Plant Director

---

Job description

Overview:
You may know us for our delicious cheesecakes and for being recognized by Fortune Magazine as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For " 11 years in a row! What you may not know is at The Cheesecake Factory Bakery, our staff members are our highest quality ingredient.

The Plant Director is responsible for all production and packaging activities and results for a three-shift, seven-day operation in a 100,000-square-foot facility with approximately 500 full-time, non-union employees. This facility generates $75 million in gross sales, with approximately $37.5 million in direct costs. The Director leads, directs, and manages all operational activities, including production scheduling, raw materials and packaging supplies logistics, pre-scaling, mixing, depositing, baking, decorating, and packaging.

They utilize excellent leadership, analytical, management, and technical skills, abilities, and behaviors to drive performance in key areas such as people, safety, quality, service, and cost, aligned with measurable objectives and the Company's Mission, Vision, and Values. The Director also assists with business continuity in the absence of the VP of Operations.

You'll thrive in this position if you are:

Service oriented: you are a people person who is systematic and trustworthy, and interacts constructively with peers or teams of various levels demonstrating strong, positive communication skills.

Driven by results: you are conscientious and persistent about delivering timely, high quality deliverables, and performing all job functions safely while follow instructions.

Improvement focused: you never turn off the thought "how can I do this better/faster".

Pressure resistant: you have ice in your veins while under pressure. Maintaining a positive outlook at work while the heat is on is never an issue for you.

Responsibilities:
Maintain positive employee relations through respectful, open, and effective two-way communication at the individual and team levels.

Partner with human resources and training departments to develop, implement, and maintain effective training and development programs that support performance goals and provide a satisfying work environment.

Maintain a fair and professional work environment that balances business objectives with quality-of-work-life factors for employees.

Work with Human Resources to ensure compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and company policies, while driving improvements in employee performance as measured by turnover rate, attendance, and feedback mechanisms.

Oversee production planning and scheduling to optimize service and efficiency, balancing resources such as crewing, materials, and equipment with other department managers.

Supervise the development of synchronized crewing, equipment setup, and materials preparation plans to ensure schedule attainment and optimize capacity utilization.

Manage timekeeping, labor efficiency, and plant productivity in compliance with legal and company policies, aiming to minimize overtime and control non-productive line time.

Collaborate with the Plant Engineer to ensure preventive and emergency maintenance efforts are effective, minimizing downtime and optimizing machine performance.

Manage material usage to ensure minimal waste and maximum yield, while maintaining strict adherence to product quality standards and inventory management.

Monitor spending and manage operations within approved budget levels, while driving improvements in cost performance through labor productivity, waste reduction, and yield maximization.

Ensure disciplined compliance with product and process quality standards, food safety, and regulatory requirements, striving for "EXCELLENT" or "SUPERIOR" scores in third-party audits.

Lead plant safety efforts, including co-chairing the Safety Steering Committee, safety inspections, and training, while driving improvements in safety performance as measured by injury frequency and workers' compensation data.

Participate in business plan development, budgeting processes, and plant-level meetings to ensure effective communication and alignment with operational goals.

Qualifications:
Minimum of 15 years of experience in food manufacturing management, preferably in the bakery/dessert industry, with demonstrated success at the Plant Manager or Director of Manufacturing/Operations level.

Bachelor's Degree in Business or Engineering or MBA.

Strong experience with food safety, food process equipment, and regulations.

Strong experience with emergency preparedness and emergency response plans and procedures.

Familiar with regulatory and safety codes, including USDA, FDA, and OSHA regulations.

Knowledge and demonstrated skill in lean manufacturing, Kaizen, kitting, and Six Sigma techniques.

Prior experience with direct responsibility for a large-scale P&L.

Strong and effective strategic management skills, including long-range planning, organizing, communicating, influencing, gathering and using information, and motivating a team to achieve results. Ability to use, and teach others to use, various analytical tools and techniques.

Demonstrated mentoring skills.

What we prefer:

Bi-lingual in Spanish and English a plus.

About the Company:
Our state-of-the-art The Cheesecake Factory Bakery creates over 35,000 delicious cheesecakes per day across our two facilities in Calabasas, CA and Rocky Mountain, NC plus other baked products for our restaurants, international licensees, and third-party bakery customers.

The Cheesecake Factory Bakery is a subsidiary of The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated. Recognized as a Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For since 2014, The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated is a global $3.4 billion public company with more than 300 casual dining restaurants.

We offer a people-centered culture and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace for all. We welcome applicants from a wide variety of identities, ideas, perspectives, and experiences, and encourage individuals from underrepresented backgrounds to apply.

We are an E-Verify and Equal Opportunity Employer. The Cheesecake Factory Bakery offers reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities.

<!– job description page –>