Sr Manager, Technical Operations

Posted 12 Hours Ago
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Plover, WI, USA
In-Office
108K-144K Annually
Senior level
Food • Retail • Agriculture • Manufacturing
At McCain Foods we know the importance that food plays in people's lives.
The Role
Lead global development and deployment of Key Elements of Processing (KEP) across manufacturing sites. Create playbooks, assessments, training, and digital tools; coach plant leadership and operators; support pilot and hypercare activities; align standards with shop-floor execution; and drive measurable improvements in safety, quality, cost, throughput, downtime reduction, and operator capability.
Summary Generated by Built In
Position Title: Sr Manager, Technical Operations
Position Type: Regular - Full-Time
Grade: Grade 06
Requisition ID: 43282
In every role, McCainers are ambitious, curious, and passionate about creating exceptional work experiences - together. With a customer-first mindset, we make doing business with McCain easy.
About the role.
The Senior Manager, Process Center of Excellence - KEP is responsible for leading the development, deployment, and continuous improvement of McCain's Key Elements of Processing operating system across manufacturing sites. This role acts as a bridge between global standards, regional execution, plant leadership, operators, Digital Manufacturing, Technical Operations, and external partners to ensure KEP is practical, repeatable, measurable, and sustainable at the site level.
This position leads the creation and refinement of global KEP playbooks, maturity assessments, deployment documents, training materials, digital tools, and plant support models. The role supports Regional and Site Element Owners (REO & SEO) through deployment, hypercare, coaching, and governance to ensure Best Operating Practices are embedded into daily management routines and are connected to measurable improvements in safety, quality, cost, reliability, operator capability, and overall plant performance.
What you'll be doing.
  • Lead the development and standardization of KEP playbooks, maturity assessments, deployment guides, and repeatable implementation tools for global manufacturing use.
  • Own and support KEP deployment activities across sites, including pilot development, launch preparation, onsite coaching, hypercare, and post-deployment sustainment.
  • Serve as a Global Element Owner / subject matter leader for assigned KEP elements, including Operator Ownership and Empowerment, with responsibility for expectations, deliverables, training, and deployment consistency.
  • Coach plant leadership teams, REOs/SEOs, frontline leaders, and operators on KEP principles, daily direction setting, MDI cadence, operational standards, and problem-solving routines.
  • Partner with plant teams to translate global KEP expectations into practical shop-floor execution that operators can understand, use, and sustain in their environment.
  • Support plant performance improvement by connecting KEP tools to measurable operational outcomes, including quality, recovery, throughput, downtime reduction, process stability, waste reduction, and capability building.
  • Lead and support hypercare activities at deployment sites by observing routines, identifying gaps, coaching leaders, reinforcing standards, and helping the site move from launch to ownership.
  • Develop and improve digital systems that support KEP execution, including adherence tracking, KPI visibility, TSU screen standardization, OSI PI alignment, decision trees, and corrective-action workflows.
  • Partner with Digital Manufacturing, Technical Operations, Global Manufacturing Excellence, outside consulting, plant leaders, and cross-functional stakeholders to align KEP tools, data systems, and deployment methods.
  • Train and onboard REOs and site leaders on KEP deployment expectations, playbook usage, assessment methods, governance routines, and sustainment requirements.
  • Use maturity assessments and plant feedback to identify gaps in adoption, improve deployment materials, and strengthen global repeatability.
  • Support lighthouse and pilot deployments by turning learnings from Lighthouse sites into standard work for future global rollouts.
  • Create alignment between global standards and regional/site execution so KEP is not just a corporate program, but a practical operating system used by plant teams.

What you'll need to be successful.
  • 5+ years of experience in plant manufacturing and processing
  • Strong manufacturing leadership experience with the ability to connect corporate standards to real plant-floor execution.
  • Deep understanding of potato processing, daily management systems, operational excellence, production leadership, technical operations, and plant performance improvement.
  • Ability to coach operators, frontline leaders, production managers, plant managers, and regional/global stakeholders.
  • Strong facilitation skills with the ability to lead cross-functional groups and deployment teams.
  • Ability to develop standards, playbooks, training materials, assessment tools, and digital processes that are simple enough for plant teams to use consistently.
  • Strong data-driven decision-making skills, including the ability to connect operational routines to KPIs and corrective actions.
  • Ability to influence without direct authority across plants, regions, functions, and global teams.

About the team.
This role is part of the Global Process Centre of Excellence supporting McCain's manufacturing transformation. This role supports manufacturing sites Globally across deployment locations, with direct involvement in KEP development, deployment, coaching, hypercare, training, maturity assessment, and sustainment.
The position influences plant managers, production leaders, technical operations teams, operators, REOs, global process leaders, digital manufacturing teams, and external consulting partners without always having direct authority over those teams.
About McCain.
Click Here to learn more about McCain and how we provide opportunities to make an impact that matters.
Leadership principles.
At McCain, our leadership principles guide how we engage with customers, collaborate as a team, and achieve success. We focus on understanding customer needs, driving innovation, empowering people, and taking ownership to clear obstacles and deliver results.
The McCain experience.
We are McCain. This statement is a testament to our collective strength and our individual value. Your contributions play a vital role in our success. Our winning culture is rooted in authenticity and trust, empowering us to bring out the best in one another. Here, you'll find opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive. Join us and experience why we're better together.
#LI-DM2
Compensation Package : $107,600.00 - $143,500.00 . USD annually + Bonus eligibility
The above reflects the target compensation range for the position at the time of posting. Hiring compensation will be determined based on experience, skill set, education and training, and other organizational needs. This posting is for an existing vacancy.
Benefits: At McCain, we're on a mission to create a winning culture that puts employee safety and well-being at the heart of what we do, every day. We understand and appreciate that each person's needs are unique and ensure our benefits & well-being programs reflect that. Employees are eligible for the following benefits: health coverage (medical, dental, vision, prescription drug), retirement savings benefits, and leave support including medical, family and bereavement. Well-being programs include vacation and holidays, company-supported volunteering time, and mental health resources. Coverages are aligned with applicable law and can vary by work level, location, and nature of the role. Additional benefit detail available during the application process.
Your well-being matters to us, and we're here to provide you with the necessary resources to support you in being your best self at work - and at home.
McCain Foods is an equal opportunity employer. As a global family-owned company, we strive to be the employer of choice in the diverse communities around the world in which we live and work. We recognize that inclusion drives our creativity, resilience, and success and makes our business stronger. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.
McCain is an accessible employer. If you require an accommodation throughout the recruitment process (including alternate formats of materials or accessible meeting rooms), please let us know and we will work with you to find appropriate solutions.
Your privacy is important to us. By submitting personal data or information to us, you agree this will be handled in accordance with McCain's Global Privacy Policy and Global Employee Privacy Policy , as applicable. McCain leverages AI in the hiring process, though all final decisions are made by humans. You can understand our approach to AI and how your personal information is being handled here .
Job Family: Engineering & Technical
Location(s): US - United States of America : Wisconsin : Plover || US - United States of America : Illinois : Oakbrook Terrace || US - United States of America : Maine : Easton || US - United States of America : Washington : Othello || US - United States of America : Wisconsin : Appleton
Company: McCain Foods USA, Inc.

Skills Required

  • 5+ years of experience in plant manufacturing and processing
  • Strong manufacturing leadership experience connecting corporate standards to plant-floor execution
  • Deep understanding of potato processing, daily management systems, and production leadership
  • Ability to coach operators, frontline leaders, production managers, plant managers, and regional/global stakeholders
  • Strong facilitation skills to lead cross-functional groups and deployment teams
  • Ability to develop standards, playbooks, training materials, and assessment tools usable by plant teams
  • Strong data-driven decision-making skills to connect operational routines to KPIs and corrective actions
  • Ability to influence without direct authority across plants, regions, functions, and global teams
  • Experience with digital manufacturing systems and KPI/adhere­nce tracking (including OSI PI alignment)

What the Team is Saying

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McCain Foods

McCain Foods Compensation & Benefits Highlights

  • Healthcare Strength Core coverage includes medical, dental, vision, mental‑health resources, and an Employee Assistance Program, with wellness programs and some onsite resources such as gyms and meditation spaces highlighted. These elements indicate robust health and wellbeing support across many roles, especially office-based positions.
  • Retirement Support U.S. materials indicate a 401(k) with company match, alongside life and disability insurance and role‑dependent bonus eligibility. Together these components point to solid long‑term financial support.
  • Leave & Time Off Breadth Paid holidays, PTO, bereavement leave, and a paid volunteer day are promoted, with additional parental, adoption, and fertility-related leave offerings. This breadth of time off and leave types suggests a well‑rounded package for many U.S. roles.

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The Company
HQ: Florenceville-Bristol, NB
20,000 Employees
Year Founded: 1957

What We Do

The power it has to uplift and bring people, Guided by our purpose - Celebrating real connections through delicious, planet-friendly food - we believe that working together with our teams, business and community partners will bring sustainable growth and positive change - today, tomorrow and for generations to come. As a privately owned family company with over 60 years of experience, a presence in over 160 countries and a global team of 22,000 people, our values and culture are at the heart of everything we do. Our product quality, people and customer dedication help us achieve global sales in excess of CDN $10 billion. Through our investment and innovation, we continue to be a global leader in prepared potato products, including our famous French Fries and appetizers. We are passionate about supporting and developing our people-providing opportunities to grow and learn in their roles, as well as building careers for the long term.

Why Work With Us

We are working to bring digital tools and data into our processes to drive efficiency, automation and data-driven insights. From connecting our business, enabling our supply chain, supporting our customers, to reinventing agriculture. So if you are a tech expert looking to join a company transforming technology, think of McCain.

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McCain Foods Offices

Hybrid Workspace

Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.

Typical time on-site: Flexible
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HQFlorenceville
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HQOakbrook Terrace, IL
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HQToronto, ON
McCain Foods Australia & New Zealand
Potato Processing Technology Centre
McCain Foods South Africa
McCain Foods GB Limited
Taman Tasik Indah, Kuala Lumpur
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