We're looking for a high-energy, hands-on Production Manager who thrives in a fast-paced food production environment and knows how to drive results through people.
Reporting directly to the Plant Director, you'll oversee high-volume production operations while leading supervisors and frontline teams. As a subject matter expert (SME), you'll combine strong technical knowledge with the ability to coach employees, develop future leaders, improve processes, and build a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
This role is ideal for someone who enjoys being on the production floor, solving problems, and making a measurable impact on both people and performance.
What You'll Be Responsible For- Lead daily production operations to meet schedules, quality standards, and service commitments.
- Oversee production of approximately 500,000 units per week within an operation of approximately 120 employees.
- Monitor productivity, yield, labor efficiency, waste, and production output to drive operational performance.
- Address production challenges, minimize downtime, and ensure efficient use of labor and resources.
- Lead, coach, and develop production supervisors and frontline employees, establishing clear expectations and accountability.
- Serve as the production SME, providing technical guidance, hands-on training, and operational best practices.
- Identify skill gaps, implement cross-training, and build leadership capabilities within the team.
- Foster a culture of teamwork, ownership, employee engagement, and continuous learning.
- Identify and implement process improvements that increase efficiency, reduce waste, and strengthen productivity.
- Lead root cause analysis and problem-solving initiatives to address recurring operational challenges.
- Apply Lean manufacturing principles and continuous improvement methodologies to optimize production processes.
- Ensure compliance with food safety, sanitation, workplace safety, and regulatory requirements.
- Maintain a clean, organized, and safe production environment.
- Partner with FSQA to maintain product quality and reinforce food safety standards.
- Partner with warehouse, supply chain, maintenance, and quality teams to support seamless operations.
- Work closely with the Plant Director on production planning, labor utilization, operational priorities, and facility improvement initiatives.
Qualifications- 5-8+ years of leadership experience in high-volume ready-to-eat food production.
- Proven experience managing large hourly workforces, including production supervisors and frontline teams.
- Strong technical expertise in production processes, equipment, workflows, and operational best practices.
- Demonstrated ability to coach, train, and develop employees while serving as a technical subject matter expert.
- Strong knowledge of food safety and regulatory standards, including USDA, HACCP, and SQF.
- Experience implementing Lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, or process optimization initiatives.
- Strong problem-solving, communication, organizational, and people leadership skills.
- Bilingual English/Spanish to effectively communicate with diverse production teams.
- Comfortable working directly on the production floor and taking a hands-on approach to leadership.
Shift & HoursMonday-Friday | 5:00 AM - 1:30 PMFull-time, on-site position with an 8-hour workday and a 30-minute unpaid meal break. Occasional schedule flexibility may be required to support operational needs.
Salary Range: $115,000 - $130,000
