Operations Manager - Food Production

Columbia, MD, USA|Onsite

Job Overview

Employment Type

Full-time

Compensation

Salary

Range $76,000.00 - $94,000.00

Work Schedule

Standard Hours

Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Paid Time Off

Retirement Plan

Employee Discounts

Career development opportunities

Employee assistance program

Job Description

LSG Sky Chefs stands as one of the world’s foremost airline catering and hospitality providers, known globally for their commitment to delivering excellence and innovation in the airline food service industry. This company has earned prestigious recognition, being voted "Airline Caterer of the Year in North America" for consecutive years 2023 and 2024. With a strong footprint across North and Latin America, LSG Sky Chefs employs a talented workforce that consistently ranks among the best in the industry. The company emphasizes dynamic approaches to airline catering, focusing not only on superior culinary artistry but also on outstanding client service and operational efficiency.

Within this highly esteemed establishment, the role of the Operations Manager - Food Production is pivotal. This full-time, on-site position located in Baltimore, USA, offers a competitive salary range between $76,000 and $94,000 annually, reflecting the importance and responsibility of the role. The Operations Manager oversees the entire food production process within the facility, ensuring that quality, food safety, and operational efficiency are upheld without compromise. This management role demands hands-on leadership in planning production schedules, enforcing food safety protocols in strict compliance with FDA and HACCP standards, managing departmental budgets, and supervising inventory control.

The successful candidate will be instrumental in maintaining on-time and accurate food production to meet customer and airline requirements, investigate quality concerns with corrective actions, and nurture effective relationships internally and externally to promote continuous improvement. This role requires strategic planning to optimize workforce use, equipment, and materials while fostering a supportive environment that motivates, develops, and retains staff. Leadership is not only about managing resources but also about embodying company values and coaching teams through the company’s Global Performance System and various development initiatives.

This leadership position demands exceptional analytical capabilities for interpreting cost drivers impacting labor and production, and it requires strong communication skills for presenting and training team members. The ideal candidate will thrive in a fast-paced, complex environment, leveraging experience with variable production systems and schedules to improve processes through lean manufacturing and safety initiatives. Ultimately, the Operations Manager plays a key role in the company’s commitment to food excellence, operational safety, and customer satisfaction, ensuring that every flight catered meets the highest industry standards. This career opportunity offers growth, professional development, and the chance to work within a respected global company dedicated to employee success and innovation in airline catering.

Job Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
Three to five years of management experience in a related field
Experience managing production systems and schedules
Strong communication and presentation skills
Ability to lead change and improve processes
Analytical and conceptual thinking skills
Customer-focused mindset
Proficient in Microsoft Office
Ability to work on-site in Baltimore
Willingness to comply with FDA and HACCP regulations

Job Qualifications

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
Three to five years of directly related management experience
Experience in using and managing variable production systems and schedules
Strong presentation, communication, training and interpersonal skills
Proven success in improving work processes and leading change in a complex, fast environment
Excellent analytical and conceptual skills
Demonstrable record of understanding and meeting customer expectations
Proven track record of understanding drivers of product and labor cost variances
Good knowledge of Microsoft Office and Windows-based computer applications

Job Duties

Strategically plan, organize, and manage daily department hours, schedules, productivity, quality, and safety
Responsible for department costs to budget through effective manpower planning, scheduling and overtime usage
Ensure compliance with customer specifications, quality standards, FDA, HACCP, safety, health, environmental and other regulations
Ensure on-time and accurate production in the preparation of food, equipment and catering of flights
Investigate customer quality issues, develop and implement corrective actions
Maintain an ongoing, positive and pro-active relationship with all internal and external customers
Attend the daily operations briefing
Ensure par levels of customer inventory and customer specific goods
Provide data for the development of an annual business plan and budgeting for the department
Ensure optimal deployment of human, technical and material resources in the department
Initiate and control continuous optimization of processes
Ensure that the area of responsibility is properly organized, staffed and directed
Guide, motivate and develop the subordinate employees within the human resources policy
Participate in coaching the Global Performance System process and career development activities
Make the company’s values and management principles live in the department(s)
Plan, implement and control the cost budget in the area of responsibility and steer corrective actions in case of deviations
Participate and support company sponsored initiatives such as Global Quality Standard, HACCP, Lean Manufacturing, Employee Safety