Director of Plant Operations - Springfield, MO

Finding the right place to grow your career isn't (over) easy, so we're here to help by sharing a few reasons why the grass is greener at Vital Farms.

We think you'll appreciate our focus on Conscious Capitalism, which drives business decisions that benefit all our stakeholders (leading to even better business results).

You might be drawn to our innovative approach and refusal to settle for the "way things have always been done." Or you could find it exciting to grow your skills while working for an industry-leading brand.

Whether you're into our values, our brand, or our egg-cellent puns, we hope you'll join our Crew and help us change the world 108 square feet at a time!

At Vital Farms, we are proud of our incredible stakeholders, and the diversity they represent from all areas and communities in which we operate and serve.

We view this as a source of strength for us and your job is to help us make it even better.

Reporting to the Vice President of Operations, the Director of Plant Operations leads our Springfield facility, Egg Central Station (ECS), and managesall production operations in a safe, quality focused, people-centric, cost-efficient manner supporting on time and accurate delivery.

In this role you will embody Vital Farms' values and collaborate with leaders at all levels of the organization as you manage a team that is accountable for getting quality products to our customers.

As the Director of Plant Operations , you will have a seat at the table, voice and input into our growth and will be responsible for setting and ensuring the achievement of performance targets and strategic initiatives.

You design and set operational goals that are consistent with the vision of the organization and are responsible for the department budgets in Springfield.

You will foster a coaching culture that develops your leadership team, to equip them to provide purpose, role clarity and inspiration to the crew in their span of care.

You will provide clarity so each of your team knows and understands how their unique roles and experiences contribute to overall team success.

What You'll Do :

• Be a leader who excels through prioritizing and building a high performing team.
• Act like an owner, proactively setting a vision that clearly defines what current and future success looks like for all crew at ECS.
• Instill a continuous improvement mindset and foster a culture of ownership, accountability and excitement around scaling the business.
• Support and empower the ECS leadership team to exceed results for Safety, FSQA, Reliability, Service and Cost.
• Tracks key performance indicators / costs, anticipating and correcting trends which would compromise achievement of facility targets.
• Provides oversight and assures facility equipment reliability to minimize downtime.
• Promote strong, collaborative partnerships with key stakeholders across our organization.
• Use your expertise to drive the holistic production process to meet demand in a flexible and agile manner.
• Contribute to our vision of being a destination employer by hiring, developing, and retaining a high performing, agile team that will meet the needs of the business today and become future leaders tomorrow.
• Continuously evaluate team needs, business needs, anticipate problems and drive improvements to our processes and ways of working.
• Build people capability through effective management, development, and training of our crew to crew to cultivate a team-oriented, problem-solving culture.
• Partner with finance and business leaders to develop and manage our annual plant operating plan.

What You Bring to the Table :

• An analytical mindset, but also the ability to apply art with the science and bring others along through your ability to tell the story through data.
• You build an incredible culture and have a proven track record of success in building, managing, and leading a high performing team through meaningful coaching and engagement.
• A commitment to continually raising the standards by creating a culture of innovation and entrepreneurial risk taking.
• Experience using data analysis to drive positive team and business outcomes.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in production, operations, or manufacturing, preferably in food or other regulated business
• 5+ years in Lean Operations management
• Experience with an ERP system, NetSuite, and Microsoft D365 experience is a plus.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule to meet the needs of a 24 / 7 production environment.
• Ability travel to, approximately up to 15% travel for meetings and training
• Ability to build strong collaborative relationships across departments and divisions supporting a team environment.
• Excellent time management skills with a sense of priority for deadlines and attention to detail.
• Computer proficiency in MS Office : Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• You're no hero - You know the power of teamwork and celebrate the work of others before your own.
• You give a sh*t - You believe in acting like an owner and making Vital Farms a place to be proud of.
• You raise the standards - You know growth can be hard, but you strive to improve yourself and others each day.
• You can walk in someone else's boots - You seek to understand other's viewpoints and think that you get to better answers by sitting on the same side of the table.
• You don't walk on eggshells - You're not afraid to leave the bullsh*t behind and have honest conversations.

What We Bring to the Table :

• A fast-paced, energetic environment with passionate people who are leading a movement to bring ethically produced food to the table.
• Competitive pay and benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision, and Paid Parental Leave, just to name a few).
• Generous retirement contributions : 401(k) + 3% Contribution from Day 1.
• Free eggs and butter, along with friends and family discounts.
• Fun team SWAG that will make you the talk of the town.
• Professional development opportunities and an amazing team dedicated to your growth.

Who We Are :

Vital Farms, a Certified B Corporation, offers a range of ethically produced foods nationwide. Started on a single farm in Austin, Texas, in 2007, Vital Farms became a national consumer brand that works with 350 family farms and is the leading U.

S. brand of pasture-raised eggs by retail dollar sales. Vital Farms' products, including shell eggs, butter, hard-boiled eggs, and liquid whole eggs, are sold in over 24,000 stores nationwide.

Vital Farms' ethics are exemplified by its focus on the humane treatment of farm animals and sustainable farming practices.

In addition, as a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation, Vital Farms prioritizes the long-term benefits of each of its stakeholders, including farmers and suppliers, customers and consumers, communities and the environment, crew members, and stockholders.

In short, we exist to improve the lives of people, animals, and our planet through food.

Next Steps :

Shortly after you complete your application, you'll receive a follow-up email elaborating on any potential next steps in our process.

If you don't immediately receive said follow-up email, we would highly encourage you to check your spam filter!

In order to fulfill Vital Farms mission to "bring ethically produced food to the table," we seek to build teams that leverage diverse perspectives to create a welcoming and innovative environment that is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunities.

To that end, we make employment decisions based on qualifications, merit, and business need. Vital Farms does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender and gender identity, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, citizenship status, military or veteran status, physical or mental disability, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Notification to Agencies :

Vital Farms is not accepting unsolicited third-party recruitment agencies in the hiring process for this role. If you are a potential candidate interested in a role with Vital Farms, please submit an application directly.

If you have any questions about the application process or the role itself, please reach out to a member of our Talent Acquisition team at [email protected] .