Operations Manager

Operations Manager

Ingredients/Flavors Manufacturing

Location: Greater Chicago (West Suburbs)

Salary: $100,000 - $120,000 \+ Bonus

Not every Operations Manager role gives you real ownership of a site.

Some keep you at arm’s length. This one puts you right at the centre of it.

This is a smaller, specialised food manufacturing operation producing flavour and ingredient solutions. The team is experienced, close-knit, and takes real pride in what they do. The opportunity now is to build on that foundation and continue raising the bar.

The role has been created to bring dedicated, hands-on leadership into the facility. The Director of Operations oversees multiple units, so what is needed here is someone who can take full ownership of the day-to-day. Someone visible. Present. Leading from the front.

You will be responsible for how the site runs. Production, people, performance. Working closely with quality, maintenance, and leadership teams, your impact will come from how you engage with the operation. Coaching operators. Improving processes. Creating clarity around expectations and standards.

This is not a role for someone who prefers distance. It suits someone who enjoys being on the floor, understands the rhythm of a manufacturing environment, and knows how to get the best out of a team through presence, consistency, and trust.

Food manufacturing experience is essential, ideally within flavours or ingredients, where processes are more hands-on and nuanced. You will need to be comfortable working independently, making decisions, and taking ownership without layers of structure around you.

The site itself is not about flashy infrastructure. The appeal is the autonomy, the culture, and the ability to make a visible impact quickly. It is a business where you can speak directly with senior leadership, where ideas are welcomed, and where people stay because they enjoy being there.

If you are looking for a role where you can lead from the front and genuinely influence how a site operates, this is worth a conversation.