Operations Director Middle & South America (MASA)

Company Description

At Link Snacks, we show up hungry, roll up our sleeves, plaid or otherwise, and dive straight into the hard work. We don’t hide from challenges; we hunt them down. We push harder, move faster, and take the kinds of big swings that built this business in the North Woods of Wisconsin four decades ago.

We’re everyday people who deliver extraordinary results. Innovation, creativity, and urgency aren’t buzzwords, they’re expectations. And just like the real protein snacks we make across our global house of brands—Jack Link’s®, Lorissa’s Kitchen®, Golden Island®, BiFi®, and Peperami® and KOOEE!® to name a few—there’s nothing artificial about us. What you see is exactly what you get: humble, gritty, passionate people who show up every day ready to not just be a participate in the meat snack industry that the Link Family created, but to move faster, innovate harder and keep raising the bar so high, the rest of the world needs a ladder just to see it.

Dominating this space across the world takes a team. A team that runs together, succeeds together, and celebrates together. A team that’s full of relentless energy and spirit that can only be fueled by one thing: a fist full of our delicious meat snacks.

Real Meat Protein. Real People. Real Results. THAT is Link Snacks.

Job Description

Link Snacks, Inc is the global leader in branded protein snacks with our namesake brand Jack Link’s, is a value-driven, family-owned business growing rapidly in Middle & South America (MASA).

In January 2026, Jack Link's assumed full control of our Brazilian partnership Meat Snack Partners, and combined our commercial operations across Mexico, the Carribean, Central America, and Brazil under one zone.  The new leadership team will drive rapid expansion across middle and south American countries under our core brands Jack Link’s, Peperami, and Rare Breed (pet snacks).

We want to strengthen the organization by adding the best available people to our workforce. We are looking for an experienced Operations Director to help us navigate our rapid growth. The ideal candidate will possess excellent communication and organizational skills, be a strategic thinker and an effective leader, have a proven track record of successfully enabling growth and have experience (10+ years) in the FMCG/food industry, and will be working closely with the Marketing and Sales departments.

Position

The Operations Director will be responsible for leading and managing all operational aspects of Link Snacks MASA. They will play a key role in ensuring the company's growth and profitability by overseeing the daily operations and defining and implementing strategies that align with the company's mission and vision.

The role is positioned within the MASA Leadership Team, based out of Miami, and will report directly into the General Manager MASA.

Key Accountabilities:

• The Operations Director is responsible for overseeing all activities within the Supply Chain Functions (Procurement, Planning, Logistic, Customer Service, Co-Packing and R&D), Co-Manufacturing coordination and strategic projects
• The role develops and executes the Supply Chain and Manufacturing strategy for all MASA locations, aligned with the Business strategy
• Establish and actively monitor key performance indicators, identifying opportunities for improvements and develop plans to resolve business short falls
• The Operations Director is driving business results by leading and co-guiding important business process e.g. S&OP, Innovation, budget
• Builds effective relationships with suppliers, industry/trade associations, authorities and politicians
• Realization of new product start-ups according to plan in collaboration with the Plant Managers at Link Snack’s owned facilities, and Co-Manufacturers and the associated departments
• Systematic definition and enforcement of measures to achieve cost and quality targets

Professional Skills & Key Competencies:

• Strategic thinker and effective leader who develops teams, advances the supply chain agenda and co-guides the company towards long-term profitable growth
• Experience in the FMCG / food industry for more than 10 years as operations professional in close contact with Marketing and Sales
• Strong external mindset, can draw on an extensive network for advice and information on opportunities that will help the business grow
• Flexible, action- and result oriented, self-starting, knowledgeable in main business processes e.g. S&OP, RCCP, OTC, PTP.
• Strong leadership personality with team player qualities and a high degree of key performance indicator orientation
• Strategic vision for identifying optimization potential and implementing improvement processes

Travel:

• Travel is required, predominantly to the sites in Brazil and Mexico

By Joining Us, You Will

• Have exciting responsibilities in an international, agile, innovative and high energy working environment with hands-on mentality

• Receive a competitive remuneration package

Qualifications

Preferred skills and qualifications

• Engineering degree or comparable technical training with several years of relevant professional experience in the food industry
• Comprehensive understanding of operational processes and systems
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and lead high-performing teams
• Proficient in project- and change management
• Excellent communication skills – stakeholder management skills and relationship building capabilities at all levels of the organization
• Planning and organizational skills – prioritization, resource allocation
• Fluent in English and Spanish, both verbal and written, with the ability to articulate complex ideas to a variety of stakeholders. Portuguese is beneficial
• Self-motivated, data driven, patient persistent, goal-oriented, able to work independently and effective in a project organization and cross-cultural environment

Additional Information

The salary range for this role is $155,000 - $185,000 (Annually).  Actual salaries will vary based on several factors, including but not limited to external market data, internal equity, location, and candidate skill set and experience. Base pay is just one component of Jack Link’s Total Rewards package for Team Members. Other rewards may include annual incentive and program-specific awards. Jack Link’s provides a variety of benefits to eligible Team Members, including medical, dental and vision benefits, life and disability insurance, 401k participation, paid holidays, and paid time off.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:
Jack Link’s provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic that is protected by federal, state or local law.

E-VERIFY:
Jack Link’s is a participant in the federal E-Verify program to confirm the identity and employment authorization of all newly hired employees.  For information about the E-Verify program, please visit:  http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify/employees

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Disclaimer:

This job description is intended to generally describe the nature and level of work to be performed by employees in this position. It is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and skills required of employees performing this role.