VP of Operations

Job Summary

Vice President of Operations (Tillsonburg)

Inovata Foods isn’t your average Food Manufacturing company. We offer the stability of a large company with the feel of a small family business. We partner with many of North America’s largest retailers—similar to a publicly traded tier‑one manufacturer—yet our team members enjoy a high degree of ownership, influence, and the ability to make a meaningful impact.

The Vice President of Operations reports directly to Inovata Foods’ CEO and is the senior operational leader at Inovata Foods. You will play a crucial role is realizing our mission of “creating wholesome and convenient meals that bring families and friends together” while daily living out our RECIPE core values: Respect, Engagement, Courage, Integrity, Passion, and Excellence.

Vice President of Operations

As the Vice President of Operations, you will oversee and elevate the performance of our Edmonton and Tillsonburg manufacturing plants including the maintenance, quality assurance, operations and engineering departments. You will provide strategic leadership to these high performing teams while remaining meaningfully connected to the plant floor, fostering collaboration, accountability, and a culture of continuous improvement.

You are equally comfortable solving complex operational challenges hands‑on as you are representing your team at board of director meetings. You are a builder—able to walk into a facility, understand where it is today, see its potential, and chart a path to get there. You lead with clarity, have a proven ability to develop and attract top talent while driving meaningful change in the overall organization.

What are the most important abilities needed in this role?

Strategic Vision & Execution

- Ability to see the future potential of operations and develop actionable plans to achieve long-term business objectives.

- Translate strategy into clear operational priorities and measurable outcomes

Operational Excellence

- Expertise in optimizing manufacturing processes, driving continuous improvement and ensuring world‑class performance in quality, efficiency, and cost.

- Deep understanding of OEE, maintenance, and bottleneck analysis.

Safety & Compliance Leadership

- Champion a proactive safety culture, leveraging both leading and lagging indicators as well as first hand observations.

- Ensure full regulatory compliance (e.g., CFIA, HACCP, SQF, OSHA) and crisis management readiness.

Talent Development & Team Building

- Ability to attract, develop, and retain top talent.

- Build high‑performing, diverse teams through coaching, mentoring, and succession planning.

Data‑Driven Decision Making

- Advanced skills in data analysis, trend identification, and root cause analysis.

- Translate operational data into actionable insights and communicate findings effectively to all levels.

Change Management & Culture Building

- Lead transformation initiatives, manage change, and foster a culture of engagement, accountability, and psychological safety.

- Balance performance focus with respect for people and the company’s core values.

What attributes and behaviours will you show?

- Servant Leadership: Prioritizes the growth and success of team members, reinforcing that leadership exists to support and enable frontline excellence.

- Relentless Follow‑Through: Demonstrates unwavering commitment to seeing initiatives through to successful completion, ensuring accountability at every stage.

- Resilient and Emotionally Intelligent: Maintains a strong internal drive, quickly recovers from setbacks, and adapts with composure—balancing determination with empathy for others.

- Visible and Engaged Leadership: Actively connects with frontline teams, fostering trust and open communication by being present and approachable on the plant floor.

- Proactive Self‑Starter: Takes initiative, anticipates challenges, and consistently delivers results with a high degree of personal ownership.

- Critical and Systematic Thinker: Applies structured analysis to complex problems, leveraging data and logic to inform decisions and drive continuous improvement.

- Creative Problem Solver with Grit: Tackles obstacles with resourcefulness and perseverance, viewing setbacks as opportunities to innovate and find new solutions.

- Trusts and Verifies: Builds strong relationships based on trust, while rigorously validating that commitments are met and standards are upheld.

- Champion of Collaboration: Inspires cross‑functional teamwork, values diverse perspectives, and empowers others to contribute to shared success.

- Model of Integrity and Transparency: Upholds the highest ethical standards, communicates openly, and leads by example in all interactions.

Largest challenges you will face

- Being able to get into the weeds when necessary to elevate the thought process of team members and assist them in addressing problems and then pivot back into strategic thinking and planning.

- Maintaining a high performing operation while experiencing change due to a high degree of planned investment.

- Striking the right balance with pace and magnitude of change.

- Saying no. There are many opportunities, but your team is limited in size and capacity. We need to focus on items that have the greatest impact.

Requirements:

- Proven Accountability for Plant Performance: Demonstrated success in leading and being fully accountable for the operational, financial, and safety outcomes of a food manufacturing facility. (Required)

- Multi‑Site Leadership: Experience concurrently managing multiple manufacturing plants, driving consistency and excellence across diverse teams and locations. (Preferred)

- Extensive B2B Manufacturing Background: Minimum 10 years in technical manufacturing environments, with a strong track record of delivering results in complex, business‑to‑business settings. (Required)

- Food Industry Expertise: At least 5 years of direct experience in food manufacturing, ideally within CFIA‑regulated and SQF certified facilities. (Required)

- Maintenance Leadership: Minimum 5 years overseeing maintenance departments, with hands‑on involvement in reliability, asset management, and preventative maintenance programs. (Required)

- Technical Education: Degree in engineering, technical discipline, or equivalent significant experience. (Required)

- Capital Project Management: Significant experience planning, executing, and commissioning capital projects and equipment deployments in operating facilities. (Required)

- People Leadership: Minimum 10 years managing multiple direct reports, with a focus on talent development, succession planning, and building high‑performing teams. (Required)

- Digital & Analytical Acumen: Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel expert), ERP systems, and data analytics tools; ability to leverage technology for operational insights and process optimization. (Required).

- Financial Stewardship: Direct responsibility for plant or departmental budgets, with demonstrated expertise in cost control, forecasting, and financial analysis. (Preferred)

- Quality Assurance Oversight: Minimum 5 years leading or directly managing QA teams, ensuring robust food safety, compliance, and continuous improvement. (Preferred)

- Transformational Leadership: Proven track record of leading large‑scale operational transformations, integrations, or mergers, delivering sustainable change and measurable improvements. (Preferred)

- Advanced Manufacturing Technologies: Hands‑on experience implementing and optimizing automation, robotics, IoT, and other cutting‑edge manufacturing technologies. (Preferred)

Rewards:

- Competitive salary based on experience and education with a range of $175,000-$225,000 annually. Salary to be negotiated.

- Strong bonus program that is based on company profitability.

- Significant stock option plan.

- Four weeks of vacation and five annual personal days.

- Comprehensive health and dental benefits (100% Employer Paid)

- Long term disability insurance coverage (100% Employee Paid) and AD&D with Life coverage paid by Inovata.

- Company matched DPSP program.

- Professional development and training opportunities.

- A supportive, flexible, and collaborative work environment with a high level of access and engagement with company leadership.

Working Conditions:

We strive to help our team members maintain a positive balance between life and work. There are no fixed “9-5” hours or bureaucratic approvals for taking time off or running a personal errand. As a VP level team member, we lean heavy into trusting the individual. That said, we do believe that being in person is crucial to building relationships between team members, learning and championing our culture. The expectation is that the successful candidate will be in person at our Tillsonburg facility five days a week with occasional travel to our Edmonton facility.

Our Commitment:

Inovata Foods Corp. is an inclusive employer. If selected for an interview, please advise our Human Resources Department if you require any accommodation during the interview and assessment process, and we will work with you to meet your accessibility needs.

If you are a visionary leader with a passion to enhance manufacturing excellence and a desire to drive operational innovation, we invite you to apply for the position of Director of Operations at Inovata Foods. Join us in our mission to “create wholesome meals that bring families and friends together.”

Please apply directly through the job posting. Additionally, if you have any questions about this role or want to reach out further, please contact Elise Lamothe at HR @ inovatafoods.com.

#J-18808-Ljbffr