About this opportunity
Palermo Villa, Inc. lists this Director of Bakery Operations opportunity in milwaukee, Wisconsin. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
Palermo Villa, Inc.
3301 W Canal St
Milwaukee, WI 53208, USA
On-site
Full-Time
Requisition #: DIREC
Description
Do you enjoy leading a complex bakery operation, developing strong leaders, and seeing the impact of your decisions on the floor every day?
Are you the kind of leader who can balance safety, quality, service, productivity, and cost while keeping teams aligned across multiple shifts and platforms?
Do you use data, operational expertise, and structured problem solving to improve performance and solve complex manufacturing challenges?
Do you take pride in building capable leaders, creating accountability, and developing an operation that is ready for future growth?
If so, this role may be the perfect fit for you.
Who you’ll work for
Palermo’s is a family-owned company with a passion for great pizza and great people. As a member of the Operations Leadership Team, you’ll work closely with leaders across Production, Quality, Maintenance, Engineering, R&D, Supply Chain, Warehouse, Finance, and Human Resources to drive bakery performance and support broader business priorities.
Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits
Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance
401(k) with company match
Paid time off and paid holidays
Employee discount on Palermo’s products
Opportunities to influence the future of a growing, family-owned organization
Where you’ll work
This is an on-site leadership role at Palermo’s Canal Street manufacturing facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Because our bakery operates across multiple shifts, this leader maintains a visible presence throughout the operation and provides support outside traditional business hours when needed.
What you’ll do
Lead bakery operations across multiple shifts and platforms, driving performance in safety, food safety, quality, service, productivity, cost, and employee engagement.
Develop Bakery Managers and strengthen leadership capability, accountability, and succession throughout the operation.
Use operational data and KPIs to identify trends, solve problems, and improve bakery performance.
Drive continuous improvement in throughput, labor efficiency, yield, waste, equipment effectiveness, product consistency, and process reliability.
Provide leadership and technical oversight of bakery processes, ingredients, equipment, and environmental conditions.
Partner with Maintenance and Engineering to improve equipment reliability, automation, capacity, and bakery capability.
Manage bakery budgets, resources, and cost improvement initiatives while protecting quality and service.
Partner with R&D on new products, product improvements, trials, and successful commercialization into bakery operations.
Develop longer-term plans for bakery capacity, technology, equipment, workforce capability, and operational needs.
Why you’ll be successful
You understand both the business and the bakery . You can move comfortably between the production floor and strategic discussions, developing leaders while still understanding what is happening within the operation. You create accountability, use data to make decisions, tackle root causes rather than symptoms, and know how to bring multiple functions together to solve complex manufacturing challenges.
What you’ll bring
Bachelor’s degree in Operations Management, Engineering, Food Science, Business, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
10+ years of progressive manufacturing experience, including significant bakery manufacturing leadership experience
5+ years leading managers or senior operational leaders in a multi-shift manufacturing environment
Strong knowledge of commercial bakery processes, ingredients, equipment, and factors affecting product consistency and quality
Demonstrated experience managing operational performance, budgets, labor, waste, productivity, and manufacturing KPIs
Experience leading continuous improvement, organizational change, and complex cross-functional initiatives
Strong knowledge of food safety, GMP, regulatory, and manufacturing safety requirements
High-volume food manufacturing experience, bakery automation, capital project experience, and Lean or Six Sigma expertise are a plus.
What success looks like
Bakery operations consistently deliver strong results across safety, quality, service, productivity, cost, and engagement. Bakery Managers effectively own their operations and develop strong teams. Product quality and bakery processes are consistent across shifts and platforms, and data and structured problem solving drive sustained improvements in waste, efficiency, reliability, and cost. Just as importantly, the bakery organization is building the leadership, equipment, technology, and process capability needed to support Palermo’s future growth.
How to join our team
At Palermo’s, you’ll have the opportunity to lead a critical part of our manufacturing operation while helping shape what comes next. We combine the energy and opportunity of a growing business with the values and personal connection of a family-owned company. If you’re energized by developing people, improving operations, solving complex bakery challenges, and seeing the impact of your work firsthand, we’d love to hear from you.
Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.
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Worksite address
milwaukee, WI, 53244, US
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.