Director of Operations (Manufacturing) Location: Rochester, NY Compensation: $120,000$150,000 annually, based on experience and qualifications Eligible for performance-based incentives and standard company benefits Schedule Full-time, on-site position MondayFriday primary schedule Flexibility required to support multi-shift manufacturing operations, including early mornings, evenings, or weekends as needed About the Role: Vangst is seeking a Director of Operations (Manufacturing) to lead on-site manufacturing across multiple production departments, including Edibles, Extraction, Packaging, Processing, and Beverages . This senior leadership role is responsible for driving throughput, quality, efficiency, and scalability in a fast-growing, regulated manufacturing environment. The Director of Operations will build and lead high-performing teams, implement data-driven systems, and support multi-shift operations while maintaining strict compliance with regulatory and quality standards. This role is critical to supporting rapid growth and an increasingly complex product portfolio. DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Key Responsibilities: Operational Leadership Lead and oversee daily manufacturing operations across all production departments. Deliver consistent achievement of daily, weekly, and quarterly production targets. Plan, launch, and scale a second manufacturing shift with seamless handoff and quality consistency. Optimize labor efficiency, machine utilization, and throughput across all product lines. Collaborate with Supply Chain and Sales to align production schedules with forecasts and order demand. Strategic Planning & Systems Develop and execute operational strategies that support growth, scalability, and cost control. Coordinate cross-site production planning, material flow, finished goods, and warehouse integration. Identify and implement automation, new technologies, and process improvements to improve yield and reduce downtime. Ensure full compliance with NY OCM, HACCP, cGMP, OSHA , and internal SOPs. People & Performance Lead, coach, and develop department managers and supervisors with a focus on accountability and continuous improvement. Partner with HR on recruiting, onboarding, training, and retaining manufacturing talent. Establish and track KPIs across safety, quality, labor efficiency, and output. Foster a positive, engaged culture through clear communication and recognition. Financial & Safety Accountability Manage manufacturing budgets, labor utilization, and cost-per-unit performance. Monitor waste, yield, and efficiency metrics to drive profitability improvements. Champion a strong safety culture; ensure compliance with PPE, EHS, and hazard-control protocols. Qualifications & Experience Bachelors degree in Engineering, Operations Management, or a related technical field. Progressive leadership experience in manufacturing; food, beverage, or cannabis CPG strongly preferred. Proven success scaling production capacity and leading multi-shift manufacturing teams. Strong working knowledge of cGMP, HACCP, OSHA , and NY OCM regulations. Experience with production planning, cost control, and workforce development. Proficiency with ERP and production systems (e.g., Wherefour, Canix , Microsoft Office Suite). Strong analytical, communication, and leadership skills; thrives in a fast-paced environment. What Success Looks Like Reliable, repeatable production throughput meeting sales and forecast requirements. Fully integrated and efficient second-shift operations. Improved labor efficiency, yield, and cost recovery through data-driven planning. Aligned, accountable manufacturing teams operating under consistent KPIs. A sustainable culture of safety, quality, and continuous improvement. About Vangst Vangst is the cannabis industrys leading hiring platform. We help cannabis companies find the talent they need to growfrom on-demand gig workers to trained and credentialed full-time employees. Vangst works with 1,200+ of the industrys top cannabis businesses and supports a talent community of over 300,000 professionals nationwide. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Denver, CO, Vangst is a Series B company backed by Lerer Hippeau, Colle Capital, Level One Fund, Casa Verde Capital, and others. Our mission is to fill every job in the cannabis industry. Vangst is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected characteristic.