Production Supervisor

The Production Supervisor is a member of the plant leadership team and is responsible for day-to-day manufacturing operations within an assigned area and shift under the direction of the Business Unit Manager. This role provides leadership to deliver business results and operational improvements while achieving productivity, efficiency, customer service, cost, quality, safety, and employee engagement objectives through individual and team contributions.

Key Responsibilities

- Manage day-to-day manufacturing operations for the assigned area and shift to meet productivity, efficiency, customer service, cost, quality, safety, and employee engagement objectives.

- Provide direction, leadership, development, and support to direct reports through empowerment, teamwork, on-the-job assignments, and continuous improvement projects and initiatives.

- Develop, implement, and promote safety programs and safe work practices through participation in plant safety teams, programs, and initiatives.

- Promote sound employee and labor relations within the department by developing and maintaining an effective organization with qualified personnel.

- Develop, promote, and support continuous improvement efforts and cross-functional initiatives that deliver business results and operational improvements.

Additional Responsibilities

- Shift execution: Translate production priorities into daily assignments, communicate expectations, and coordinate staffing, materials, and equipment readiness to support the production schedule.

- Operational results: Monitor production output, downtime, waste, yield, and labor utilization. Identify deviations, communicate barriers, and coordinate corrective actions with appropriate support teams.

- Safety leadership: Reinforce established safety procedures, personal protective equipment requirements, housekeeping standards, and hazard reporting. Escalate unsafe conditions and support incident reviews and corrective-action follow-through.

- Food safety and quality: Partner with Quality and Food Safety personnel to reinforce good manufacturing practices, sanitation requirements, product specifications, and required production checks. Escalate deviations and follow established product hold and disposition procedures.

- Cross-functional coordination: Work with Maintenance, Sanitation, Planning, and Warehouse teams to address equipment concerns, changeovers, material availability, and other issues affecting safe and reliable production.

- Training and development: Identify training needs, coordinate onboarding and cross-training, reinforce standard work, and maintain required training documentation. Provide clear instructions and timely coaching to support employee development.

- Employee communication: Conduct shift meetings, communicate operational updates, recognize team contributions, and promptly elevate employee concerns to the appropriate leader or Human Resources.

- Labor relations: Partner with Human Resources and plant leadership to apply established policies and applicable collective bargaining agreement provisions consistently when coordinating assignments, staffing, and employee matters.

- Continuous improvement: Use production data and team input to identify recurring losses, support root-cause analysis, implement approved improvements, and confirm that corrective actions are sustained.

- Documentation and handoffs: Maintain accurate production records and shift reports. Communicate equipment status, unresolved issues, quality concerns, staffing needs, and follow-up actions to the incoming shift.

Qualifications:

- BA/BS Degree in Business, Food Science, Engineering or related field is preferred

- 1-5 years of experience in a manufacturing environment is required

- Ability to lead, motivate and mentor large teams of hourly associates is required

- Strong communication and leadership skills

- Strong analytical/critical thinking

- Strong accountability, consistency and follow-through skills

- Ability to work effectively with a wide array of plant personnel ranging from hourly employees to senior management