Operational Excellence (OPEX) Manager

Position Summary

The Operations Excellence (OpEx) Manager is responsible for driving Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), continuous improvement, and operational performance across a 410,000 sq ft, highly automated USDA-regulated manufacturing facility with ~500 team members.

This role leads the implementation and sustainment of TPM pillars to improve OEE, reduce downtime, stabilize processes, and build frontline ownership of equipment. The OpEx Manager partners cross-functionally with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, and Engineering to deliver measurable improvements in throughput, cost, reliability, and food safety compliance.

Key Responsibilities

TPM System Leadership (Primary Ownership)

Lead full-site deployment and maturity of TPM pillars: Autonomous Maintenance (AM)

Planned Maintenance (PM)

Focused Improvement (FI / Kaizen)

Early Equipment Management (EEM)

Quality Maintenance

Establish TPM governance structure, cadence, and accountability at all levels

Define and advance TPM maturity roadmap (Levels 1–5 progression)

Drive operator ownership of basic equipment care (clean, inspect, lubricate, tighten)

Equipment Reliability & OEE Improvement

Own and improve key asset performance metrics: OEE (Availability, Performance, Quality)

MTBF / MTTR

Planned vs. unplanned downtime

Partner with Maintenance and Reliability teams to: Strengthen PM/PdM practices

Identify and eliminate chronic losses

Ensure TPM activities are aligned to highest-value bottlenecks (formulation, smokehouse, packaging, automation systems)

Loss Elimination & Continuous Improvement

Lead structured problem-solving using: Root Cause Analysis (RCA)

5 Why, Fishbone, Pareto

Facilitate cross-functional Kaizen events focused on: Downtime reduction

Changeover optimization

Yield improvement

Build and maintain loss trees to prioritize improvement focus

Autonomous Maintenance (AM) Deployment

Develop and roll out AM standards across all lines: Center lining

Cleaning and inspection standards

Abnormality identification and tagging

Train operators to identify early signs of failure

Transition basic maintenance tasks from maintenance to operators where appropriate

Audit AM execution and effectiveness

Planned & Predictive Maintenance Integration

Partner with Maintenance leadership to: Improve PM compliance and quality

Incorporate predictive tools (vibration, thermal, etc.)

Ensure maintenance strategies align with failure modes and production risk

Drive reduction of reactive maintenance through improved planning

Change Management & Capability Building

Train and coach: Production supervisors and operators on TPM principles

Maintenance teams on reliability-centered practices

Develop TPM champions within each department

Build a culture of ownership and accountability at the frontline

Performance Management & Visual Management

Implement plant-wide visual management systems: Tiered accountability boards

Daily performance tracking (OEE, downtime, defects)

Lead daily/weekly performance reviews tied to TPM metrics

Establish standard KPI tracking across lines and departments

Data, Analytics & Systems Integration

Leverage CMMS, MES, and production data systems to: Identify trends and losses

Track improvement impact

Ensure data accuracy and consistency across reporting platforms

Develop dashboards for leadership visibility into performance

USDA / GMP / Food Safety Integration

Ensure all TPM and maintenance practices comply with: USDA regulations

GMP standards

Food safety requirements

Integrate sanitation and equipment care into TPM routines

Support audit readiness and compliance efforts

Cross-Functional Leadership

Act as a key bridge between: Operations

Maintenance

Engineering

Quality & Food Safety

Align improvement initiatives with plant priorities and production goals

Support capital projects with TPM and reliability input

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Operations, or related field

7+ years in manufacturing (food or high-speed automation preferred)

3+ years leading TPM, Lean, or OpEx programs

Demonstrated success improving OEE and reducing downtime at scale

Strong knowledge of: TPM pillars

Reliability principles (RCM, PM optimization)

Lean methodologies

Experience with CMMS and production data systems

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in USDA or highly regulated food manufacturing

Certification in Lean, Six Sigma, or TPM (e.g., Black Belt, JIPM familiarity)

Background in highly automated environments (robotics, packaging, continuous processes)

Key Competencies

Systems thinking (end-to-end operations)

Change leadership in large workforce environments

Data-driven decision making

Frontline engagement and coaching

Bias for action and results

Strong cross-functional influence

Success Metrics (KPIs)

Reliability / Equipment

OEE improvement (+5–15 pts over baseline)

Reduction in unplanned downtime (% and minutes)

MTBF increase / MTTR reduction

Maintenance Effectiveness

Planned maintenance compliance (>90–95%)

Reduction …