External Manufacturing Manager

Established in 2017, trü frü rapidly ascended the “permissible indulgence” space as a Utah-based company selling one-of-a-kind “better for you” Hyper-Chilled and Hyper-Dried real fruit immersed in premium chocolate to retail outlets nationwide. Winning Most Innovative New Product in 2019 and 2022 in the sweets and snacks categories and climbing the fruit-based snack industry chart at an astounding growth rate, trü frü joined the Mars family of brands in February 2023.

We are on a mission to build a legacy with trüly remarkable people who can create something special for generations to come!

External Manufacturing Manager
, you serve as the primary liaison between Trü Frü and its contract manufacturing partners, working cross-functionally to ensure operational excellence, supply continuity, and cost competitiveness. You lead supplier performance, sustainability, and value leadership initiatives while supporting innovation, new product launches, and ongoing productivity improvements. With ownership of manufacturing budgets and supply agreements, you help build a resilient, high-performing external manufacturing network aligned with Trü Frü’s quality, service, and growth objectives.

• Serve as the primary liaison between Trü Frü and contract manufacturing partners, aligning priorities across Quality, R&D, Marketing, Product Supply, Finance, and Manufacturing.
• Develop and execute strategies to build a resilient, responsive external manufacturing network, balancing service, cost, inventory, and risk mitigation.
• Own operational performance of contract manufacturers, ensuring adherence to quality standards, food safety requirements, service levels, and contractual obligations.
• Lead supplier performance management, including reviews of quality, yield, reliability, and service, and drive corrective actions as needed.
• Drive cost competitiveness and efficiency improvements through waste reduction, yield optimization, throughput gains, and value leadership initiatives.
• Manage manufacturing P&L ownership, including budget accountability, cost control, and financial performance of external manufacturing.
• Oversee execution of supply agreements, including volume commitments, material usage, and cost recovery mechanisms.
• Partner with Procurement and Finance to track, manage, and optimize spend across contract manufacturing and co-packing services.
• Lead sustainability initiatives at manufacturing sites in partnership with internal and external stakeholders.
• Support new product introductions by ensuring operational readiness and launch execution across co-manufacturers.
• Manage operational aspects of innovation, renovation, and productivity projects, acting as project manager for key co-manufacturing initiatives.
• Partner with Quality to continuously improve food safety, compliance, and operational excellence.
• Identify operational, supply, and financial risks and implement mitigation plans to ensure continuity and performance.
• Ensure compliance with agreed ways of working, including Standards of Work (SOWs) and Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

• Knowledgeable in food manufacturing and operational best practices.
• Experienced in managing and influencing internal and external stakeholders.
• Skilled in supplier relationship management and KPI-driven performance monitoring.
• Effective in problem-solving, project management, and clear, concise communication.
• Adaptable to fast-changing market conditions, priorities, and business needs.
• 5+ years of relevant experience, preferably within CPG.
• A Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, Business, or a related field.
• Experience applying continuous improvement frameworks such as Lean and Six Sigma.
• Experience leading or supporting sustainability programs within manufacturing environments.
• Experience working with frozen and/or temperature-controlled food manufacturing.
• Internal manufacturing experience, with potential to expand scope in the future.

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