Senior Director of Technical Operations (3869)

Perricone Farms has partnered with the renowned Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Company, bringing together two leaders in the premium citrus juice industry. This strategic acquisition unites Perricone’s expertise in craft citrus juice production with Natalie’s reputation for premium, fresh-squeezed products. Together, the organization is well-positioned for continued growth, expanded market reach, and enhanced innovation, creating exciting opportunities for both the business and its employees.

Perricone Farms is seeking a Senior Director of Technical Operations to join our manufacturing team.  This is a highly visible, hands-on leadership role offering long-term career stability and a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and a 401(k) retirement plan.

The Senior Director of Technical Operations serves as the senior technical authority across all Perricone Farms operations, with responsibility for juice extraction, juice processing, and essential oil recovery systems. This leader will work closely with plant leadership and the Director of Maintenance to drive operational excellence, process optimization, and continuous improvement initiatives.

The role owns the end-to-end yield management strategy, overseeing the conversion of incoming fruit and juice raw materials into finished juice products, essential oils, and by-product streams. The Senior Director is accountable for maximizing recovery rates, ensuring product quality, improving operational efficiency, and reducing costs. Acting as a critical link between Operations, Quality, and Maintenance, this leader will champion technical innovation, process reliability, and sustainable growth across the organization.

Key Responsibilities:

Fruit Extraction

• Design, operate, and continuously improve fruit unloading and extraction processes
• Work closely with plant teams to optimize juice blending and processing operations with a keen focus on quality and losses
• Lead oil-recovery operations for citrus peel essential oils recovery processes to maximize yield recover by variety.
• Develop and own Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
• Drive sanitation and housekeeping improvements and consistency across all operations

Yield Optimization & Loss Reduction

• Establish and govern a yield management system across all fruit varieties, seasonal curves, and supplier lots—tracking juice yield (% w/w), peel oil yield, and pomace moisture.
• Set annual yield improvement targets; report performance vs. plan monthly to the COO with variance root-cause analysis.
• Lead cross-functional loss mapping (raw material receiving, wash, press, finisher, filler, CIP) to identify and eliminate yield loss sources.
• Partner with Procurement to develop fruit purchasing specs (Brix/acid ratio, maturity index, defect tolerances) that protect both quality and yield economics.
• Model yield scenarios for new products, seasonal transitions, and supplier changes prior to production commitment.

Oil Recovery & By-Product Value

• Oversee oil recovery system including peel preparation, screw presses, centrifuge polishing, and storage/packaging in compliance with food-grade and fragrance-grade specifications.
• Identify and develop secondary revenue streams from pomace (pectin extraction, animal feed, compost) in partnership with sustainability and finance teams.
• Ensure GC/MS, refractive index, and sensory profiling of all oil lots; maintain Certificates of Analysis and traceability records.

Quality, Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance

• Serve as PCQI (Preventive Controls Qualified Individual) and technical lead for FSMA compliance, SQF or BRC audit readiness, and USDA/FDA regulatory submissions.
• Own the HACCP plan for extraction and oil recovery operations; lead annual revalidation and incident response.
• Manage microbiological, chemical, and physical testing protocols for incoming fruit, in-process juice, and finished goods.
• Interface with third-party labs, certification bodies (USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project, Kosher, Halal) to maintain brand certifications.

Capital Projects & Equipment Lifecycle

• Develop and execute the capital plan for extraction, and oil recovery assets—scoping, vendor selection, installation, commissioning, and validation.
• Partner with Maintenance to implement a preventive/predictive maintenance program for presses, centrifuges, finishers, evaporators, and separators.
• Evaluate lease vs. buy decisions, equipment ROI, and payback models for press line expansions.

Preferred

• Six Sigma Black Belt or Lean certification.
• Experience in certified organic, non-GMO, or clean-label manufacturing environments.
• Familiarity with HPP (High-Pressure Processing) and cold-chain juice operations.
• Working knowledge of essential oil market pricing, trading, and broker relationships.
• Experience scaling production from artisan/craft to high-volume commercial operations.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) is a plus given typical production workforce demographics.

Experience Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Chemical Engineering, Biosystems Engineering, or a closely related field; Master's or PhD preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in juice, beverage, essential oil, or related food/botanical manufacturing—with at least 5 years in a senior technical or engineering leadership role.
• Demonstrated hands-on expertise in citrus and/or cold-press juice extraction; working knowledge of oil recovery equipment (FMC/JBT, Brown International, Alfa Laval, GEA, Voran, or equivalent).
• Proven track record of designing and executing yield improvement programs with documented, quantifiable results.
• Practical experience with GC/MS analysis and interpretation of essential oil quality data.
• PCQI certification or willingness to obtain within 90 days of hire.
• Proficiency with statistical process control (SPC), data visualization, and ERP/MES systems.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to translate technical findings into executive-ready presentations and financial impact statements.

Physical Requirements & Work Environment:

This role operates primarily in a food-manufacturing environment. Candidates must be comfortable standing for extended periods, working in temperature-variable production areas (cold rooms to ambient), and wearing required PPE (hair/beard net, gloves, non-slip footwear). Occasional lifting up to 50 lbs. Some after-hours and weekend availability required during peak harvest seasons or equipment commissioning.

This job description is not intended, and should not be construed, to be an all-inclusive list of all responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions as associated with a job. While this job description is intended to be an accurate reflection of the job requirements, management reserves the right to modify, add or remove duties from particular jobs and to assign other duties as necessary.