Director of Feed Operations
Director of Feed Operations
Columbiana, OH
Heritage Cooperative is hiring a Director of Feed Operations to lead feed manufacturing across two facilities in Columbiana and Nashport, Ohio. Together, these operations produce approximately 200,000 tons annually and employ more than 100 team members, manufacturing both bulk and high-volume packaged feed.
What You’ll Do
What We’re Looking For
Why Heritage Cooperative?
Heritage Cooperative is a well-established agricultural cooperative with approximately 60 locations and 500+ employees. Our feed business combines a tenured workforce with significant investment in automation, technology, equipment, and long-term manufacturing capabilities.
Compensation & Benefits
Columbiana, OH
Heritage Cooperative is hiring a Director of Feed Operations to lead feed manufacturing across two facilities in Columbiana and Nashport, Ohio. Together, these operations produce approximately 200,000 tons annually and employ more than 100 team members, manufacturing both bulk and high-volume packaged feed.
What You’ll Do
- Lead operations across our Columbiana and Nashport feed manufacturing facilities, with regular presence at both locations.
- Provide leadership to 100+ employees through two Plant Managers and their supervisory teams.
- Own the P&L, operating budgets, production forecasts, and capital expenditure planning for both facilities.
- Drive performance through key metrics including labor hours per ton, bags per hour, on-time delivery, waste/rework, and employee retention.
- Identify and implement improvements that increase throughput, uptime, labor efficiency, automation, and profitability.
- Maintain a strong floor presence, working with plant leadership to quickly identify and resolve operational challenges.
- Ensure compliance with company safety requirements, feed regulations, quality standards, and Safe Feed/Safe Food programs.
- Develop Plant Managers and supervisors while building a culture of accountability, safety, continuous improvement, and employee retention.
- Partner with senior leadership on strategic planning, capital investments, and the long-term direction of Heritage Cooperative’s feed manufacturing business.
What We’re Looking For
- 5+ years of progressive operations or manufacturing leadership experience, ideally leading a sizable plant, multiple facilities, or business unit, with direct P&L responsibility.
- Experience in feed manufacturing, grain processing, flour milling, pet food, food manufacturing, seed processing, or another high-volume production environment.
- Proven Hands-on experience delivering excellent customer service in a sales and operations environment
- Strong Knowledge of agricultural technology tools (e.g., feed formulation software, inventory management systems, CRM platforms)
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to influence and present effectively at all levels
- Demonstrated ability to deliver projects on time, respond promptly to inquiries and drive results in a fast-paced environment
- Strong business acumen, analytical problem-solving skills and continuous improvement mindset
- Self-motivated with the ability to work independently and lead cross-functional teams
- Commitment to ongoing professional development and staying current with industry trends
Why Heritage Cooperative?
Heritage Cooperative is a well-established agricultural cooperative with approximately 60 locations and 500+ employees. Our feed business combines a tenured workforce with significant investment in automation, technology, equipment, and long-term manufacturing capabilities.
Compensation & Benefits
- Competitive base salary + annual incentive
- Company vehicle
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Company-paid life/AD&D, short- and long-term disability
- 401(k) with company match
- Paid vacation, sick time, and holidays
- Farm Bureau membership
- Relocation assistance