Operations Manager - Food Manufacturing

General Mills · Joplin, MO

Level: Manager
Team: Production
Base pay: $95k–$143k
Degree: Preferred
Experience asked: 5+ years
Certification: Black Belt preferred
Industry: Food & beverage
Posted: 21 days ago

The role in 30 seconds

A management production role at General Mills (food & beverage) in Joplin, MO. You’ll develop frontline leaders, set clear performance expectations, use data to prioritize action, and lead improvements that strengthen safety, service, productivity, and cost performance.

They ask for: 5+ years · degree preferred · Black Belt preferred
Tools it names: Lean, Six Sigma, Black Belt, Green Belt, Kaizen, 5S
Base pay: $95k–$143k

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026

Production Engineer roles in the US: typical posted base $115k–$158k. This one lists $95k–$143k.

Median of the low and high ends of 226 live postings that list pay, out of 720 production engineer openings in the US, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.

Missouri plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →

How this role compares

Against 13 other live production postings in Missouri.

Experience asked: Less than usual (5+ vs 10+)

Skills these teams ask for most

✓ Team leadership 57%
✓ Lean 50%
EHS / safety 50%
Tooling 21%
✓ FDA / GMP 21%

✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.

Stands out: this posting asks for Six Sigma, Black Belt, Green Belt, 5S, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.

It asks for 5+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone doing this work there first.

At a glance

Lifts up to 50 lbs

Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.

How to get in at this plant

Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.

1
Pick 2–3 people on the Production team at General Mills
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- The posting mentions a Black Belt. Does the company sponsor certification?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.

This plant: General Mills in Joplin

3 other open roles at this site.

Maintenance Technician - Whitebridge Pet · Reliability · Technician
Manufacturing Process and Packaging Engineer - Joplin, MO · Process
Maintenance Technician · Reliability · Technician

Full description from General MillsAs posted on their careers site.Show

About the Role

The Operations Manager owns production operations at the Pet Treating facility in Joplin, Missouri. Reporting to the Plant Manager, you’ll lead three supervisors and their hourly teams to deliver safe, high-quality products on time and within budget.

This role combines people leadership, production execution, food safety and quality, financial management, equipment reliability, and continuous improvement. You’ll develop frontline leaders, set clear performance expectations, use data to prioritize action, and lead improvements that strengthen safety, service, productivity, and cost performance.

responsibilities

when needed.

◆Complete other assigned projects and responsibilities.

Qualifications

✓Associate's or Bachelor’s degree in business administration, operations, manufacturing, or a related field is preferred.
✓5+ years of progressively responsible manufacturing experience, including experience in the food industry.
✓1+ year of experience directly managing salaried employees.
✓Experience leading production or operations teams with responsibility for safety, quality, service, productivity, and cost.
✓Experience leading or facilitating Kaizen events or other hands-on continuous improvement work.
✓Working knowledge of lean manufacturing principles and their application in a production environment.
✓Strong leadership, communication, organization, and problem-solving skills.
✓Ability to develop teams, set expectations, and hold people accountable without damaging trust.
✓Experience managing operating expenses, developing budgets, and reviewing performance against plan.
✓Knowledge of project management principles and practices.
✓Ability to analyze operational data and prepare reports for reviews and issue tracking.
✓Ability to work in hot, cold, or wet conditions, including temperatures below 50°F or above 90°F for periods of up to three hours.
✓Ability to follow safety and PPE

requirements

when working with harsh cleaning chemicals.

✓Ability to occasionally lift or move up to 50 pounds and work at elevation, including on a ladder, lift box, or scissor lift.

Preferred Qualifications

✓Food manufacturing leadership experience in a regulated production environment.
✓Experience managing multiple people leaders and hourly teams.
✓Hands-on Autonomous Maintenance experience, including restoring equipment to basic condition and establishing operator-owned routines.
✓Experience with Redzone or a similar digital production or loss-management system.
✓Formal training in lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, Kaizen, or Total Productive Maintenance.
✓Practical use of spaghetti diagrams, SMED, 5G/5S, standard work, loss analysis, and visual management.
✓Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt training paired with practical application.
✓Training Within Industry (TWI) experience, especially in standardized work, employee training, and change management.
✓Experience analyzing capacity, equipment losses, yields, waste, labor, and other operating constraints.
✓Experience reviewing or creating bills of material.
✓Experience partnering with Engineering on productivity improvements and capital expenditure opp

Show full description ↓

Company overview

We exist to make food the world loves. But we do more than that. Our company is a place that prioritizes being a force for good, a place to expand learning, explore new perspectives and reimagine new possibilities, every day. We look for people who want to bring their best — bold thinkers with big hearts who challenge one another and grow together. Because becoming the undisputed leader in food means surrounding ourselves with people who are hungry for what’s next.

What You’ll Do

•Lead daily production through three supervisor direct reports and their hourly teams.
•Set priorities, coach leaders, document performance, and hold employees accountable while maintaining trust.
•Build team capability through onboarding, job-transfer training, corrective and preventive actions, and ongoing development.
•Plan production to meet volume, efficiency, service, safety, quality, and cost objectives.
•Review daily, weekly, and monthly KPIs; identify trends; and convert findings into focused improvement plans.
•Lead practical lean initiatives, including Kaizen events, loss analysis, spaghetti diagrams, SMED, standard work, and visual management.
•Establish and sustain Operations-owned Autonomous Maintenance routines, including basic-condition restoration, cleaning, tightening, lubrication checks, and early identification of equipment abnormalities.
•Partner with Maintenance on equipment conditions and significant breakdowns while maintaining clear ownership of routine operator care.
•Use Redzone or a similar system to identify top losses, track actions, and improve equipment performance.
•Partner with Engineering to identify productivity opportunities, capacity constraints, and potential capital investments.
•Conduct or support facility capacity analysis and use the results to guide production planning and improvement priorities.
•Review existing bills of material for accuracy and partner with Finance on BOMs for new products after production trials.
•Analyze yield, waste, labor, downtime, and other cost drivers; then implement plans to improve performance.
•Own the department’s operating expenses, support annual budget planning, monitor results, and partner with Accounting on reviews.
•Partner with Quality to maintain product quality, food safety, and regulatory compliance, including FDA, FSIS, SQF, USDA, and GMP requirements.
•Champion a strong safety, food-safety, and quality culture through training, communication, audit follow-up, and procedural updates.
•Prepare operational reports, track issues and actions, and collaborate with Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Finance, and other support teams.
•Cross-train to provide manufacturing continuity and assume applicable Quality Assurance