Location: Ontario, CA
Exemption: Exempt
Shift: First
OUR COMPANY:
Ventura Foods is a leading global manufacturer of branded and custom food products that proudly helps food providers in the U.S., Canada and more than 60 other countries earn a special place on consumers’ tables. We do this by continually crafting custom dressings, sauces, mayonnaises, and other food solutions that exceed peoples’ expectations for great-tasting flavors and high-quality ingredients.
Headquartered in Brea, California, Ventura Foods operates 14 manufacturing facilities, 3 culinary centers, and numerous distribution centers across North America. When you work in our manufacturing and distribution facilities, you get a strong foundation of training, a manager who cares about you and celebrates your success, a safe environment, and challenging work. As part of our team, your future is limited only by how much you’re willing to push yourself to get there. We invest in your growth, because you invest in ours.
Position Summary:
The Project Manager will be responsible for managing plant level project execution, including commercialization activities, change management activities, capital projects and other priority initiatives defined by the site leadership team.
Major Duties and Responsibilities:
- Project Management: Manage and guide commercialization projects within the manufacturing plant, ensuring that all necessary requirements, including new ingredients, labels, equipment installation, operational requirements, and packaging materials, are in place to support target launch date. Act as the single point of contact for the HQ Project Coordination team on all Project Commercialization Activities. Facilitate all required follow up at the plant, and represent the plant team as needed on commercialization calls.
- Plant Directed Process Change Management: When change form is initiated, act as the single point contact to facilitate the required activities, including: Assigning process owner for submitted change requests, Monitor active change requests to ensure they progress through the SharePoint system, Updating request status as dictated by the SharePoint process flow, Conduct training on overall program for new hires/as needed, and provide feedback on overall change management tool and SharePoint site.
- Visibility Management: Measure project performance using appropriate tools and techniques. This includes; writing up all project documentation, submitting progress reports to stakeholders and senior managers and setting the standards and methodology to be used in a project as aligned with the Project Management Office processes. Report and escalate to management as needed, in accordance with the Project Management Office escalation protocol. Prepare materials for and facilitate plant leadership team project reviews as part of the plant’s operation model.
- Ongoing Improvement: Utilizing background and commercialization process knowledge, provide guidance and recommendations on the handling of complex projects to the plant and PMO team as needed
- Oversee team that includes a sales coordinator for the site and 2 project coordinators.
Education and Experience:
- 5+ years experience in the consumer products/food sectors and / or program manager with a proven record of successful commercialization, project and process management.
- Undergraduate degree minimum, preferably in the fields of Business Administration, Engineering or Industrial Engineering
- PMP certification is a plus
Knowledge and Skills:
The Project Manager role will oversee the plant level execution of all commercialization activities and support the plant’s process change management program. He or she is the technical lead responsible for project planning, initiation, resourcing, execution, monitoring, control and completion of projects undertaken. This individual will also act as the gatekeeper for all plant directed process changes, following the established change protocol and ensuring all changes are vetted and signed off by the proper stakeholder. The Project Manager ensures that the projects or programs implemented have met all performance targets and critical success factors identified that are aligned with the Company’s strategic objectives. A successful person in this role will have a track record of successful project delivery and strong collaboration skills enabling them to become a trusted associate working alongside functional leaders and teammates.
Why Join Us:
Ventura Foods offers career growth opportunities as well as competitive compensation and benefits:
- Medical, Prescription, Dental, & Vision – coverage beginning on your 1st day for eligible employees
- Profit Sharing and 401(k) matching (after eligible criteria is met)
- Paid Vacation, Sick Time, and Holidays
- Employee Appreciation Events and Employee Assistance Programs
- Salary Base Range of $93,500 – $120,000 for Employees Located in California*
- Annual bonus (based on the incentive program terms and conditions)
The “base salary range” provided above is a good faith estimate of what we expect to pay for this position. The range provided is for California-based employees as Ventura Foods is required by California State Law to post pay rates. Ventura Foods reserves the right to pay outside of the given range based on a variety of factors including but not limited to: candidate skills and experience, complexity of the job, budgetary factors, and location/geography. Ventura Foods conducts regular reviews of compensation ranges and therefore reserves the right to alter this range at any given time.
Physical Demands:
Regularly requires intermittent sitting, standing, walking, climbing, squatting, kneeling, pushing, and pulling. Physical strength and dexterity sufficient to perform the required task(s). Must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds or more with assistance. Additional demands may be required.
Work Environment:
In addition to normal business hours, work schedules may include after hours and weekends as needed. May work outside and in adverse temperatures which include extreme hot, cold, and humidity. May be exposed to fumes or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals and vibration. Must be willing and able to wear personal protective equipment as required by established Company Safety standards. May require work in confined and dark spaces, and at heights in excess of 18 feet for prolonged periods of time.
Diversity & Inclusion:
Our commitment to a diverse and inclusive environment in which all employees are treated with respect is evident in our company culture and values. We believe that fostering an environment of inclusion and a focus on diversity across our organization is vital to attracting top talent, driving innovation, and meeting the high expectations of our customers in a rapidly evolving global marketplace.
Ventura Foods is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.