Plant Manager

Tree Island Yogurt is hiring a Plant Manager responsible for operationalizing the dairy’s strategic growth plan and overseeing daily operations of the 33,000 sq ft CFIA, SQF dairy processing facility.

The Plant Manager is responsible for managing a team and has formal accountability for production, QA/food safety, maintenance & technical projects, R&D execution and warehousing/3PL execution. The role does not manage sales or marketing. The plant manager is responsible for ensuring the plant delivers quality yogurt to meet sales requirements.

We are looking for an operating leader with real technical depth and management skills. Proven experience managing a team with mechanical engineering or equivalent dairy or food manufacturing experience is essential.

Role Details

Title: General Manager, Plant Operations

Company: Tree Island Yogurt

Location: Cumberland, BC

Reports to: Ownership / Senior Leadership Team

Compensation: $115,000 – 150,000 depending on experience

What You Will Own

• Daily plant operations and overall responsibility for the facility

• Production planning and execution

• QA and food safety execution

• Maintenance and equipment reliability

• Warehouse readiness and inventory discipline

• 3PL handoff and performance

• Technical plant projects

• Operational R&D trials and scale-up work

• Labour planning and supervisor accountability

• Operational KPIs and cost discipline

Opportunity

Tree Island is 14-year-old dairy with growing sales and national distribution. The 33,000 sq ft facility is CFIA and SQF certified. The Plant Manager is joining a dedicated and successful team to strengthen management systems and provide technical oversight and guidance. The Plant Manager is a systems thinker and is responsible for ensuring systems are working well and delivering on KPIs.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead production, QA, maintenance, warehousing, and 3PL execution.

• Build a disciplined daily and weekly operating rhythm.

• Improve throughput, labour efficiency, downtime, yield, and order readiness.

• Ensure food safety systems are followed on the floor.

• Support audit readiness and corrective action discipline.

• Build and manage a preventive maintenance system.

• Lead technical troubleshooting and capital project execution.

• Manage vendors, contractors, service providers, and technical consultants.

• Coordinate with sales on demand, product availability, and customer commitments.

• Lead plant-side R&D trials, scale-ups, and technical implementation.

• Report clearly on operating KPIs, risks, constraints, and priorities.

Required Experience

• Plant operations leadership experience in food, beverage, dairy, CPG, or regulated manufacturing.

• Strong technical understanding of mechanical systems, utilities, maintenance, and equipment reliability.

• Experience leading supervisors or cross-functional plant teams.

• Familiarity with food safety systems and production documentation.

• Ability to manage contractors, vendors, and technical projects.

• Comfortable using KPIs to manage production performance.

• Strong practical problem-solving ability.

Preferred Experience

• Mechanical engineering degree, engineering technology diploma, millwright background, or equivalent.

• Dairy or cultured dairy experience.

• Experience with sanitary equipment, CIP, refrigeration, boilers, compressed air, wastewater, packaging, or automation.

• SQF, HACCP, CFIA, or similar regulated food experience.

• 3PL or cold-chain logistics experience.

• ERP/MRP or production planning system experience.

The Right Fit

The right person is hands-on, technically strong, structured, and calm. They can walk the floor, understand what is happening, make decisions, hold people accountable, and build systems that make the plant stronger over time. This is not a desk-only role. It is also not a pure engineering role. It is an operating leadership role for someone who understands how technical systems, people, food safety, maintenance, and production performance fit together.