Vice President of Manufacturing

About Schweid & Sons 

Schweid & Sons is a family-owned and operated premium ground beef company with a proud heritage spanning four generations. We supply top-quality beef to Retail, Foodservice, and National Account customers across the U.S. and are committed to quality, customer service, and innovation in protein manufacturing.

The Opportunity

Schweid & Sons is seeking an exceptional Vice President of Manufacturing to lead and elevate a multi-site, premium protein manufacturing organization at a critical stage of growth and operational maturity. This is a highly visible executive role accountable for people safety, food safety, quality, service, cost, reliability, and the deployment of a disciplined Lean operating system—while preserving the craftsmanship, values, and heritage of a fourth-generation family business.

Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer, the Vice President of Manufacturing will shape the next evolution of Schweid & Sons’ manufacturing platform by embedding Lean Manufacturing, Daily Management Systems (DDS), and TPS-based or equivalent to deliver predictable performance, engaged teams, and world-class execution.

This role is intentionally designed for a Lean practitioner—someone who has built operating systems, developed leaders, and sustained results over time. It is also a key succession role within the operations organization, with the expectation that the successful executive will develop the capability and enterprise perspective required for broader responsibility over time, including advancement to Vice President of Operations or Chief Operating Officer, based on performance and business needs.

Key Facts

• Headquarters: East Rutherford, New Jersey
• Manufacturing Sites:
  • Carlstadt, NJ (Union)
  • College Park, GA (Non-Union)
• Employees: 300+
• Products: Premium ground beef blends (Certified Angus Beef®, USDA Prime®, custom and branded offerings)
• Channels: Foodservice, Retail

Role Overview

The Vice President of Manufacturing is responsible for the end-to-end performance and evolution of Schweid & Sons’ multi-site manufacturing network and reports directly to the Chief Operating Officer. This executive partners closely with the COO to translate enterprise strategy into execution, ensuring excellence in safety, reliability, service, cost, and continuous improvement.

This role requires an enterprise mindset, strong cross-functional influence, and the leadership maturity to balance near-term execution with long-term capability building. Success will be driven through disciplined systems, visible leadership, and strong people development.

Reporting Structure

• Reports to: Chief Operating Officer
• Key Partners: President & CEO; Executive Leadership Team
• Reports:
  • Plant Leaders
  • Manufacturing Operations 
  • Maintenance & Plant Engineering
  • Receiving, Shipping, Warehousing
  • Training and Development
• Travel: Approximately 35%

Key Responsibilities

People Safety, Health & Culture

• Establish an uncompromising people-safety culture grounded in visible leadership, accountability, and genuine care for employees at every level.
• Make safety a core operating value, fully integrated into Lean systems, DDS routines, leader standard work, and performance management—not a standalone program.
• Drive behavior-based safety, hazard identification, near-miss reporting, and root-cause problem-solving to eliminate risk and prevent injuries.
• Ensure leaders at all levels are trained, engaged, and accountable for safety leadership on the plant floor.
• Achieve sustained improvement toward zero injuries through disciplined systems and continuous improvement.

Food Safety & Quality

• Champion a food-safety-first culture across all manufacturing locations.
• Ensure full compliance with USDA, FSMA, HACCP, GMPs, and customer requirements.
• Maintain audit readiness and lead corrective and preventive action programs.

Lean Manufacturing, Schweid Operational Excellence (SOX) & Daily Management Systems

• Lead the design, deployment, and maturation of an enterprise Lean Management System grounded in TPS or equivalent integrated work systems.
• Improve and sustain Daily Direction Setting (DDS) with clear goals, visual management, tiered accountability, and escalation.
• Establish leader standard work, structured problem solving (root cause analysis), and routine Gemba engagement.
• Move the organization beyond tools to culture, capability, and leadership behaviors.
• Drive continuous improvement using tools and principles to include Lean, TPM, Kaizen, Six Sigma, and high-performance work systems.

Manufacturing Strategy & Operational Performance

• Develop and execute a manufacturing strategy aligned with growth, margin, service, and reliability objectives.
• Lead multi-site operations with consistent standards across union and non-union environments.
• Deliver 100% on-time customer service through predictable, stable processes in a make-to-order organization.
• Own OEE performance across productivity, yield, labor efficiency, downtime, and cost.

Maintenance, Reliability & Asset Care

• Provide strong executive leadership over maintenance, reliability, and plant engineering.
• Establish and sustain robust asset-care strategies, including preventive, predictive, and condition-based maintenance.
• Integrate maintenance fully into Lean systems, DDS, and TPM routines.
• Improve OEE, uptime, and maintenance cost effectiveness through disciplined execution and reliability engineering.
• Own long-term asset health, lifecycle planning, and operational risk mitigation.

Engineering & Capital Effectiveness

• Develop and execute multi-year capital investment plans aligned with safety, reliability, capacity, and ROI.
• Ensure capital projects are delivered on time, on budget, and sustainably integrated into operations.

Enterprise Leadership & Succession Readiness

• Operate as an enterprise leader with a holistic view of end-to-end operations.
• Partner closely with the COO and executive peers on operating priorities, strategic initiatives, and capital allocation.
• Build the leadership capability, systems thinking, and judgment required for expanded operational responsibility over time, including potential progression to VP Operations or COO.

People, Talent & Leadership Development

• Build and develop a high-performing manufacturing, maintenance, and plant engineering leadership team.
• Identify and develop Lean leaders at all levels through coaching, training, and structured development.
• Drive succession planning and ensure bench strength across the organization.
• Promote a culture of initiative, ownership, urgency, accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.

What Success Looks Like in the First 12 Months

• Visible improvement in people safety, leadership and engagement
• DDS, leader standard work, and Lean routines operating consistently
• Improved predictability in safety, service, uptime, and cost
• Measurable gains in maintenance reliability and reduced unplanned downtime
• A credible multi-year manufacturing, reliability, and capital roadmap
• Recognition as a trusted enterprise leader with readiness for broader operational scope

Candidate Profile

Required Experience

• 15+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience, must be in Pharmaceutical, food or protein manufacturing
• Proven success leading multi-site manufacturing organizations in regulated environments
• Deep, hands-on experience implementing Lean Manufacturing, TPS-like programs, Daily Management Systems, or Integrated Work Systems
• Strong leadership of maintenance, reliability, and asset care functions
• Track record of measurable improvements in safety, uptime, productivity, and cost
• Demonstrated capability and aspiration to lead beyond manufacturing into enterprise-level operations
• Strong business and financial acumen with executive-level communication skills

Leadership Attributes

• Authentic Lean practitioner and systems thinker
• Visible, plant-centric leader who sets expectations through behavior
• Disciplined, data-driven, and accountability focused
• Collaborative, decisive, and values-based

Education

• Bachelor’s degree required or suitable, extensive experiences (Engineering, Operations, or Food Science preferred)
• Advanced degree preferred

Location & Travel

• Based in College Park, GA 
• Domestic travel approximately 35%

What We Offer

• Final compensation will be discussed during the interview process.

• Time Off: PTO, Safe & Sick Time, and Paid Holidays.
• Health Benefits: Medical, vision, dental, HRA and voluntary disability benefits.
• Financial Benefits: 401(k) + employer match and life insurance.
• Location: This is an on-site role located in College Park, GA.
• Environment: Our facility is refrigerated. In this role you will be exposed to < 40 degrees for multiple hours of the day.

Our Culture

At Schweid & Sons, our culture is built on our core values: Trust, Respect, Innovation, Passion, and Pride. We believe in creating an environment where people can collaborate, contribute ideas, and grow their careers while delivering the very best burger experience to our customers. Joining our team means becoming part of a company that values its people as much as its product.

Equal Opportunity & Accommodations

At Schweid & Sons we believe that to build the best team, we must hire using an objective lens. We are committed to fair hiring practices where we hire people for their potential and advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. As such, we do not discriminate or make decisions based on your race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, military service eligibility, veteran status, marital status, disability, or any other protected class. If you need a reasonable accommodation, please let your recruiter know how we can make your interview process work best for you.

Disclaimer 

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the Team member(s) assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of individuals in this position. Position Expectations may be subject to change as the needs of the organization changes.