Director of Culinary Operations - Berkeley Culinary at Whitsons Culinary Group

Berkeley, Illinois, United States -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

13 Mar, 26

Salary

130000.0

Posted On

13 Dec, 25

Experience

10 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Strategic Thinking, Financial Acumen, Analytical Acumen, Continuous Improvement Mindset, Project Management, Problem Solving, Talent Development, Leadership, Communication Skills, Operational Excellence, Collaboration, Cross-Functional Partnership

Industry

Food Production

Description

SUMMARY The Director of Culinary Operations of the Berkeley Facility is the senior site leader responsible for overseeing all production, culinary, warehouse, sanitation, quality, and logistics operations within Whitsons’ Berkeley Prepared Meals manufacturing plant. The GM ensures that all aspects of the facility operate safely, efficiently, and in full alignment with organizational standards, delivering exceptional quality, service reliability, and cost performance. The GM provides strategic direction, leads managers and supervisors across multiple operational departments, and drives continuous improvement to support scalability, product consistency, and operational excellence. As the highest-ranking leader onsite, the GM partners closely with Culinary, Procurement, Finance, Facilities, Safety, HR, and Corporate Operations to ensure the facility meets evolving customer requirements and Whitsons’ long-term business objectives. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND DUTIES Strategic Leadership & Facility Oversight * Develop and execute a site-level operational strategy aligned with Prepared Meals growth and efficiency objectives. * Lead all core functional areas of the Berkeley Facility, including production, culinary, logistics, inventory management, warehousing, sanitation, and facility operations. * Set annual operational goals, performance benchmarks, and workforce plans to ensure high output, quality, and service reliability. * Maintain a strong culture of accountability, teamwork, integrity, and continuous improvement across the entire facility. Production & Operations Management * Oversee daily manufacturing operations to produce high-volume prepared meals in a safe, efficient, and cost-effective manner. * Ensure full adherence to SOPs, recipe and yield standards, USDA/HACCP requirements, allergen controls, and internal audit expectations. * Optimize production efficiency through improved labor utilization, equipment readiness, balanced line flow, and proactive scheduling coordination. * Partner with Culinary leadership on menu execution, product quality, process improvements, and new product introduction. Workforce Planning, Leadership & Development * Lead and develop a team of managers, supervisors, and operational leads across all departments. * Ensure clear performance expectations, conduct regular coaching and evaluations, and address performance issues promptly. * Build bench strength and succession planning for key facility roles. * Promote a respectful, high-performance environment with strong communication and collaboration across functions. Equipment, Maintenance & Facilities Coordination * Partner with the Facilities team on preventive maintenance, equipment uptime, and capital project planning. * Oversee construction, renovations, and upgrades required to support production growth or compliance needs. * Ensure safe operation of all machinery, adherence to lockout/tagout procedures, and compliance with OSHA and company standards. Quality, Safety & Compliance * Drive a safety-first culture through training, reinforcement, hazard prevention, and timely incident response. * Ensure strict adherence to HACCP, GMP, USDA, and internal quality standards. * Conduct regular production floor reviews to verify food safety practices, sanitation execution, and facility cleanliness. * Collaborate with QA leadership to investigate and resolve quality deviations, customer complaints, and compliance issues. Financial Management & Cost Control * Oversee facility budgets, labor targets, material usage, shrink control, and cost management initiatives. * Ensure proper use of Whitsons’ business systems (X3, SAP, etc.) to validate material and labor variances and maintain data accuracy. * Review production dashboards, KPIs, and variance reports to identify savings opportunities and operational efficiencies. * Support pricing models, margin objectives, and annual planning needs for the Prepared Meals division. Client & Partner Collaboration * Maintain strong communication with internal customer teams and external partners relying on Berkeley meal production. * Ensure operational readiness to meet daily customer requirements, seasonal fluctuations, and special program needs. * Participate in customer discussions, audits, and operational reviews as needed. Cross-Functional Alignment * Work collaboratively with Culinary, Production Planning, Procurement, Safety, HR, Finance, and Corporate Operations to align production plans and strategic initiatives. * Ensure production, inventory, and warehouse teams remain synchronized to support accurate material flow, ordering, and planning. * Support operational improvements, system upgrades, and business-wide initiatives impacting the plant. Continuous Improvement & Special Projects * Identify opportunities to eliminate waste, reduce downtime, and improve throughput and product consistency. * Lead lean initiatives, SOP enhancements, workflow redesigns, and productivity improvement projects. * Complete special assignments and strategic projects as directed by the SVP of Operations or COO. Salary Range: $110-$130K Qualifications Education & Certifications * Bachelor’s degree required (Operations, Food Production, Business, Supply Chain, or related field preferred). * HACCP certification (required). * Additional food safety or process improvement certifications preferred. Experience * 10+ years of experience in manufacturing or food production environments, with a minimum of 5 years in food manufacturing. * 5+ years of management experience leading multi-department teams. * Strong background in production operations, workforce leadership, quality compliance, and cost management. * Bilingual Spanish highly preferred. Technical & Leadership Competencies * Strategic Thinking * Financial & Analytical Acumen * Continuous Improvement Mindset * Project Management * Advanced Problem Solving & Root Cause Analysis * Talent Development & Leadership * Communication & Influencing Skills * Operational Excellence & Standardization * Collaboration & Cross-Functional Partnership WORK ENVIRONMENT AND OTHER DETAILS Expected Hours of Work: This is a full-time exempt position. Typical work hours are Monday–Friday, 7:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., with additional hours as needed to meet business demands and production schedules. As an exempt position, it is expected that Team Member will devote whatever time necessary to accomplish the goals and responsibilities. This will often require extended work hours, evening, and/or weekend work. Travel Requirements: Periodic travel to production facilities, vendor sites, and industry events may be required. Most travel will be regional, with occasional overnight stays. Physical Demands of the Job: 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 accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the team member is frequently required to sit, stand, walk, talk, and hear; use hands and fingers to feel, handle, or operate objects, tools, or controls; and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus. Work Environment: The work is performed primarily in a company or home-office setting. The noise level in the company work environment is moderate. The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work and duties that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duty does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, or a logical assignment to the position, and the Company reserves the right to add additional duties or modify existing duties. The job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the Company and employee and is subject to change by the Company as the needs of the Company and requirements of the job change. Employee’s signature below constitutes an employee’s understanding of the requirements, essential functions, and duties of the position.

Responsibilities

The Director of Culinary Operations oversees all production, culinary, warehouse, sanitation, quality, and logistics operations within the Berkeley Prepared Meals manufacturing plant. They provide strategic direction and lead managers across multiple operational departments to ensure operational excellence and alignment with organizational standards.