Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Why Byrne

At Byrne, we foster a culture built on teamwork, excellence, and professionalism. Our greatest strength lies in the exceptional talent and dedication of our team members across every part of the organization. We value their contributions and ensure they’re recognized, rewarded, and compensated in ways that reflect their impact and expertise.

Pay and Benefits

• Salary Range – $325,000.00 to $500,000.00 per year
• Competitive bonus programs
• Medical, Dental, Vision benefits available day 1 of employment
• Supplemental benefits available on day 30 of employment
• Eligible for 401 (k) with a company match available on day 90 of employment
• Educational Support via tuition reimbursement and scholarship program

Job Overview

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) plays a key role in executing assigned Operations tasks. The Chief Operating Officer (COO) will provide executive leadership and technical oversight for our multi-site ESL and aseptic fluid dairy operations. Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), this role is responsible for driving standard operating efficiencies, implementing lean manufacturing practices, maintaining food safety compliance, and scaling our advanced processing lines. The ideal candidate brings a deep technical background in extended shelf life (ESL), ultra-high temperature (UHT), and aseptic packaging technologies (e.g., brick carton, PET, gable top). The COO bridges the gap between executive strategy and day to day operations, ensuring flawless execution across cold-chain and ambient-stable channels.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

• Engineering and Project Management: Lead the engineering and project management team providing oversight into capital project management and depth of detail to process engineering, automation, material handling, and packaging.
• Production Scaling: Oversee daily processing, formulation, and packaging operations for ESL (pasteurized/extended shelf life) and Aseptic (shelf-stable ambient) dairy products.
• OEE Optimization: Drive Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) metrics while managing complex, high-velocity production lines, minimizing down-time during CIP/SIP (Sterilization-in-Place) cycles.
• Capex & Automation: Lead the planning and execution of capital expenditure (Capex) budgets, including the procurement and deployment of state-of-the-art UHT pasteurizers, homogenizers, and robotic palletizing systems.
• Hybrid Logistics: Oversee complex dual-distribution channels—managing a highly temperature-sensitive cold chain for ESL products alongside an ambient warehouse network for aseptic goods. Ensures we deliver to our customers on time and in full.
• Financial results: Drives financial results in partnership with the executive team by reducing unplanned downtime, eliminating shrink, and championing high yield products.

Quality Systems & Regulatory Compliance

• Aseptic Integrity: Ensure absolute compliance with US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) FDA Grade "A" Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO) guidelines and Aseptic Processing regulatory filings.
• Sterility Validation: Partner with the Quality Assurance team to uphold robust Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans, Safe Quality Food (SQF) Level 3 certifications, and strict micro-testing protocols for spore-formers.
• Waste Mitigation: Monitor and systematically reduce dairy shrink, product giveaway, and environmental load (BOD/COD wastewater treatment compliance).

Workforce Development & Safety

• Cross-Functional Team Culture: Provide direct leadership to operations and support and partner with IT, Finance, HR, and Sales.
• Technical Upskilling: Champion specialized technical training for operators.

Min. Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Biology, Engineering, Business or related field. An MBA or specialized technical Master's degree is highly preferred.
• Minimum of 10–15 years of progressive operations management experience in food/beverage processing, with at least 5 years at an executive level explicitly handling ESL or Aseptic UHT operations.
• Strong working knowledge of Tetra Pak, SIG Combi bloc, or GEA processing systems, alongside industrial refrigeration (ammonia systems), PLC automation, and high-speed filling equipment.
• Active SQF Practitioner, Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI), or advanced Lean Six Sigma Black Belt credentials are distinct advantages.

Headquartered in Lafayette, Byrne is a Central New York-based dairy company with a legacy spanning over 90 years. Its operations include an extended shelf-life (ESL) and ultra-high temperature (UHT) pasteurization plant in DeWitt, as well as an ESL manufacturing facility in Cortlandville. Byrne also maintains warehouse facilities in Syracuse and East Syracuse, along with a dedicated ice cream center in Syracuse. As a recognized industry leader, Byrne continues to drive innovation at the forefront of dairy processing and product development.