Director of Operations (Plant Manager)

Reports to: President/General Manager

Location: Missouri (Onsite • Full Time)

Role Purpose

Seeking a hands‑on, technically strong operational leader to serve as the President/General Manager’s #2. This role owns yield, product quality (GNS/HPA), uptime, maintenance reliability, CI improvement, safety, and technical project execution. The role demands consistent onsite leadership and the technical acumen to quickly identify, correct, and prevent operational problems.

Top 5 Required Outcomes

1. Improve Yield – optimize fermentation/distillation and eliminate losses.

2. Deliver High & Consistent Product Quality – achieve best-in-class GNS quality.

3. Increase Uptime & Reliability – strengthen maintenance planning and reduce downtime.

4. Improve Efficiency– reduce energy/water/NG usage through continuous improvement.

5. Execute Technical Projects – deliver capital/reliability projects on time and on budget.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead Production, Maintenance, Quality/Lab, EH&S.

• Coach/mentor operators, supervisors, and maintenance personnel.

• Lead RCA activity and verify corrective action implementation.

• Manage operating budget; enforce cost discipline.

• Conduct consistent and regular walk‑downs; ensure cross‑shift consistency.

• Partner with the commercial team to align production with customer needs.

• Communicate clearly and early with the President/General Manager.

Required Experience

• 5–10+ years in ethanol/chemical/process manufacturing.

• Strong technical knowledge of fermentation/distillation/dehydration.

• Proven success improving yield, uptime, quality, and CI.

• Experience leading multi‑department operations teams.

• Familiarity with reliability engineering and capital project delivery.

Leadership Traits Needed

• Hands‑On & Onsite • Technically Credible • High Accountability

• Clear Communicator • People Developer • Operationally Disciplined

• Urgent & Action‑Oriented

Not a Fit If the Candidate…

• Prefers remote or multi‑site oversight

• Avoids conflict or struggles with accountability

• Delegates instead of engaging hands‑on

• Lacks process/technical depth

• Avoids plant‑floor presence

• Cannot challenge poor numbers or inconsistent performance

Why This Role Matters

The Director of Operations is central to our success. The right leader will stabilize and elevate plant operations, improve CI and 45Z positioning, deliver premium alcohol quality, reduce the operational load on the President/General Manager, and develop a stronger, more capable operations team.

Let's connect on this opportunity!

Brian Bigger

President, Recruiter

o:218-967-3187 c: 218-234-9079

e: brian@globaltalentsolutions.com