Sr. Operations Business Unit Manager en Heaven Hill Brands

This position is based onsite at our Louisville office. Frequent travel between Louisville and Bardstown sites required.

 What the Role Is

The Sr. Operations Business Unit Manager will lead the American Whiskey business from the production-side, driving operational excellence and innovation across all aspects of manufacturing. Key accountabilities include building capacity scenarios for innovation, influencing technical solutions to optimize COGS, and acting as the technical liaison between Marketing and Operations so launches are on time and margin accretive to optimize capacity and cost. 

The Manager will convey a strong presence and leadership skills to drive new innovation and product launches from start to finish across all parts of the business. This individual will also partner across business functions to ensure manufacturing capabilities and projects are aligned with the strategic vision of the business, and to ensure process improvements are implemented in an efficient and cost-effective manner. 

How You Will Spend Your Time?

• Manage innovation and New Product Development in cooperation with the American Whiskey Brand Team:
  • Participate in and/or lead cross-functional teams to implement end-to-end product designs and changes with a keen eye for balancing manufacturing capabilities with marketing needs.
  • Coordinate line trials and testing, set design speeds in partnership with plant resources.
  • Market Trend Analysis for NPD Innovation: Monitor industry and competitor trends, materials, and design innovations, providing recommendations that enhance product differentiation and market competitiveness.
  • Manage Project Success Criteria for new initiatives. This includes wide participation and coordination with multi-functional stakeholders.
  • Integrated Launch Planning: Coordinate with marketing, sales, and supply chain teams to create development timelines that align with product launch calendars, ensuring on-time delivery for promotional events, seasonal releases, and limited editions.
  • Provide commissioning support, facilitating tests during FAT, line qualification and final acceptance as it relates to New Product Development.
  • Process Development for New Products: Create standardized workflows, checklists, and decision-making frameworks for new initiatives, including concept evaluation, feasibility studies, prototyping, and performance validation.
  • Provide design and technical expertise for new innovation from conceptualization of initial design options through to execution and implementation.
• Participate on the American Whiskey Leadership Team: 
  • Provide technical insights and consumer solutions to marketing, while providing context and direction to Production Teams.
  • Optimize product design, review bottle/format options, and provide solutions to customer
  • Develop business cases that link design and material changes to measurable marketing benefits such as increased shelf appeal, improved unboxing experience, and enhanced sustainability messaging.
  • Work collaboratively with Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain to standardize product offerings.
  • Consults on manufacturing processes and validations.
  • Collaborate with Marketing on Brand Alignment: Partner closely with the marketing team to translate brand positioning and consumer insights into solutions that are visually compelling, technically feasible, and cost-effective. Ensure product offerings reinforce brand identity and appeal to target markets.
  • Sustainability and Consumer Messaging: Partner with marketing to highlight sustainable features through on-pack communication, ensuring environmental benefits are clearly conveyed to consumers.
• Lead cross-functionally to ensure manufacturing capabilities and capacity solutions support the business:
  • Work collaboratively with the plant engineers to ensure product and components operate safely and efficiently at the plant and operations capabilities match business needs
  • Analyzes concepts to ensure product performance specifications meet customer requirements 
  • Perform a wide variety of complex duties, in a multi-functional environment of design and testing for production of distilled spirits 
• Optimize COGS through the following:
  • Cost-Benefit and ROI Analysis: Prepare and present cost-justification reports for new designs or changes, weighing material, production, logistics, and marketing benefits against associated investments.
  • Cross-Functional Product Review Sessions: Lead regular cross-functional review meetings with Marketing, Operations, and Supply Chain to evaluate performance in-market and identify opportunities for improvement.
  • Material Cost Reduction: Identify, evaluate, and implement opportunities to reduce costs through design optimization, supplier negotiations, lightweighting initiatives, and alternative material sourcing, while maintaining quality, functionality, and brand integrity.
  • Collaborate with Supply Chain in the research and development of new engineering concepts to provide best value options