Operational Excellence (OPEX) Manager

At  Link Snacks , we show up hungry, roll up our sleeves, plaid or otherwise, and dive straight into the hard work. We don’t hide from challenges; we hunt them down. We push harder, move faster, and take the kinds of big swings that built this business in the North Woods of Wisconsin four decades ago. We’re everyday people who deliver extraordinary results. Innovation, creativity, and urgency aren’t buzzwords, they’re expectations. And just like the real protein snacks we make across our global house of brands— Jack Link’s® ,  Lorissa’s Kitchen® ,  Golden Island® ,  BiFi® , and  Peperami®  and  KOOEE!®  to name a few—there’s nothing artificial about us. What you see is exactly what you get: humble, gritty, passionate people who show up every day ready to not just be a participate in the meat snack industry that the Link Family created, but to move faster, innovate harder and keep raising the bar so high, the rest of the world needs a ladder just to see it. Dominating this space across the world takes a team. A team that runs together, succeeds together, and celebrates together. A team that’s full of relentless energy and spirit that can only be fueled by one thing: a fist full of our delicious meat snacks. Real Meat Protein. Real People. Real Results. THAT is Link Snacks. 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 env