Operations Manager

Position: Operations Manager

Company: Yonder Cider

Work location: Wenatchee, WA

Full Time or Part Time: Full Time, Salary

Reporting to: Director of Production

About The Position

Yonder Cider is seeking a full-time Operations Manager to join our growing team! The Operations Manager is responsible for overseeing logistics, maintenance, and packaging. They provide strategic planning, clear oversight, and effective communication while supervising, motivating, and holding the production team accountable. The Operations Manager also provides support with warehousing and distribution to help ensure timely product flow, while maintaining a safe, clean, and well-functioning facility.

They will work closely with the CEO, Director of Production, and cider-making teams to create practical

schedules and staffing plans that meet facility needs. The Operations Manager supports overall operations by reporting data, making process recommendations, and ensuring all legal, compliance, and chain-of-custody requirements are diligently followed. This role requires strong, hands-on leadership, a forward-thinking mindset, proven problem-solving skills, and ownership of preventative maintenance programs to keep people, equipment, and product moving efficiently. Candidates must also be mechanically savvy, able to troubleshoot electrical issues, identify equipment problems, and be comfortable working around motors, at heights, and in small spaces.

About Us

We are a rapidly growing cidery based out of Wenatchee, Washington, with taprooms in Seattle and Cashmere. Established in 2020, Yonder is comprised of two operations: our consumer focused brand,

and our premium juice and custom fermentation brand known as The Source Cider. Together, we press

more than 4 million pounds of apples every year, working directly with orchardists, distributors and

customers throughout the Pacific Northwest. Yonder products are distributed throughout Washington,

Oregon, Idaho and California. Picked and pressed in Wenatchee, Washington – the heart of Apple Country – we create cider that's as balanced, bright and complex as the land itself. Crafted using a blend of bittersweet cider apples and juicy dessert apples, our ciders are hardly simple, and never straightforward, but you can always count on them being interesting.

Job Responsibilities

The role will include, but is not limited to:

- Responsible for general facility maintenance and upkeep, including preventative maintenance schedule. Ensure the site meets required standards OSHA and Food Safety Regulation.

- Oversee staffing decisions, performance management, training, safety and quality of the cidery operations. Ensure team members have the right tools, knowledge and equipment required to do their jobs safely and effectively.

- Guarantee a safe working environment for employees by maintaining the facility and equipment in an optimal working environment and enforces adherence to safe work practices.

- Work alongside cider making leadership to manage operational strategic plans and tasks, ensuring the teams remain focused on all core projects and feedback progress to leadership.

- Utilize cidery management software (EKOS) with skill in order to problem solve and investigate any issues which may arise, taking responsibility for ensuring stock is controlled from packaging all the way to delivery.

- Manage proper and timely procurement of raw materials; liaise with the staff members on site, and Shipping & Receiving Assistant, to ensure stocks of raw materials, work in progress and finished goods are stored and recorded accurately.

- Assist leadership in meeting production goals. Collaborate on all production activities and create schedules to meet sales forecasts and demands. Hold the teams accountable to timelines and delivery of results.

- Monitor and continuously improve cider making operations with regards to safety, quality, efficiency, cost optimization and profitability.

- Develop and implement long & short term planning goals and corrective action plans. Translate the overall business strategy into operational goals and objectives for the cidery.

- Standardize (and update as needed) procedures and protocols and ensure they are being adhered to. Take ownership of maintaining and developing all related SOPs and ensure they work in conjunction with SOPs maintained by the production team.

- Research and implement operation-related industry trends and compliance initiatives to evolve

the cidery operations standards.

- Oversee the design, operation and improvement of systems that produce the Company’s products. Assess equipment purchases and major expenditures to maximize benefit and adhere to budgets.

- Overall responsibility for maintaining an enjoyable and efficient working environment on site, making sure the site is always functional, and site repairs happen quickly and efficiently.

- Maintaining positive relationships and open lines of communication with facility contractors, raw materials suppliers and distribution partners.

- Maintain positive and ongoing relationships with orchard partners, managing projections, receiving of fruit and returning of bins post harvest.

- Support overall operations by reporting data and making process recommendations, while ensuring all legal, compliance, and chain of custody requirements are met and diligently followed by all staff.

- Work with Accounting to review appropriate financial statements, sales and activity reports and other performance data to measure productivity and goal achievement. Identify and rectify areas for cost reduction and program improvement.

- Represent the company with professionalism, knowledge and passion. Be a champion for the Company in the beverage community. Network within the industry to maintain and create commercial relationships.

Additional Expectations

- Strong leadership skills

- Maintain a positive production facility attitude and ensure that all employees under your

supervision are aligned with the company goals

- Mechanically-savvy

- Ability to prioritize and make knowledgeable decisions in a fast-paced, dynamic environment

- Strong communication, interpersonal, and teambuilding skills; comfortable reaching out via

phone and email whenever necessary

- Ability to be successful in a collaborative team environment

- Proven analytical, problem-solving, project and time management skills

- Self-starter, proactive, able to work independently and shows initiative to make things happen

and improve results

- Highly effective multi-tasker; must be able to function at a high level in a dynamic environment

- Able to impact and effect positive change with a flexible, open-minded, positive approach

- High attention to detail

- Honest and trustworthy

- Familiarity with email, Google Drive, MS Word, MS Excel and Google Drive

Preferred Requirements

- Bachelor’s Degree in related field and/or more than 3 years relevant supervisory/leadership

experience

- Experience in an active production space, preferably in beverage production

- Excellent organization, time management, and problem-solving skills

- Integrity, creativity, persistence, honesty, and adaptability

- Ability to execute against a budget

- Forklift certification (can provide)

- Ability to repeatedly lift up to 50 lbs.

- Ability to work in an ever-changing climate, including hot, wet, cold, inside and outside

- Ability to work flexible schedule as needed to accommodate for harvest and times of increased

production

Compensation & Benefits

- Salary: $70,000-$80,000

- Paid time off and holidays

- Healthcare and matching 401k after 90 days

- Employee discounts and cider allocation

To apply for this position, please submit a resume and email cover letter to jobs@yondercider.com with

“Job Application: Operations Manager” in the subject line.