Fractional Operations Manager Contract Part Time

Sunny’s Gourmet Products · Part-time · Remote with travel to Mishawaka, Indiana

Sunny’s Gourmet Products manufactures authentic Korean sauces and seasonings — all-natural, chef-developed, and built on recipes our founder refined over more than thirty years, first in her own restaurant kitchen and now as a packaged goods line. We distribute nationally through KeHE, with UNFI in progress, alongside self-distribution and Amazon, and hold retail placement across the Midwest and beyond.

The opportunity

This is a new role and a broad one. Our founder has run production directly since the beginning, and this next stage calls for formalizing what she has built — specifications, quality standards, supplier and cost systems — so it scales with us.

You would own that work end to end and design most of it rather than inherit it. For an operator who would rather build than maintain, there is real room here, and the role is structured to grow as the company does.

The first six months

• Month 1 — Get oriented. Meet the team, learn the products, and map the current state across records, suppliers, contracts, certifications, and working arrangements. Deliver a current-state map and a prioritized roadmap.
• Months 2–3 — On-site intensive. Two consecutive days in Mishawaka working directly with the founder and observing live production, capturing formulation, process parameters, and quality standards. A structured question bank and capture protocol are ready for you.
• Months 3–4 — Documentation. Master specifications for four SKUs, quality standards with defined acceptance criteria, and core operating procedures.
• Months 4–6 — Build the operating record. Supplier and packaging master with terms and lead times, SKU-level cost build and COGS, logistics and fulfillment, and the compliance documentation our distribution partners require.

Ongoing

• Own and maintain the specification and procedure library
• Supplier relationships, purchasing cadence, and terms
• Cost tracking and margin analysis by SKU and channel
• Retailer and distributor compliance documentation and new item setup
• Co-manufacturer qualification as we expand capacity
• Production planning and inventory as volume grows

Required

• Documentation experience in a regulated manufacturing environment — food, pharmaceutical, or medical device. Food preferred.
• Fluency in controlled documentation: specifications, batch records, operating procedures, and change control
• Experience building operating systems, not only maintaining them
• Experience working directly with a founder-operator
• Self-directed, and comfortable owning a function end to end

Preferred

• Food manufacturing background, particularly shelf-stable products
• HACCP, GMP, and FSMA fluency
• Experience taking a small brand into co-manufacturing
• Familiarity with KeHE and UNFI mechanics, trade spend, and deductions
• SKU-level cost accounting
• Based in the South Bend–Elkhart area — convenient for the on-site work, though not required

Terms

Independent contractor on a monthly retainer. Approximately 30 hours per month at $1,600–1,800, depending on experience and scope. Twelve-month horizon with a path to a full-time operations role as revenue supports it. Remote — on-site work in Mishawaka is expected to be roughly 10% of the engagement or less, concentrated in the intensive. Airfare and lodging arranged and paid by SGP, ground transportation reimbursed. Mutual NDA prior to disclosure.

To apply

Send relevant experience with particular attention to operations work you built rather than inherited; one sample deliverable you authored (redaction is fine); your read on where you would start; and your availability.

Compensation

$ 1600 – $ 1800 per month

Tagged as: Cost Accounting, Documentation, Food Manufacturing, Quality Standards, Supplier Relationships