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What is the role of a Operational Excellence Manager at Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc.?

The Operational Excellence Manager position at Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc. is a Full-time or part-time position opportunity in the Food/Beverages field.

Where is this Operational Excellence Manager job located?

San Diego, California, 92154, United States

What type of employment is offered for this Operational Excellence Manager role?

Full-time or part-time position

What is the expected salary for this Operational Excellence Manager job?

$116,100 – $141,900 Yearly Salary

Operational Excellence Manager job near me in San Diego, California at Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc.

Operational Excellence Manager

US-CA-San Diego

Job ID: 2026-9190
Type: Regular Full-Time
# of Openings: 1
Category: Production Management
San Diego Plant

Overview

The factory Operational Excellence (OpEx) Manager is responsible for developing, implementing, and sustaining Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) strategies to improve equipment reliability, reduce downtime, reduce food loss, and enhance the overall operational efficiency (OEE) in our food manufacturing facility. This position will lead the factory continuous improvement culture in achieving our TPM program objectives and total delivered cost (TDC) reductions at the factory.

Responsibilities

Primary Responsibilities

· TPM Program Leadership

· Drive process improvement and team development through the implementation of AFNA TPM reference standards for all launched pillars (AM, PM, FI, E&T, Leadership, etc.) with the factory leaders and department teams

· Coordinate and conduct training sessions based on AFNA TPM reference standards to all levels of the factory

· Lead and drive TPM related activities and discussions with hourly and management leaders to facilitate and promote change to meet business targets

· Perform internal assessments and coaching of the health and well-being of the TPM standards that are used

· Communicate and escalate to our central OpEx organization for additional detailed training and assistance of our AFNA TPM reference standards

· FI Pillar Leadership

· Lead the loss identification and prioritization of losses (e.g. OEE, downtime, raw material loss, labor loss, etc.) through effective visual and verbal sharing and guidance with the factory leaders and team members

· Ensure effective root cause analysis and sustainable actions are taking place by guiding and developing applicable factory personnel.

· Own the understanding, ownership and usage of the key OEE performance indicator within the factory to drive continuous improvement activities

· Total Delivered Costs (TDC) Leadership

· Lead the factory’s cross functional TDC program to identify and generate projects and activities to drive annual cost reduction targets

· Ensure the execution of the cost reduction projects and activities are taking place to meet timeline expectations

· Provide the appropriate reporting of TDC activities and escalations to our AFNA leaders

Supervisory Responsibilities: Yes

# of Direct Reports: Roles that may report into the OpEx MGR: OpEx Specialist, Process Engineer I, Process Engineer II

# of Indirect Reports: 0

Qualifications

Education, Certifications and Experience

An equivalent combination of experience and education will also be considered.

Education

Education Level	Description
2 Year / Associate Degree	Minimum Associate of Science degree in a STEM field (Engineering, Food Science, Technology, Math, etc.) required.
4 Year / Bachelors Degree	Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM field or active enrollment in a STEM degree program preferred.
Other	Experience in lieu of degree will be considered.

Experience

Minimum Years of Experience	Comments
4 to 6 years	Minimum of 4 years of manufacturing experience in a leadership role, preferably in the food industry.
2 to 4 years	Minimum of 2 years of AFNA manufacturing experience in a leadership role preferred.

Certifications

· Certifications in advanced CI tools preferred

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

· Knowledge & Skills

· Strong knowledge of TPM methodology, Lean principles or a continuous improvement program is a must, certifications in advanced CI tools preferred

· Demonstrated Proficiencies

· Demonstrated leadership and management skills; ability to motivate, develop, and inspire others

· Excellent leadership, communication, problem solving skills, and change management

· Experience successfully identifying, adopting and leading change initiatives and gaining alignment

· Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with stakeholders, peer groups and all factory personnel levels

· Proven track record of driving results in a factory environment

Working Conditions

The working conditions of this job require the employee to frequently be exposed to wet, humid, and extremely cold conditions. Employee is occasionally exposed to vibration and the noise level can be moderate. To protect against these conditions, frequent use of personal protective equipment is required.

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical Demands Hardcoded

Demand	Frequency
Sit	Frequent
Stand	Frequent
Walk	Frequent
Lift	Frequent
Bend/Twist	Frequent
Reach	Frequent
Vision - Close vision and the ability to adjust focus.	Constant

Other Physical Demands or Working Conditions

Characterized as sedentary work.Job demands may require long periods of sitting; telephone work and/or computer work as well as interactions with other employees and customers; filing in lateral and upright file cabinets.The employee frequently is required to use hands to finger, handle or touch. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 15 pounds. Travel 25% of the time on average is required.

AAP/EEO Statement

Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc. (AFNA) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. AFNA does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis protected by stated, federal, or local law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.

The statements contained herein reflect general details as necessary to describe the principal functions for this job, the level of knowledge and skill typically required, and the scope of responsibility, but should not be considered an all-inclusive listing of work requirements. Individuals may perform other duties as assigned.

Salary: 116,100 -141,900 /yr - DOE

20% annual STI bonus based on performance.

#INDSAN

Operational Excellence Manager in San Diego, California at Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc.

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