Industrial Performance Manager - San Leandro, CA

At Ghirardelli, we're on a mission to become a one billion dollar brand and beyond. We want to be every consumer's first choice of premium chocolate, and we believe we can do that through our products and the way we do business, which are all inspired by our brand commitment to Making Life A Bite Better. We are a company committed to both personal and professional growth and believe that each employee contributes directly to Ghirardelli's growth and success.

The Industrial Performance Manager plays a critical role in strengthening Ghirardelli's operational performance by focusing on Loss Intelligence, data-driven decision-making, manufacturing standards, cost-saving initiatives, and Industry 4.0 / Digitalization to elevate operational maturity. This position ensures robust standards for production and financial accuracy, including nominal rates, labor standards, scrap standards, changeover matrix, and new product costing. The Manager serves as a strategic connector between operations and leadership, turning data into actionable insights that drive efficiency, reduce losses, and align plant performance with business objectives.

• Individual contributor, with cross-functional influence.
• Responsibilities in San Leandro plant and Co-Pack facilities.
• Responsibilities in other areas of Supply Chain.

• Leverage deep knowledge of production processes to provide strategic recommendations across multiple functions in the organization, with the goal of driving efficiency, innovation and value in product development.
• Establishes and manages manufacturing standards for new products.
• Support cross-functional teams to execute production trials for new products and/or process changes, while minimizing impact on cost and performance.
• Drive the implementation of digital applications, plant data collection and reporting systems to enhance plant KPIs and decision-making and reduce processing losses in generating the data.
• Ensure accurate and complete reporting of the plant performance, efficiency, waste and recommend improvements.
• Develop, organize, and maintain material training for the operations data system and digital learning platforms.
• Provide training and guidance to teams on digital tools, loss categorization, data-driven decision-making.
• Monitor and support KPI analysis, loss trend tracking, deployment activities, and zero loss tree initiatives to drive loss reduction across LPW pillars.
• Fosters and promotes a culture of ownership of performance metrics in all levels.
• Establish budget standards to support the annual budget cycle and budget reviews.
• Ensure manufacturing standards are continuously reviewed and optimized to minimize waste and inefficiencies.
• Lead strategic initiatives such as Industry 4.0 / digitalization to elevate operational maturity.
• Monitor & share industry trends and technological advancements to drive continuous improvement in San Leandro operation.
• Actively participates in LPW pillar and provides leadership for assigned projects.
• Support performance reporting and business planning, including preparation of the Game Plan and OPS deck for key stakeholder visits.
• Lead cost savings program by owning the methodology, reporting, updates, and follow-up processes.
• Complete special projects and other duties as assigned or as necessary.

Minimum Education and Experience Required

• BA degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum 6 years of experience in Industrial Performance, with hands-on shopfloor exposure and proven focus on loss intelligence through the design, implementation, and improvement of systems that drive reduction of manufacturing, processing and packing losses.
• Proven experience in establishing and managing manufacturing standards and cost modeling to support operations budgeting and financial planning.
• Proven experience in project management and change management.
• Strong communication and facilitation skills.
• Computer literacy in MS Office
• Experience with SAP a plus
• Occasionally required to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds
• Must be able to work seated or standing for at least 8 hours
• Must be able to concentrate for extended periods of time paying close attention to detail
• Must be able to travel up to 25% of time
• Works in a regular office environment
• Work schedule: standard office hours, with flexibility to support off-shift operations as needed.