Operations Manager - Food Development & Manufacturing

Position: Operations Manager - Food Development & ManufacturingCompany: Antithesis Foods, Inc.Location: Philadelphia, PACompany Mission:We are a food company making processed foods healthier using the best food science. Our goal is to make eating healthier, more accessible, more affordable, and more delicious.What We Do:We develop, scale, and manufacture better-for-you processed snack foods for CPG brands (private label and national brands).What We Care About:Mission: We are driven by using food science to make a substantial impact on human and planetary health.Out-of-the-box thinking: Have a strong base of knowledge but not limited by what is traditionally done. Embrace exploration and unconventional solutions to conventional problems.Love of food: Food is a vehicle to connect with other people, explore science and art, and indulge in culture and history.Curiosity: Thrive on learning. Pursue interests voraciously (even outside of work).People: People are our most valuable resource. We want to make work a place where people are heard and treated equally, have opportunities to gain skills and grow, and align their passions and skills with their work.Position Mission: The mission of the Operations Manager is to oversee and execute the process of manufacturing the foods we sell. You will be involved throughout the product development, scale-up, commercialization, and production processes.Position Details: This is a full-time salaried position with medical/dental/vision health benefits and stock options. Compensation is commensurate with experience. This hybrid position requires approximately 60-80% of time on in person activities weekly in our office & lab in Philadelphia, PA. The breakdown between work-from-office and work-from-home time may vary week to week depending on the stages of the various projects you'll be working on. There will be occasional travel to visit third-party manufacturers.You will work on high-level strategy and dive into details alongside our core team. As you work closely with leadership, you can shape the company's direction far into the future. The ideal candidate thrives on solving problems, respects and recognizes the complexity behind food operations, and cares deeply about food and nutrition.What You Must Have:At least 3 years of experience in a food operations role.A good understanding of the food supply chain.Previous experience sourcing and procuring ingredients, as well as food manufacturing.Detail-oriented and organized - many job descriptions say this, but we cannot emphasize enough how important this is for this role. If you are not a details person, you will not enjoy this job.Ambitious achiever - you are deeply interested in making an impact through your career, motivated and emboldened by working alongside other highly motivated people, thrive on being part of a creative and scrappy small team, and love building systems and processes from the ground up.Strong PC skills with proficiency in MS Office & Google Suite. You are great with numbers and spreadsheets, and love doing it.Excellent communication skills, ability to articulate your own thoughts and listen to others to work together to the best solution.Ability to manage multiple projects at once and deal with the inevitable obstacles that arise.Core Responsibilities:Lead forecasting of raw materials for finished goods manufacturing.Procure ingredients for manufacturing pilots and commercial productions.Manage commercial productions from raw ingredients to finished goods.Liaise with third-party manufacturers to ensure orders are produced on schedule while working with QA to ensure products are produced to specification.Coordinate with 3PL providers to fulfill customer orders.Build and maintain excellent working relationships with manufacturers and suppliers.Negotiate contracts and pricing with third-party manufacturers.Continuously assess and optimize the supply chain for efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability.Act as the main point of contact for ingredient suppliers, keeping them up to date with forecasts and negotiating contracts and pricing.Maintain current ingredient procurement database with MOQs, pricing, and lead times.Issue client invoices and remit payment for supplier, manufacturer, and 3PL invoices.Follow-up on chargebacks with customers and supply chain partners.Work with R&D to ensure raw material inventory for potential client pitches and alternate ingredients and/or suppliers are identified and pre-approved in case of ingredient shortages.Questions & applications (cover letter + CV or resume) can be emailed to workwithus@.

Created: 2025-03-09