VP of Operations
A facility build-out, a board under pressure, and no VP of Operations
A PE-backed better-for-you snack brand in the Midwest had grown from $80M to $180M in three years - largely on the back of a major retail listing that demanded volume they'd only recently become capable of producing. To meet it, they'd committed to a $14M facility expansion across two production lines.
Three months into the build, their VP of Operations resigned without notice. The site director was technically capable but had never run a capital project. Production output dropped 20% below plan within six weeks of the departure. The board's quarterly covenant was at risk.
The client needed a VP who could manage the facility expansion and stabilise day-to-day operations at the same time - not sequentially. That ruled out 90% of candidates who were strong in one but not both.
How we approached it
The brief was tight: food manufacturing background, capital project experience, and the credibility to lead a unionised production floor through a disruptive build - all within a PE-owned environment where reporting lines and timelines were non-negotiable.
We ran a direct-search approach, targeting candidates with a specific combination of experience:
- Operations leadership at a manufacturing site of 200+ employees with P&L responsibility
- At least one greenfield or major expansion project delivered on time and on budget
- Sector fit within food or adjacent FMCG - we didn't need food specifically, but we needed someone who understood FDA-regulated production
- Cultural fit with a founder-adjacent, high-growth environment rather than a blue-chip corporate structure
We presented four candidates at the first stage. The client interviewed three. One candidate withdrew. An offer was made to the preferred candidate in week five. Accepted in week six.
Production back on plan. Facility delivered. Candidate still in seat.
The new VP stabilised the production floor in his first month - rebuilding the shift schedule and resetting expectations with the site director. By month three, output was back to plan and the facility expansion was back on its original timeline.
The second production line went live on schedule. The retail listing was fulfilled without a single service-level breach. Eighteen months later, the candidate is still in post and has since taken on responsibility for a second site acquired by the PE group.
"We'd been through two agencies before Scott. Both presented CVs that looked right on paper but missed the point of the brief entirely. The person Scott placed understood the operational challenge before he'd even had an interview."
Chief Executive · PE-Backed Snack Manufacturer · Midwest USA
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