Director/Sr Director, Technical Operations

Position Overview:

This position is responsible for Technical Operations related to relationships and engineering oversight at contract manufacturers (co-mans), relevant suppliers, and SAMBAZON lab also supporting product development. Concurrently, this position will oversee manufacturing operations at multiple co-man facilities. This includes supervision of co-man processes, start-up process, trials, and staff especially related to technical knowhow and problem solving and continuous improvement between the co-man and SAMBAZON. Additional responsibilities include, working with co-mans to optimize processes, improve efficiency, as well as searching and sourcing new co-mans & commercializing new products. The ideal candidate have strong skills in manufacturing, communication, technical and food safety understanding, problem-solving skills, and be willing to travel to these facilities where required.

This is a hybrid role, working out of our San Clemente office up to three days per week. This role offers a generous benefits package, an annual bonus opportunity, and half-day Fridays!

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Design and develop strategies for engineering standards for capital projects.
• Deploy the engineering projects to the manufacturers and work closely with them on install and knowledge transfer of equipment such as chipper, pasteurization, filling, packing, etc.
• Provide compliance to engineering standards & work with manufacturers to provide standards.
• Facilitate initial startup procedures with new co-mans by conducting initial audits, reviewing current facility capabilities & partnering with Quality Assurance, Compliance, and R&D teams through trials and start up procedures.
• Conduct co-man audits as required for efficiencies and partner with quality and compliance groups.
• Search and source new contract manufacturers for expanding business needs including additional capacity, new capabilities, and new product launches, with guidance from SVP.
• Manage all new product development launches at co-man manufacturing facilities, in partnership with R&D innovation team and at the direction of SVP.
• Work closely with procurement, production planning, and logistics groups.
• Conduct research and stay informed on new technologies in support of business goals and objectives.
• Drive engineering pilot testing activities and plant trials at the direction of the SVP Tech Ops + PD for new product roll outs and optimizations.
• Provide corporate support to operations and maintenance during large and transformational projects, including facilitating start-up procedures with co-manufacturers.
• Provide Centers of Excellence in key technologies (processing, filling, packaging, material handling, manufacturing execution, etc.).
• Work with senior leaders to help uncover and address strategic business opportunities and large-scale asset investments. Synthesize complex strategic problems into clear, actionable plans and ensure execution for success.
• Develop business cases, technical solutions, and implementation plans as well as lead key strategic programs and cross-functional teams in driving strategic efforts.
• Accountable for driving results, defining outcomes, and ensuring that the strategy is executed successfully to advance business outcomes. Identify and define business questions and issues, and develop strategic, analytical, and financial frameworks to conduct analysis.
• Structure and define approach to new strategic problems.
• Lead the multiyear SAMBAZON supply chain technical transformation strategies.
• Evaluate and prioritize capital projects & resources using strong business case/ROI discipline.
• Implement and utilize project management best practices to help ensure on-time and on-budget delivery of engineering initiatives.
• Clearly communicate risks & opportunities and provide mitigation options & recommendations.
• Explore and implement operational and manufacturing technology solutions that support the growth agenda and enable operational excellence that includes warehouses and logistics.
• Partner cross-functionally on best technology selection and implementation, ensuring delivery of performance and cost objectives.
• Drive continuous improvement projects and processes through use of engineering and technical solutions.
• Foster a culture of high performance, accountability, and continuous learning & improvement.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Science or Engineering required preferably in Mechanical or Industrial Engineering or Food Science. Master’s degree preferred.
• 5+ years leading a technical operation and/or professional team in a food industry, preferably frozen and refrigerated foods environment, R&D experience preferred.
• 5+ years in large capital project management.
• 8+ years in operations and/or production R&D in food industry. (Highly Preferred).
• Engineering, R&D, and Standards experience (Highly Preferred).
• Strong financial acumen.
• Knowledgeable in process design standards, prototype & product development.