Operations Manager

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Ready to bring fresh energy to your career? At Lee Kum Kee, we’re committed to your growth, offering a place where creativity and innovation thrive. If you're eager to make an impact and advance your career, apply today and start adding flavor to your professional life!

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Founded in 1888, Lee Kum Kee, a Hong Kong-based global food company, specializes in creating condiments and sauces that promote Chinese cuisine worldwide. With more than 300 products to choose from, Lee Kum Kee takes the mystery out of cooking authentic and delicious Asian foods in the comfort of your kitchen. Lee Kum Kee is committed to providing authentic and innovative condiments and sauces featuring the highest quality ingredients. Armed with a unique management culture, stringent quality control, superb and innovative products, coupled with the century long brand reputation, Lee Kum Kee has achieved unanimous recognition and won numerous prestigious awards.

Lee Kum Kee (USA) Inc., a division of Lee Kum Kee International Holdings Ltd., has its headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Southern California with more than 500 employees (Americas Zone Region). We are looking for the best and brightest talents to join our company and work together to bring the next level of success!

POSITION SUMMARY

The Operations Manager will lead and oversee all daily functions of our new soy sauce manufacturing facility in Atlanta, from raw material sourcing and production to final shipment. This is a hands-on, leadership role in a startup environment that demands strategic thinking, operational excellence, and a strong grasp of food manufacturing processes, including fermentation. The Operations Manager will develop and implement operational strategies, ensure safety, quality and regulatory compliance, lead operation teams, and drive continuous improvement initiatives aligned with company goals and values.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Lead and manage the startup and ongoing operation of the Atlanta soy sauce plant, including staffing, facility readiness, and production workflow.
• Plan and coordinate production schedules to meet volume, quality, and delivery requirements.
• Ensure compliance with safety, food safety (GMPs, HACCP, FDA, USDA, SQF), and regulatory standards across all operations.
• Drive continuous improvement in productivity, quality, safety, and cost by applying TPM, Lean, Six Sigma, and Total Quality Management principles.
• Build a strong culture of employee health and safety, quality, and food safety.
• Develop, monitor, and manage key performance indicators (KPIs); use data to guide decisions and performance reviews.
• Monitor daily production metrics, inventory levels, raw material usage, and stock control to ensure FIFO compliance and allergen segregation.
• Maintain and report on operational budgets and P&L performance; identify areas to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
• Supervise and develop a growing team (initially ~20+ employees), providing clear direction, training, coaching, and performance evaluation.
• Work with vendors and suppliers to manage inventory and material flow, ensuring timely procurement and shipment of goods.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives to optimize process flow, equipment efficiency, and layout of the facility.
• Partner with HR to help with hiring, training, performance management, and employee relations.
• Interface with other departments (Quality, R&D, Maintenance, Procurement, Finance, Logistics) to ensure product specifications and customer expectations are met.
• Support company culture by promoting team capability development, safety, accountability, quality, and respect in all areas of operation.

COMPETENCIES

• Problem Solving
• Action Oriented
• Planning & Organizing
• Customer Focus
• Self-Development

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

Supervises daily production operations.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Engineering, Operational Management, Industrial Engineering, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in food or beverage manufacturing, with a strong preference for fermentation-based processes.
• Strong background in manufacturing leadership, continuous improvement, and plant operations.
• Knowledge of ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Fishbowl, NetSuite) and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Lean Six Sigma certification, APICS CSCP or CPIM preferred.
• Excellent leadership, strategic planning, and organizational skills.
• Deep understanding of food safety, regulatory compliance, and quality standards.
• Strong analytical, financial, and problem-solving skills.
• Effective communication, conflict resolution, and team-building capabilities.
• Ability to thrive in a dynamic, startup-style environment.
• Flexibility to participate in meetings and training with west coats and China time zones.
• The individual must possess excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills in English.
• Bilingual in English and Chinese is a plus.
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret common scientific and technical journals, financial reports, and legal documents. Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers, regulatory agencies, or members of the business community. Ability to effectively present information to top management, public groups, and/or boards of directors.
• Must occasionally lift and move up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to stand, walk, bend, kneel, and climb stairs or ladders as needed.
• Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential duties.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions; moving mechanical parts; high, precarious places; fumes or airborne particles; toxic or caustic chemicals; outside weather conditions; extreme cold; extreme heat; risk of electrical shock; explosives; risk of radiation; and vibration. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

It is Lee Kum Kee’s policy to seek and employ the most qualified persons in all jobs in a manner which will ensure equal employment opportunity as well as administer personnel actions in a manner as to not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability or protected veteran status. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.