Plant Manager (WA - Kent) at Dough Zone Restaurant Group in Kent, WA

Summary of Position

The Plant Manager leads all day-to-day operations of MOJI Food’s Seattle food manufacturing site — a central kitchen/commissary producing items such as dumplings, buns, potstickers, noodles, and fillings. This is a hands-on, working plant-manager role with full accountability for the site: safety, food safety and quality, production output and efficiency, material supply, cost, and people. The Plant Manager directly leads the Production Manager and the Purchasing & Warehouse Manager, and provides functional oversight of quality/food safety, sanitation, and maintenance. Reporting to corporate operations leadership, the role translates company plans and demand into safe, compliant, efficient, and cost-controlled daily production.

Key Responsibilities

• Site Operations & Production
  • Own the full daily, weekly, and monthly operation of the plant; ensure production schedules are met on time, in full, and to specification.
  • Direct the Production Manager to plan labor, lines, and output against demand forecasts, store orders, and shipment schedules.
  • Balance throughput, yield, labor efficiency, and quality across all lines (dough/wrappers, fillings, forming, cooking/steaming/frying, packaging, freezing/cooling).
  • Resolve daily bottlenecks — staffing gaps, equipment downtime, material shortages — and keep the site running.
  • Lead seasonal, holiday, new-store, and large-order surge planning.
• Food Safety, Quality & Regulatory Compliance
  • Hold the site accountable for FDA, USDA/FSIS (if applicable), Washington State Department of Agriculture, and local food-safety requirements.
  • Ensure GMP, HACCP, SSOP, allergen control, traceability, and sanitation programs are implemented and audit-ready at all times.
  • Lead the site through regulatory inspections, customer audits, third-party certifications, and mock recalls.
  • Champion a food-safety-first culture; stop production when safety or quality is at risk.
  • Cost, Budget & Financial Performance
  • Own the site operating budget and key cost drivers: labor cost, overtime, material and packaging waste, yield, utilities, and scrap.
  • Track and improve cost-per-unit, labor hours per unit, and waste/rework rates.
  • Partner with Finance on month-end close, variance analysis, and forecasting.
  • Identify and lead cost-reduction and efficiency-improvement projects.
• People Leadership & Development
  • Lead, coach, and develop the Production Manager and Purchasing & Warehouse Manager, and through them the supervisors, leads, and hourly staff.
  • Build a stable, safe, respectful, and accountable workplace for a multilingual workforce (English /Chinese / Spanish).
  • Partner with HR on hiring, onboarding, scheduling, performance, discipline, retention, and employee relations.
  • Develop bench strength and cross-training so the site is not dependent on any single person.
• Supply Chain, Materials & Inventory
  • Ensure, through the Purchasing & Warehouse Manager, that materials are sourced, received, stored, and staged so production never stops for lack of material.
  • Oversee inventory accuracy, FIFO/FEFO, cold-chain control, receiving, and finished-goods shipping to stores and the distribution network.
  • Coordinate with corporate purchasing and other state sites on supply, transfers, and standardization.
• Maintenance, Facility & Safety
  • Ensure preventive maintenance, equipment uptime, and a clean, organized, 5S-standard facility.
  • Enforce OSHA / Washington L& I safety requirements, PPE, LOTO (where applicable), and chemical safety.
  • Lead incident investigation, root-cause analysis, and corrective action; drive down recordable injuries.
• Reporting & Continuous Improvement
  • Report site performance (safety, food safety, output, quality, cost, delivery, people) to corporate operations leadership.
  • Use data to find trends, set targets, and drive continuous improvement.
  • Support capital planning, capacity expansion, automation, and new-product scale-up.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of food manufacturing, commissary, or central-kitchen operations experience, with 4+ years in plant/operations management.
• Direct experience managing USDA-inspected facilities (highly preferred for meat processing)
• Proven ownership of a production site’s safety, quality, output, cost, and people.
• Strong working knowledge of GMP, HACCP, SSOP, allergen control, sanitation, and food-safety regulations.
• Demonstrated ability to manage budgets, labor, and operational KPIs.
• Strong leadership of multilingual, multi-shift teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to read and act on production, labor, yield, cost, and inventory data.

Preferred Skills

• Experience in Asian food / dumpling / noodle / frozen / ready-to-eat / bakery production.
• Bilingual English / Chinese (strongly preferred given the workforce and corporate communication); English / Spanish a plus.
• Experience with multi-site restaurant or commissary supply, ERP / R365, and new-product launches.
• HACCP / PCQI / SQF certification; lean or Six Sigma exposure.
• Bachelor’s degree in food science, engineering, supply chain, business, or related field (or equivalent experience).

Physical Requirements / Work Environment

• On-site role in a food manufacturing environment with cold, hot, wet, and noisy areas.
• Ability to stand, walk, and move throughout the plant for extended periods; lift up to 25–50 lbs as needed.
• Ability to wear required PPE (hairnet, gloves, safety shoes, freezer gear).
• May require early-morning, evening, weekend, or holiday coverage based on production needs.

Be our partners and enjoy these with us:

• Salary ranges: $120,000 - $150,000 per year, depending on experience, scope, and qualifications
• Comprehensive Medical insurance, vision insurance, dental insurance
• Paid Sick leave: 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours
• Paid Time off
• Paid Holidays
• 401k retirement plan
• Employee Discount Programs
• Opportunities for growth and career advancement

Moji Food is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal employment opportunity employer. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Moji Food participates in the E-Verify program to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees.