The Company
Founded in 2015 by CEO Ashley Thompson, MUSH has rapidly grown to be a $50 million manufacturer and distributor of ready-to-eat overnight oats that has pioneered a new breakfast category with clean, healthy ingredients. As one of the fastest growing consumer brands in the country, MUSH is available at over 11,000 retail doors nationwide and sells its products via retail, wholesale, and direct to consumer channels. The company currently has 130 employees and is headquartered in Chicago, IL with an operations site in Salt Lake City, UT.
The Role
The Plant Director is responsible for all aspects of plant operations, including product, planning, quality assurance, sanitation, maintenance, safety, and shipping/receiving. This leader is responsible for overall facility performance, including team leadership, KPIs, continuous improvement initiatives, capacity upgrades, construction & expansions, and COGs. The Plant Director will deliver on MUSH’s Operations Mission Statement of ensuring supply of the safest, highest quality product at the lowest possible cost. This role reports to the COO and leads a team of 6 Managers and ~90 associates.
Experience & Requirements
• Bachelor’s degree required; engineering preferred.
• 10+ years operations leadership experience in a food manufacturing environment (e.g., >100 employees, multiple production lines, etc.).
• Strong background in Lean/TPS/Six Sigma/TPM manufacturing practices (JIT, 5S, 5 Why, Production Leveling, Kaizen, Standard Work, etc.)
• Expertise in manufacturing standards and metrics (e.g., KPIs) for safety, quality, production, labor and material variances; mastery of OEE.
• Strong financial acumen; skilled in budgeting, COGs, and general cost management.
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills.
• Impeccable attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Ability to multitask, prioritize, and work in a fast-paced environment.
• A hands-on leadership and problem-solving approach.
• Experience in food safety and quality programs (FDA, GFSI, SQF, BRC).
