Manufacturing Operations Manager

Position Overview

CommonWealth Kitchen is seeking a highly organized and strategic Manufacturing Operations Manager to support our fast-growing co-manufacturing team. Reporting to the Chief Culinary Officer and working closely with the Food Safety Manager and Co-Manufacturing Team Lead, this role oversees day-to-day operations for a wide range of products made in partnership with diverse food businesses, regional farms, and for institutional food service. The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, analytical, and thrives in managing complex logistics. You should be comfortable working independently and collaboratively across teams, with a strong ability to navigate relationships with diverse stakeholders.

CWK produces everything from soups, sauces, and condiments to farm-based value-added items (like pickles and pesto), as well as veggie burgers, cookies, and falafel — for both retail and food service settings.

Primary Responsibilities

Relationship Management: Maintain strong, proactive communication with key customers, clients, suppliers, and distributors to support long-term partnerships.

Account Management: Oversee all aspects of production logistics, including sourcing ingredients and packaging, tracking inventory, managing billing, documenting lot codes and yields, and maintaining compliance records. Serve as the primary point of contact for clients regarding yields, inventory, billing, storage, and related matters.

Production Management: Ensure all materials (ingredients, packaging, labels) are available for daily production. Coordinate with the Chief Culinary Officer and co-manufacturing team to align staffing with production goals. Collaborate with facilities to confirm equipment readiness and supply availability.

Project Costing: Support the development and review of costing models to verify pricing accuracy across product formats.

Pipeline Management: Manage prospective client inquiries, gather required information, and collaborate with the production team to ensure clear, timely, and consistent communication. Use CWK tools to determine production rates and cost structures, ensuring accurate and up-to-date data.

Key Areas of Oversight

Product Sales & Fulfillment:

• Maintain updated product and inventory lists for distribution partners.
• Use tools like purchase orders, dashboards, and trackers to monitor sales, profitability, and order fulfillment.
• Manage annual CWK product initiatives (e.g., themed gift boxes) through Shopify, including sale fulfillment, shipping and reporting.

Product Purchasing & Supply Chain Management:

• Oversee purchasing for co-manufacturing, including weekly inventory of raw materials and finished goods.
• Coordinate with the Chief Culinary Officer (CCO) to ensure timely ingredient/material availability and efficient, LEAN production scheduling aligned with shelf-life targets.
• Negotiate vendor contracts, onboard suppliers, and manage full product lifecycle (receipt, storage, FIFO rotation, and outbound tracking).
• Coordinate with Receiving, Food Safety, and Facilities teams to ensure compliance and smooth operations.

Logistics & Compliance:

• Manage all inbound and outbound logistics, ensuring proper documentation and food safety compliance.
• Serve as liaison between Culinary and other departments (Finance, Marketing, Business Development, Food Safety).
• Support grant reporting requirements and participate in leadership meetings as requested by the CCO.

Operational Systems & Team Management:

• Lead cross-functional project management using Gantt charts, trackers, and stage-gate tools to maintain timelines, documentation, and compliance.
• Manage culinary support staff, including hiring, training, scheduling, evaluations, and payroll tracking.
• Continuously assess and improve operational workflows to increase efficiency and compliance.

Farmer Value-Added Program:

• Build and manage relationships with local farms for value-added product development.
• Coordinate product updates, pricing, storage needs, and seasonal adjustments (e.g., labeling).
• Collect post-season data for grant reporting and program evaluation.

Cross-Departmental Support:

• Provide operational support across departments including Facilities, Food Safety, and Business Development.
• Collaborate with CCO on grant compliance, reporting, and strategic initiatives.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional experience, ideally in operations; food industry experience preferred.
• Proven track record of operational excellence, with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and self-directed, with the ability to collaborate effectively across teams.
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel, Asana, Adobe, Salesforce (preferred), and virtual collaboration/meeting tools.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a customer service background.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) a plus!
• Passion for and alignment with CWK’s mission of advancing a just and sustainable food economy.