Operations Manager
Johnsonville · Holton, KS
- Level
- Manager
- Team
- Production
- Travel
- 10%
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 8+ years
- Industry
- Food & beverage
- Posted
- 25 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A management production role at Johnsonville (food & beverage) in Holton, KS.
- They ask for
- 8+ years · degree required
- Day to day
- about 10% travel
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026
Production Engineer roles in Kansas: typical posted base $105k–$161k.
Median of the low and high ends of 10 live postings that list pay, out of 30 production engineer openings in Kansas, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Kansas plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 29 other live production postings in Kansas.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- More than usual (8+ vs 5+)
Typical $93k–$154k, from 9 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Lean 63%
- Team leadership 57%
- EHS / safety 37%
- Six Sigma 30%
- SAP 27%
- Root cause 23%
✓ = 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 Production team at Johnsonville
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 says about 10% travel. Between which sites?
- 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: Johnsonville in Holton
1 other open role at this site.
- Food Safety Quality Manager · Quality · Manager
Full description from JohnsonvilleAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Responsibilities
- ◆Lead the performance and coaching of the Holton operations
- ◆Foster a culture of trust, collaboration, and accountability; empowering teams to take ownership of their work, pursue continuous improvement, and achieve exceptional outcomes
- ◆Establish clear performance expectations and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), consistently offering feedback and recognition to enhance member engagement and drive motivation
- ◆Strive for operational excellence by achieving Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and facility performance metrics
- ◆Optimize operational processes and align standards of work, while enhancing manufacturing agility
- ◆Provide coaching, mentorship, and professional development opportunities to team members, fostering their growth and advancement within the organization
- ◆Oversee safety, quality, and compliance with regulatory requirements, instilling a strong sense of responsibility and integrity among all staff members
- ◆Lead manufacturing Reliability Excellence initiatives and Continuous Improvement (CI) efforts to optimize processes and enhance operational efficiency
- ◆Cultivate robust relationships with cross-functional teams and corporate leadership, ensuring alignment with overarching company strategy and objectives
- ◆Lead regular communication channels to keep members informed, engaged, and connected ;
Education
- ✓Bachelor's Degree in manufacturing, business, engineering, or related field required
Experience
- ✓Minimum of 8 years in an operations leadership or equivalent role with responsibility overseeing multiple departments with strong focus on superlative results and team leadership, required
- ✓Minimum of 5 years of meat industry or food commodity experience preferred
- ✓Previous experience directly managing people leaders
- ✓Proven track record of driving and sustaining meaningful, productive change that creates long-term value
- ✓Knowledge of governance, risk, compliance and legal issues relevant in the industry
Requirements
- ✓Travel: Less than 10% of your time
- ✓Responsible for oversight of all 3 shifts. Ability to visit those shifts on a frequent basis.
Applicants must be eligible to work in the country where this job is located, without requiring sponsorship now or in the future.
#JVLIND
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Johnsonville Location: Holton
At Johnsonville, our Members are responsible for everything! If you’re passionate about making a difference, we want you to help make our products, our processes, our communities and each other better. As part of our manufacturing leadership and support group, you’ll help ensure production and maintenance Members have the resources and support needed to work safely and efficiently. The group will also ensure the products we produce are of only the highest quality and ready for consumers to enjoy.
Position Overview
Johnsonville is a leading food manufacturing company with multiple manufacturing facilities across various locations. We prioritize the safety of our members, our product quality, and the growth and development of our members. Our culture is built on trust, collaboration, and a commitment to excellence.
We are seeking a dynamic and strategic manufacturing Operations Coordinator to lead our Holton operations team who has a proven track record of creating an environment of ownership, fostering a culture of trust, and achieving superlative results.
Skills
- •Operates with transparency and unquestionable integrity and builds trusting relationships with stakeholders at all levels of the organization
- •Demonstrated ability to develop and lead high performing teams through trust, collaboration, and empowerment
- •Leads with confidence and has a motivating executive presence; has outstanding interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence
- •Strategic Thinking - Demonstrates a keen ability to think from the outside in
- •High level of autonomy in planning, executing, and developing contingencies
- •Demonstrated drive to achieve results and take calculated risks
- •Confidently adapts and adjusts to changes and challenges while maintaining a positive outlook
- •Record of cross-functional project management leadership
- •Proficiency in utilizing data for informed decision-making and process optimization
Other
About our Company
Since 1945, our family-owned band of sausage-makers has invented better ways to make, eat and prepare crave-able sausage. Today, we are 4,000+ Members strong. We sell our famous sausage in all 50 United States and more than 40 countries. We have a culture built on the idea that if we make developing your talents our top priority, great business results will follow naturally. We call it The Johnsonville Way. It has been our secret sauce for decades, and we hope you get to experience it for yourself!