Director of Operations in Exton, Pennsylvania at The Food Source International Inc

About the Role

The Food Source International is seeking an experienced Director of Operations to lead our manufacturing, supply chain, procurement, inventory, and warehouse operations.

This role is responsible for connecting materials, people, processes, systems, and production capacity to ensure we consistently deliver safe, high-quality products to our customers while achieving operational and financial objectives.

Reporting to the Vice President of Finance, the Director of Operations will develop and execute an integrated operations strategy that supports scalable growth, strengthens supply chain reliability, improves manufacturing performance, optimizes inventory and working capital, and drives continuous improvement.

We are looking for a hands-on, strategic leader who can see the bigger picture while staying connected to what is happening across our operations. This person should be comfortable using data to make decisions, developing strong teams, challenging existing processes, and building the structure needed to support continued growth.

What You'll Do
Operations & Manufacturing*
Lead manufacturing, production, warehouse, inventory, and related operational functions.
Develop and execute operational strategies aligned with growth, profitability, customer service, quality, and capacity objectives.
Ensure production is executed safely, efficiently, on schedule, and in accordance with quality and food safety standards.*
Evaluate capacity, labor, equipment, materials, and operational constraints to ensure production plans are achievable.
Identify and resolve bottlenecks, waste, downtime, and recurring operational issues.
Establish standardized processes, clear performance expectations, and accountability across operations.
Ensure operational readiness for new products, increased volumes, and process or equipment changes.*
Supply Chain, Planning & Procurement*
Lead purchasing, procurement, materials planning, demand planning, inventory management, and production scheduling.
Align material availability and production schedules with customer demand, inventory objectives, and manufacturing capacity.
Lead strategic sourcing, supplier negotiations, and cost-management initiatives.
Build strong supplier relationships and establish supplier performance expectations and accountability.
Ensure materials and suppliers meet applicable quality and food safety requirements.*
Identify and mitigate supply chain risks, including supplier disruptions, logistics delays, capacity constraints, and ingredient availability.*
Inventory & Warehouse*
Establish inventory strategies that support production requirements while minimizing excess, obsolete, and slow-moving inventory.
Drive inventory accuracy through appropriate controls, cycle counting, audits, reconciliation, and ERP discipline.
Ensure warehouse and inventory practices support proper material handling, storage, traceability, and food safety requirements.*
Improve inventory turnover, working capital utilization, space utilization, and material flow.
Financial & Operational Performance
Partner closely with the Vice President of Finance on budgeting, forecasting, financial planning, variance analysis, and business performance.
Drive COGS improvements across purchasing, materials, manufacturing, labor, waste, and operational efficiency.
Identify opportunities to improve productivity, labor efficiency, asset utilization, throughput, and operating costs.
Establish and monitor KPIs across safety, quality, service, production, labor, inventory, purchasing, supplier performance, waste, and cost.
Use data and analytics to identify trends, solve problems, and drive fact-based decisions.
Champion continuous improvement using root-cause analysis, Lean/Six Sigma principles, and structured problem-solving.
Quality, Food Safety & Compliance*
Partner with Quality and Food Safety to ensure manufacturing, materials, suppliers, and operational processes meet applicable quality, food safety, regulatory, and company requirements.*
Reinforce operational accountability for product quality and food safety.*
Ensure operational compliance with applicable safety, OSHA, environmental, food safety, and regulatory requirements.*
Ensure operational employees and leaders understand and consistently follow required safety, food safety, quality, sanitation, and operating procedures.*
Systems & Technology
Lead effective utilization and optimization of ERP, MRP, inventory, planning, scheduling, and related operational systems.
Improve data accuracy, visibility, and reporting across operations.
Identify technology and automation opportunities that improve efficiency, scalability, accuracy, and decision-making.
People & Leadership*
Build and develop a high-performing operations organization through hiring, coaching, performance management, development, and succession planning.
Lead managers and supervisors with clear expectations, consistent accountability, and regular feedback.
Partner with Human Resources on workforce planning, employee relations, organizational structure, performance management, and leadership development.
Ensure employees and operational leaders are appropriately trained and accountable for applicable food safety and quality requirements.*
Foster a culture of safety, ownership, accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and respect consistent with our T.A.S.T.E. values.
Strategic & Cross-Functional Leadership
Serve as the senior operational leader responsible for translating company strategy into effective operational execution.
Partner across Finance, Sales, Quality, R&D, Customer Service, Human Resources, and other functions to align demand, supply, capacity, and resources.
Provide executive leadership with fact-based recommendations, operational insights, risks, trade-offs, and business impact analysis.
Support strategic decisions involving capacity, facilities, equipment, suppliers, outsourcing, technology, and manufacturing capabilities.
Support new product introductions by ensuring supply, material, production, capacity, quality, and food safety readiness.*

*Denotes food safety responsibilities

What We're Looking For
7–10+ years of progressive experience in operations, manufacturing, supply chain, procurement, materials management, or a related field.
5+ years of leadership experience, including experience leading managers, supervisors, teams, or multiple operational functions.
Demonstrated experience leading manufacturing and/or supply chain operations in a production environment.
Strong knowledge of production planning, manufacturing, procurement, inventory management, capacity planning, and continuous improvement.
Experience driving measurable improvements in productivity, cost, service, inventory, and operational performance.
Experience with ERP/MRP and related manufacturing, inventory, or planning systems.
Strong financial and business acumen, including budgeting, forecasting, cost analysis, and operational metrics.
Food, ingredient, seasoning, or related manufacturing experience strongly preferred.
Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Manufacturing, Engineering, Business, or a related field preferred.
Lean/Six Sigma certification or demonstrated experience applying Lean/Six Sigma methodologies preferred.
Work Environment

This is a full-time, in-person leadership position requiring regular presence in manufacturing and warehouse environments. Typical office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; however, hours may vary based on production schedules and business needs. Occasional evening or weekend availability may be required.

Approximately 10–20% travel may be required, including travel between company facilities, supplier visits, and other business-related activities.

The Food Source International is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable law.