Manufacturing Plant Manager

ABOUT SOUFFLET MALT Soufflet Malt is a global leader in malting, operating across approximately 41 plants in 20 countries with an annual production capacity of about 3.7 million tonnes of malt. With deep expertise in agronomy, industrial processing and logistics, the company transforms barley and other cereal grains into a wide variety of high-quality malts — standard, roasted, organic — for brewers, distillers and industrial users. Building on this global presence, Montreal forms part of the Americas Region, which comprises 600 employees, 5 manufacturing facilities, 18 distribution centers, and a regional headquarters located in Portland, Oregon.

The Plant Manager provides overall leadership and direction for the facility, ensuring safe, efficient, and cost-effective operations that align with company goals and core values—Passion for Innovation, Cultivate Collaboration, Leverage Difference, and Be Accountable. This role is accountable for production, maintenance, quality, safety, and people development while driving operational excellence and cultural transformation. The Plant Manager serves as the primary business leader for the site, responsible for delivering strong financial results and building a high-performance team.

Provide strategic direction and oversight for all plant functions, including production, maintenance, quality, supply chain, and EHS
Champion a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Foster collaboration across all departments, ensuring alignment with corporate strategy and customer expectations
Drive cultural transformation that aligns with company values and long-term growth goals
Ensure production schedules are met with optimal use of resources, equipment, and personnel
Oversee maintenance, engineering, and process improvement activities to maximize uptime and reliability
Implement Lean Manufacturing, TPM, and other CI methodologies to improve performance
Develop, monitor, and achieve KPIs across safety, quality, delivery, and cost
Financial Management
Own the plant P&L and deliver strong financial performance
Prepare and manage operating budgets, capital expenditures, and cost-control initiatives
Recruit, develop, and retain top talent, building a high-performance leadership team
Provide coaching, mentoring, and succession planning for key roles
Promote diversity, equity, and inclusion by leveraging differences to strengthen team performance
Ensure compliance with OSHA, EPA, FDA (if applicable), and other federal/state/local regulations
Lead initiatives that reduce risk and improve safety performance
Promote a zero-incident culture with proactive training and employee involvement

Bachelor’s degree in a science or engineering-related discipline
~Proven experience managing plant operations within the food or food-related industry.
~ Bilingual (French and English)
~ Strong background in budgeting, cost control, and the principles of managerial finance
~ Effective leadership and people management skills, with the ability to inspire, influence, and motivate teams to achieve shared goals
~ Strong administrative and operational management capabilities, with a focus on performance, accountability, and continuous improvement
~ Strategic thinker with the ability to assess the business environment and drive operational transformation aligned with organizational goals
~ Sound understanding of technical, engineering, regulatory, and sales disciplines relevant to plant operations
~ Proven skills in problem solving, root cause analysis, conflict resolution, and negotiation
~ Commitment to coaching and developing others, fostering a growth mindset and succession planning
~ Demonstrated ability to set challenging goals, measure performance, and provide meaningful feedback
~ Willingness and ability to travel infrequently, as required
~ Graduate Diploma or Master of Business Administration (MBA) preferred
~ While experience in the malting industry is an asset, we also welcome candidates with strong industrial management experience