Angeles. Occasional travel to Los Angeles and Baltimore.

Work Hours : Job will require flexibility around work hours in order to ensure successful operations, and will vary at times. Plant operations are 6-days per week with staggered shifts but employees generally working 8-hour days. Daily production time is from 4AM to 8PM wherein the packaging lines are running from 6AM to 7PM non-stop. Delivery trucks normally start leaving at 7PM.

Position Overview: This role will be accountable for all aspects of the CRSD’s prepackaged seafood operations including production planning, product development, product quality, staffing, receiving, facility and equipment maintenance, shipping, inventory control, production, packaging, computer systems and financial reporting. The Human Resources Manager and the Quality Assurance Manager in Chicago will report to the VP of Human Resources and the VP of Compliance, respectively, at Santa Monica Seafood’s corporate office in California but with a dotted line of responsibility to this position. The Plant Manager will report to the Executive VP of Santa Monica Seafood in California and will have a dotted line to the CRSD Director of Operations in California.

Overview of Key Responsibilities : The Plant Manager of CRSD-Chicago will be responsible for:

• Ensuring that CRSD-Chicago consistently produces outstanding quality products achieving the required specifications and order quantities
• Ensuring that the prepackaged production lines operate efficiently and safely
• Maintaining day-to-day operations, monitoring orders, and client/ product related issues
• Maintaining quality service by enforcing and enhancing organization standards
• Managing and developing all Chicago department Managers and interfacing with department heads at SMS-Corporate in Los Angeles
• Establishing and maintaining appropriate KPI’s, headcount levels, overtime levels and employees instead of temp workers.
• Communicating effectively with internal teams and escalating issues appropriately for discussion/ resolution
• Researching and recommending new opportunities; recommending profit and service improvements
• Identifying product/ process improvements or new products by remaining current on industry trends, safety standards and regulations, market activities, and competitors
• Maintaining professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops; reviewing professional publications; establishing personal networks; benchmarking state-of-the-art practices; participating in professional societies.
• Contributing to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed. Developing ‘best practices’ in collaboration with CRSD Plant Managers in Los Angeles and Baltimore.
• Enhancing the department and organization’s reputation by accepting ownership for accomplishing new and different requests; exploring opportunities to add value to job accomplishments.
• Management of operations to ensure that all established policies and procedures are being properly executed.

Skills/Qualifications:

• Minimum 7 years of plant management experience.

• College graduate with Masters’ degree preferred

• English a must; Spanish as a 2nd language highly desirable

• Experience in chilled, short shelf-life, just-in-time packaged food production & packaging

• Experience managing a $100 million revenue location with approximately 100 employees

• Understands financial statements and financial metrics

• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office – Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

• Management style includes ‘being on the floor’ overseeing plant activity more than ‘being in one’s office’

• Line production & product flow experience

• Detailed project management experience from project initiation through execution and delivery

• Analytical yet practical approach

• Food safety & handling expertise

• Experienced team builder & leader

• Experience with food labeling requirements

• Understanding & controlling cost drivers

• Material handling experience

• Flexible mindset to support an evolving business

• Ideally some knowledge of / passion for the seafood and/or quality chilled food industries.

Santa Monica Seafood offers a wide array of health and welfare benefits, including choice of PPO or HDHCP with HRA, dental and vision insurance, 401(k) with generous company match that vests immediately, company-paid life insurance, company paid short- and long-term disability, vacation, holiday, optional crtitical illness, hospital indemnity, and accident coverage, EAP, as well as a veterinary discount program. We provide leadership development and technical skills traning programs to further our employees growth. Our employee enjoy employee discounts and wholesale pricing on seafood items.