Senior Operations Manager

About Us

Proximo Spirits, Inc., a leading innovator and marketer of premium spirits in the U.S., is a privately-held company known for building and positioning some of the world's most iconic beverage brands. Key brands in the Proximo portfolio include Jose Cuervo® – the world's best-selling tequila brand, 1800® Tequila, Maestro Dobel® Tequila, Gran Centenario® Tequila, Bushmills® Irish Whiskey, and The Kraken® Black Spiced Rum. Proximo also imports and markets Three Olives® Vodka and more. For news and updates, follow us on LinkedIn, or visit proximospirits.com

Who We Are

At Proximo, we’re an entrepreneurial team with a passion for building legendary brands and shaping the future of the spirits industry. Our environment is fast-paced, highly collaborative, and results-driven. We embrace creative thinking, move with speed, and value bold ideas. You’ll be empowered to take ownership of your projects, challenge the status quo, and grow your career alongside world-class brands.

Position Summary

The Senior Operations Manager is responsible for leading the Bottling Operations organization and developing a high-performance culture that delivers results in Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and People Development. Is responsible to lead and develop 4 Lead team members and 140 Union members to drive operational excellence and lead the Autonomous Management Pillar.

This role is accountable for building leadership capability throughout all levels of the organization, ensuring operational standards are consistently executed, and creating a culture of ownership, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

As a member of the Site Leadership Team, the Senior Operations Manager is responsible for driving cross-functional alignment between Operations, Quality, Maintenance, Engineering, Continuous Improvement, Warehousing, and Planning to achieve site objectives and sustain TPM principles.

The Senior Operations Manager is accountable for developing leaders, enforcing standards, driving operational discipline, and creating a culture where safety, quality, delivery, cost, and people results are owned at every level of the organization.

Role & Responsibilities

People Development

• Develop supervisors into effective frontline leaders capable of managing performance, reinforcing standards, and coaching employees.
• Conduct regular leadership development sessions for direct reports.
• Build succession plans for critical operations positions.
• Create a culture of continuous feedback and development.
• Evaluate leadership effectiveness through measurable team performance indicators.

Operational Excellence – TPM program

• Own the Daily Management System for Bottling Operations.
• Lead daily tier meetings and ensure KPI review processes are effective and action-oriented.
• Monitor operational performance through leading and lagging indicators.
• Verify corrective actions are implemented and effective.
• Ensure standards are audited routinely and deviations are addressed immediately.
• Lead and audit the performance of the Autonomous Management Pillar Implementation.
• Promote a culture of learning and continuous improvement through sharing of lessons learned.

Leadership and Accountability

• Establish clear performance expectations for managers, supervisors, line leaders, and operators.
• Hold all levels of the organization accountable for safety, quality, productivity, cost, and behavioral standards.
• Promptly address performance gaps through coaching, development plans, and performance management processes.
• Ensure operational issues are escalated appropriately and resolved with urgency.
• Lead from the production floor through visible leadership and routine engagement with frontline teams.
• Own operational results and avoid transferring accountability to support functions.
• Ensure all losses, downtime events, quality incidents, and safety incidents receive adequate root cause analysis and sustainable corrective actions.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner with EHS, Quality, Maintenance, Engineering, Warehousing, Supply Chain, and Continuous Improvement teams to eliminate organizational silos.
• Lead cross-functional problem-solving activities focused on plant-wide performance.
• Foster a "One Team" culture where decisions are made based on overall business objectives rather than departmental priorities.
• Ensure resources are aligned to achieve site goals and strategic initiatives.

Critical Success Measures

The Senior Operations Manager will be evaluated based on:

• Zero Harm Safety Performance
• Product Quality and Consumer Protection Metrics
• OEE Improvement
• Labor Productivity
• Schedule Adherence
• Cost Reduction and Loss Elimination
• Employee Engagement
• Supervisor Development and Retention
• TPM/WCM Maturity Progression
• Cross-Functional Collaboration Effectiveness

Key Competencies

• Planning/Organizing--Prioritizes and plans work activities; Uses time efficiently; Plans for additional resources; Sets goals and objectives; Organizes or schedules other people and their tasks; Develops realistic action plans.
• Business Acumen--Understands business implications of decisions; Displays orientation to profitability; Demonstrates knowledge of market and competition; Aligns work with strategic goals.
• Problem Solving--Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; Gathers and analyzes information skilfully; Develops alternative solutions; Works well in group problem solving situations; Uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics.
• Communication--Communicates clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; Listens and gets clarification; Responds well to questions; Demonstrates group presentation skills; Participates in meetings; Writes clearly and informatively.
• Teamwork--Balances team and individual responsibilities; Exhibits objectivity and openness to others' views; Gives and welcomes feedback; Contributes to building a positive team spirit; Puts success of team above own interests; Able to build morale and group commitments to goals and objectives; Supports everyone's efforts to succeed.
• Change Management—Develops workable implementation plans; Communicates changes effectively; Builds commitment and overcomes resistance; Prepares and supports those affected by change; Monitors transition and evaluates results
• Managing People--Includes staff in planning, decision-making, facilitating and process improvement; Takes responsibility for subordinates' activities; Makes self available to staff; Provides regular performance feedback; Develops subordinates' skills and encourages growth; Solicits and applies customer feedback (internal and external); Fosters quality focus in others; Improves processes, products and services; Continually works to improve supervisory skills.

Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Operations, Engineering or related field
• Minimum 10 years of Manufacturing experience with progressive responsibility
• Minimum 5 years leading leaders.
• Desirable a certification Green Belt or similar
• Demonstrated success building high performance teams in unionized manufacturing environments
• Demonstrated ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines and adapt to changing priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, including ability to formulate business strategy
• Outstanding oral, written, and formal presentation skills including ability to communicate complex ideas in a simple way.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with proven ability to develop and maintain effective business partner relationships at all levels of the organization.
• Self-motivated, able to make quick, calculated decisions, follow through with responsibilities and be accountable for results
• Proficient in using relevant software and tools to streamline operations and drive continuous improvement

Proximo is an equal opportunity employer and does not unlawfully discriminate against employees or applicants for employment based on race, color, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, citizenship status, age, genetic information, physical or mental disability of an otherwise qualified individual, membership or application for membership in a uniformed service, engaging in legally protected activity, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law.