Director of Manufacturing
Weaver Popcorn Manufacturing LLC · Van Buren, IN
- Level
- Director+
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Degree
- Required (or equivalent experience)
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- 21 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A director-level manufacturing role at Weaver Popcorn Manufacturing LLC (industrial) in Van Buren, IN. As Director of Manufacturing, you will.
- They ask for
- degree required (or equivalent experience)
- Tools it names
- Lean, OEE, Automation
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Manufacturing Engineer roles in Indiana: typical posted base $97k–$135k.
Median of the low and high ends of 7 live postings that list pay, out of 40 manufacturing engineer openings in Indiana, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Indiana plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 39 other live manufacturing postings in Indiana.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- Not stated
Typical $97k–$135k, from 7 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Lean 55%
- Tooling 50%
- New product launch 45%
- Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 38%
- Team leadership 38%
- Root cause 33%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
At a glance
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 Manufacturing team at Weaver Popcorn Manufacturing LLC
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?
- Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
- How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
- 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.
Full description from Weaver Popcorn Manufacturing LLCAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
requirements
is preferred.
Come Grow With Us
At Weaver Popcorn Manufacturing, our mission is to grow our People, Popcorn, and Prosperity . We are looking for a leader who will bring that mission to life by being:
- ✓Committed
- ✓Trustworthy
- ✓Purpose Driven
- ✓Positive Mindset
- ✓Growth Oriented
If you are ready to build strong leaders, strengthen manufacturing systems, and help shape the future of an established and growing popcorn manufacturer, we invite you to apply.
Minimum
- ✓Must be able to read, write, and understand English to perform job duties effectively and safely.
- ✓Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations management, or a related field or equivalent experience.
- ✓Proven experience leading multi-site or system-level manufacturing.
- ✓Demonstrated ability to set manufacturing strategies, build capability, and develop leaders not just run a plant.
- ✓Deep knowledge of Lean, manufacturing operating systems, and continuous-improvement governance.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Description
Director of Manufacturing
Van Buren, Indiana | Approximately 10% Travel
Lead the Future of Manufacturing at Weaver Popcorn
For nearly a century, Weaver Popcorn Manufacturing has been growing great popcorn, strong partnerships, and talented people. We are looking for an experienced Director of Manufacturing to help lead the next chapter of that growth. This is not a traditional plant manager position. The Director of Manufacturing will shape the strategy, systems, and leadership capabilities that drive performance across our manufacturing operations. You will work closely with plant leaders and cross-functional partners to strengthen operational consistency, advance Weaver Manufacturing Excellence (WME), and build a manufacturing organization prepared for continued growth. You will have the opportunity to influence how we operate, from leadership development and Lean deployment to automation, capital planning, safety, food safety, and cost improvement.
What You’ll Make Possible
As Director of Manufacturing, you will
- •Set the long-term direction for manufacturing and turn business goals into a clear, actionable roadmap.
- •Advance WME as the operating system that connects people, processes, performance, and continuous improvement.
- •Build consistency across manufacturing operations while allowing teams to respond effectively to the needs of the business.
- •Develop plant leaders and strengthen succession plans for key operations roles.
- •Lead strategies that improve safety, food safety, quality, OEE, throughput, yield, scrap, and manufacturing cost.
- •Guide manufacturing capacity, capital, technology, and automation planning.
- •Help successful improvements move beyond one area or plant and become standard practice across the organization.
- •Bring Supply Chain, Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Food Safety, and HR together around shared manufacturing priorities.
The Leader We’re Looking For
You understand that lasting manufacturing performance comes from strong systems and capable leaders—not short-term fixes. You are comfortable setting strategy while staying connected to what is happening on the manufacturing floor. You can evaluate performance, ask the right questions, align teams around priorities, and hold leaders accountable for results. Just as importantly, you lead with a servant mindset and invest in the growth and success of others. You will be a strong fit if you bring:
- •Experience leading multi-site or system-level manufacturing operations.
- •A track record of building manufacturing strategy and improving organizational capability.
- •Strong knowledge of Lean manufacturing, operating systems, and continuous improvement.
- •Experience with manufacturing budgets, labor strategy, capital planning, and productivity improvement.
- •The ability to lead change and influence across functions.
- •A bachelor’s degree in engineering, operations management, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
Experience in food or consumer packaged goods manufacturing, advanced manufacturing technology, automation, SQF or BRC, and FSMA or PCQI
Preferred
- +Advanced degree; food or CPG manufacturing background.
- +Experience owning a multi-site capital and automation roadmap.
- +GFSI-scheme (SQF/BRC) and FSMA/PCQI familiarity.