DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS – FOOD MANUFACTURING, EDMONTON, AB, CANADA – #5901

An Exceptional Leadership Opportunity

IN DEMAND Recruitment & Consulting Inc. is proud to partner with our client in the search for an exceptional Director of Operations to join its senior leadership team in Edmonton, Alberta.

Founded in Edmonton in 1989, our client is an established Canadian food manufacturer specializing in high-quality commercial bakery products and customized food solutions for customers across North America.

The company is entering one of the most exciting periods in its history, with significant investment being made in its next stage of growth. This includes the continued optimization and expansion of its existing Edmonton operation and the development of a new, substantially larger manufacturing facility targeted for commissioning in 2027.

For the right operations leader, this represents considerably more than an opportunity to run an established manufacturing operation.

It is an opportunity to help build the next generation of our client! 

Reporting directly to the President & CEO, the Director of Operations will assume overall leadership of manufacturing, processing, warehousing and related operational functions while serving as a key member of the senior leadership team.

The successful individual will be expected to bring a strong and visible leadership presence to the organization, develop and empower the existing team, strengthen operational discipline, increase capacity and performance, and help build the people, processes, systems and infrastructure required to support significant future growth.

The Mandate

The Director of Operations will lead the development of an industry-leading food manufacturing operation built around engaged people, operational excellence, food safety, product quality, employee safety, continuous improvement and exceptional customer service.

This is broader than a traditional Plant Manager position.

With the CEO operating remotely for portions of the year, the Director will become an important on-site senior leadership presence and organizational integrator, working closely with leaders across Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Warehousing, Finance, HR, Sales and other functional areas.

The Director will be expected to understand what is happening on the plant floor while simultaneously maintaining sight of the broader business—its customers, people, financial performance, capacity requirements and future growth.

Over the first 12–24 months, this individual will play a pivotal role in strengthening today’s operation while helping design and prepare tomorrow’s, including the transition into Crust Craft’s new manufacturing facility.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership to manufacturing, processing, warehousing and related operational functions.
• Build, coach and develop a highly engaged operations team capable of supporting significant organizational growth.
• Develop frontline leaders and establish clear expectations, accountability, ownership and decision-making throughout the operations organization.
• Serve as a highly visible, hands-on senior on-site leader, supporting the CEO and collaborating closely with leaders across the business.
• Strengthen operating discipline through effective SOPs, standardized work, work instructions, operating procedures and performance expectations.
• Champion an uncompromising culture of food safety, product quality, employee safety, sanitation and regulatory compliance.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that generate measurable gains in capacity, throughput, productivity, labour efficiency, yield, quality, waste reduction, downtime and manufacturing cost.
• Develop and execute capacity plans required to support significant increases in production and revenue.
• Optimize the existing Edmonton operation through improvements to equipment, processes, workflows, plant layout, labour utilization, material movement and facility capacity.
• Establish meaningful operational KPIs and use data to identify constraints, determine root causes and implement sustainable corrective action.
• Partner closely with Supply Chain and Warehousing to improve material flow, inventory management, production planning, scheduling and customer delivery performance.
• Provide operational leadership to capital planning and ensure investments in equipment, automation, technology and infrastructure deliver appropriate operational and financial returns.
• Identify opportunities to introduce technology and automation that improve scalability, consistency, productivity and manufacturing performance.
• Play a key leadership role in the planning, operational readiness and execution of the transition into the company’s new manufacturing facility targeted for commissioning in 2027.
• Help establish the organizational structure, leadership capability, operating processes and systems required for the expanded operation.
• Foster strong cross-functional collaboration and ensure Operations remains closely aligned with Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, HR, Sales and customer requirements.
• Help preserve the entrepreneurial culture and customer responsiveness that have contributed to Crust Craft’s success while introducing the structure and discipline required to successfully scale.

What You Bring

The successful candidate will be an accomplished manufacturing operations leader capable of combining strategic thinking with hands-on operational leadership.

You are comfortable walking the plant floor, talking with employees and troubleshooting a production issue—and equally comfortable reviewing operating performance, evaluating a capital investment, developing leaders or participating in executive-level decisions.

Experience within food manufacturing or food processing is highly desirable, particularly within an organization experiencing significant growth, capacity expansion, automation or facility development.

You will ideally bring:

• Progressive senior leadership experience within food manufacturing, food processing, bakery, CPG or another sophisticated manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated success leading manufacturing organizations and developing Supervisors, Managers and frontline operational leaders.
• Strong knowledge of food safety, quality systems, sanitation, employee safety and regulatory compliance.
• Experience within disciplined food-safety environments; exposure to BRCGS, SQF, HACCP, GMP and/or CFIA requirements would be highly valued.
• Proven success improving production capacity, throughput, labour productivity, yield, quality, waste and overall operational performance.
• Demonstrated ability to translate Lean/continuous-improvement methodologies into measurable financial and operational results.
• Experience implementing and strengthening SOPs, standardized work, work instructions, KPIs and accountability systems.
• Experience with capacity planning, CAPEX, automation, equipment installation, commissioning, facility optimization and/or major manufacturing expansion.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing economics, operating budgets, cost control and the financial impact of operational decisions.
• Experience working across production, warehousing and supply chain, with broader exposure to maintenance, engineering and quality considered highly valuable.
• Strong analytical capability and a structured approach to root-cause analysis and problem solving.
• Exceptional people leadership with a genuine commitment to coaching, developing and retaining talent.
• The ability to influence across functions, resolve conflict constructively and build alignment around organizational priorities.
• A collaborative, entrepreneurial and results-oriented leadership style.
• The ability to operate successfully in an environment where leaders are expected to be both strategic and willing to roll up their sleeves.

The Leadership Profile

Our client is particularly interested in a leader who puts people first while maintaining high expectations for performance.

The right person develops people rather than simply directing them. You create ownership rather than dependency and understand that sustainable operational improvement comes from combining capable people, disciplined processes, appropriate technology and clear expectations.

You listen and gather the facts before making decisions. You identify root causes rather than treating symptoms. You create accountability without micromanaging.

You operate with urgency without sacrificing food safety, quality or employee safety, and you are comfortable challenging established practices when there is a better way forward.

You understand that numbers matter—but so do the people responsible for producing them.

Most importantly, you bring a genuine passion for continuous improvement and building high-performing teams, along with the maturity to help an established entrepreneurial organization evolve without losing the culture and customer focus that made it successful.

Why Our Client?

Our client has been building its business in Edmonton for more than three decades and is now making a significant investment in its future.

The company’s expansion represents a major commitment to increased manufacturing capacity, technology, innovation and future growth, with a new manufacturing facility targeted for commissioning in 2027.

The incoming Director of Operations will join the organization at a point when many of the decisions that will shape its future operating model are still ahead.

That means the successful candidate will have the opportunity to:

• Shape the future operating model, rather than simply inherit it.
• Help plan and execute the transition into a major new manufacturing facility.
• Influence decisions around equipment, technology, automation, workflow and capacity.
• Build and develop the operations leadership team required for future growth.
• Strengthen systems and processes while preserving an entrepreneurial culture.
• Work directly with the President & CEO and have meaningful influence across the organization.
• Leave a measurable and lasting impact on a successful Canadian food manufacturer.

For an accomplished operations leader who enjoys building teams, scaling manufacturing organizations, developing people and creating something better than what existed before, this is an exceptional opportunity to help lead Crust Craft through its next chapter.

Apply in Confidence

Qualified and interested candidates are encouraged to apply in confidence by submitting their résumé to:

IN DEMAND Recruitment & Consulting Inc.
Our talent is finding yours.
info@indemand.ca

We thank all candidates for their interest. Only those applicants selected to move forward in the recruitment process will be contacted.

Disclosure of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use

IN DEMAND Recruitment & Consulting Inc. may use artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled tools to support certain aspects of our recruitment process, including the screening and assessment of applications. These tools are used to assist with organizing, reviewing and evaluating candidate information and do not replace human judgment or decision-making.