Commercial Bakery Operations Manager

Location: Cayce, SC

Your Day at a Glance

You arrive on the production floor, review overnight KPIs, and huddle with FSQA, Maintenance, and Sanitation to align on quality and uptime. You coach your shift leads, rebalance staffing to meet demand, and walk the lines—verifying formulations, checking safety practices, and removing roadblocks. Throughout the day you track yields, drive waste reduction, prepare reports, and partner with leadership on budget and capital priorities. When change is needed, you lead it—optimizing lines, elevating team performance, and ensuring a steady flow of safe, high-quality products to our customers.

What You’ll Lead

• Production leadership to deliver efficient, safe, high‑quality output at scale
• Cross-functional problem solving with FSQA, Maintenance, and Sanitation to uphold formulation accuracy and product standards
• People management: staffing, performance, employee relations, and team development
• Continuous improvement across waste reduction, throughput, and line optimization
• Plant safety, sanitation, audit readiness, and regulatory compliance
• Budget support, reporting, and capital project planning and execution
• Collaboration with site and corporate leadership to meet customer and business goals

Weekend availability is required, and you’ll work flexible hours to support evening and overnight operations when needed.

What You Bring

• Bachelor’s degree in business management or related field (or equivalent experience); Master’s preferred
• Proven management experience in manufacturing operations
• Knowledge of end-to-end food manufacturing (production, packaging, engineering, shipping)
• Strong leadership, communication, conflict resolution, and team-building capabilities
• Comfort working flexible hours, including evenings and overnights
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and related operational systems

Bonus Points

• Commercial bakery experience (mixing, proofing, baking, packaging)
• Bilingual English/Spanish
• Training in Lean, Six Sigma, or Kaizen
• Experience with capital projects or complex technical environments
• Success collaborating across diverse teams and customer groups

Life at Aspire Bakeries

• Culture: Collaborative, diverse, and excellence-driven—be your authentic self and grow with us.
• Health & Wellness: Medical, dental, and vision coverage; company-paid life insurance; and optional add-ons to fit your needs.
• Work-Life Balance: Paid parental leave, generous PTO, and holidays to recharge.
• Financial Security: Competitive retirement plans plus short- and long-term disability.
• Growth & Development: Skill-building and career advancement through Aspire Bakeries’ learning programs.
• Flexibility & Support: HSA and FSA plans to manage everyday expenses.
• Recognition & Rewards: Performance incentive plans that recognize achievements in sales, bakery performance, and individual contributions.