Director, Contract Manufacturing

Role Purpose

The Director, Co-Manufacturing leads Hain Celestial's North American co-manufacturing network and is accountable for reliable, cost-effective and compliant production through external manufacturing partners. This role owns co-manufacturer performance, capacity planning, operating governance, supplier accountability, risk mitigation and continuous improvement across the network.

The role partners closely with Supply Chain, Procurement, Quality, R&D, Commercial and Finance to ensure external manufacturing capabilities support business growth, product availability, service levels, margin improvement and customer commitments.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the North American co-manufacturing strategy aligned with business growth, service, quality and cost objectives.
• Lead the management and governance of third-party manufacturing partners across relevant product categories and manufacturing platforms.
• Own co-manufacturer performance management, including service, quality, cost, safety, compliance, capacity and business continuity metrics.
• Establish and maintain strong operating relationships with key co-manufacturing partners, including routine business reviews and executive-level escalation as needed.
• Ensure sufficient external manufacturing capacity to support current demand, innovation plans, seasonal requirements and future growth.
• Partner with Procurement on supplier selection, contract negotiations, commercial terms, pricing actions and supplier accountability.
• Collaborate with R&D, Quality and Operations on commercialization, technology transfers, product launches, reformulations and network optimization projects.
• Identify and execute productivity, cost savings, waste reduction and continuous improvement opportunities across the co-manufacturing network.
• Lead risk assessment and mitigation planning for supply continuity, capacity constraints, quality events, cost pressure and operational disruptions.
• Support long-range network planning, make-versus-buy analyses, footprint optimization and external manufacturing capability assessments.
• Manage escalation and resolution of significant operational, quality, service or customer-impacting issues.
• Partner with Finance to build budgets, forecasts, business cases, productivity tracking and cost-to-serve visibility.
• Create and maintain clear operating standards, KPIs, reporting routines and decision-making processes for co-manufacturing performance.
• Ensure compliance with applicable regulatory, food safety, customer, quality and company requirements.
• Build, lead and develop a high-performing co-manufacturing team with a culture of accountability, collaboration, urgency and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

Education and/or Experience

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Operations Management, Manufacturing, Business or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in supply chain, manufacturing, operations, external manufacturing or co-manufacturing, preferably in consumer packaged goods.
• Experience managing third-party manufacturing partners, supplier relationships and cross-functional operational initiatives.
• Proven experience managing operational metrics, budgets, productivity initiatives and performance improvement plans.
• Demonstrated ability to influence across Procurement, Quality, R&D, Commercial, Finance and Operations.

Preferred:

• MBA or advanced degree.
• Experience in food, beverage, natural products or broader CPG manufacturing environments.
• Experience with network optimization, strategic sourcing, contract manufacturing negotiations or productivity programs.
• Lean, Six Sigma or operational excellence certification.

Competencies and Proficiency Requirements

• Strong external manufacturing and supplier relationship management capability.
• Strategic thinking with practical operational execution and strong follow-through.
• Commercial and financial acumen, including cost modeling, budgeting and business case development.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to make sound decisions in fast-moving, ambiguous situations.
• Executive presence and ability to influence senior stakeholders internally and externally.
• Strong project management, prioritization and cross-functional leadership skills.
• Clear, direct communication style with strong escalation discipline.
• High accountability, ownership and comfort driving performance with external partners.
• Commitment to quality, food safety, compliance and continuous improvement.

Scope

Financial/Budgetary Responsibility: Accountable for co-manufacturing operational spend, productivity delivery, supplier performance and cost improvement opportunities across the assigned external manufacturing network.

Team Size: Direct and/or indirect responsibility for co-manufacturing and external manufacturing professionals; final reporting structure to be confirmed.

Conditions of Role:

Travel Requirements: Approximately 25-40% travel to co-manufacturing sites, suppliers and Hain locations as business needs require.

Physical Conditions: Primarily remote-based work with periodic manufacturing site visits. Site visits may require walking production floors and following facility safety requirements.

Work Environment: Fast-paced, cross-functional supply chain environment requiring regular collaboration with internal teams and external manufacturing partners.

Compensation and Benefits:

• $150,000 - $190,000 (commensurate with experience and location)
• Medical, Prescription, Dental, Vision Coverage
• Flexible spending accounts
• Disability coverage
• Life insurance
• Critical illness and accident insurance
• Legal and identity protection insurance
• Pet insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Commuter benefits
• Tuition assistance
• Adoption assistance
• 401(k)
• PTO
• Parental Leave

Hain Celestial is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer. The Company does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, expression, genetic information, protected veteran status or any other characteristics protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

If you need accommodations for any part of the employment process because of a disability, please send an e-mail to [email protected] or call 516-587-5000 to let us know the nature of your request.