Plant Director

About SunOpta

SunOpta delivers customized supply chain solutions and innovation for top brands, retailers, and foodservice providers across a broad portfolio of beverages, broths, and better-for-you snacks. With over 50 years of expertise, SunOpta fuels customers' growth with high-quality, sustainability-forward solutions distributed through retail, club, foodservice, and e-commerce channels across North America.

Job Summary:

SunOpta is seeking a Plant Director for our Midlothian, Texas manufacturing plant. The Plant Director leads all aspects of plant operations, ensuring the delivery of the highest-quality products at the lowest sustainable cost while maintaining the safest, most environmentally responsible operating environment. Sets the strategic direction for manufacturing, drives operational excellence, and fosters a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement across all plant functions. Provides leadership and guidance to ensure alignment with company goals, long-term growth objectives, and regulatory compliance.

Essential Functions of the Job:

• Develops and executes the plant's strategic and operational plans to achieve production, cost, quality, safety, and environmental targets, influencing both direct reports and dotted-line stakeholders to ensure alignment with corporate objectives and long-term growth.
• Oversees multi-line, 24/7 manufacturing operations, ensuring optimal production scheduling, resource allocation, and workforce management while balancing short-term needs with long-term operational priorities.
• Leads capital planning and plant improvement initiatives, engaging both direct teams and matrixed partners to implement equipment upgrades, process optimizations, and technology projects that maximize efficiency and ROI.
• Establishes and monitors key performance metrics, including OEE, throughput, waste reduction, and labor efficiency, leveraging operational data to drive continuous improvement and cost containment across the plant.
• Provides oversight and influence across Maintenance, Production, Quality, Engineering, and Supply Chain functions in a matrixed organization, leveraging both direct and dotted-line relationships to ensure alignment, coordinated planning, preventive programs, and successful cross-functional initiatives.
• Provides direct leadership to the EHS Manager, ensuring the development, execution, and continuous improvement of environmental, health, and safety programs across the plant. Partners with functional and matrixed teams to maintain regulatory compliance, drive accountability, and foster a culture of workplace safety and operational excellence.
• Influences and partners with cross-functional leaders to ensure robust food safety programs, adherence to GMPs, and compliance with all regulatory and customer standards.
• Oversees all plant financial responsibilities, including budgets, capital expenditures, cost control, staffing, and productivity reporting. Provides strategic insight to Finance and executive leadership to support operational and investment decisions.
• Drives employee engagement and organizational development, partnering with HR to attract, retain, and develop top talent, manage performance, and maintain a high-performing culture.
• Acts as the primary liaison between plant operations and corporate leadership, providing operational updates, risk assessments, and strategic recommendations for continuous growth and efficiency improvement.
• Serves as the key decision-maker in operational issues, including crisis management, production disruptions, and long-term operational planning.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Direct Reports: Operations Manager, Maintenance Manager, EHS Manager
• Indirect Reports: Production Managers, Production Supervisors, Production Operators

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Food Science, or related field; advanced degree preferred (MBA, MS)
• 10+ years of leadership experience in Aseptic, Food & Beverage, Pharmaceutical, or other highly regulated manufacturing environments, including at least 5 years in a senior plant leadership role
• Proven experience leading multi-shift, multi-line operations with P&L responsibility

Preferred Qualifications:

• 8 plus years aseptic or sterile food processing experience preferred.
• Bilingual in Spanish.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Exceptional strategic thinking and problem-solving capabilities, with a track record of delivering operational excellence in complex manufacturing environments
• Expertise in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, TPM, or other continuous improvement methodologies with demonstrated results in efficiency, waste reduction, and cost management
• Strong financial acumen, including budget management, cost forecasting, and productivity analytics
• In-depth knowledge of regulatory compliance, food safety, environmental standards, and employee safety programs

• Effective leadership and communication skills, with the ability to influence and inspire cross-functional teams and senior executives

Additional Considerations:

• Travel Expectation: Some travel required.
• Location: This role will be located at our plant in Midlothian, TX.
• Work Environment: The majority of work for this role will be in a plant / office environment; this position will also involve working in a plant / manufacturing environment.
• Relocation or international remote working arrangements (outside of the US) will not be considered.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time, with or without notice.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
EOE M/W/VET/DISABLED