Production Manager - HSL

Job Title: ProductionManager - HSL

FLSA Exemption Status: Exempt

Status: Salaried

Department: Manufacturing - HSL

Reports To: Plant Manager

Job Summary:The Production Manager contributes to the success of the Company by developing and leading initiatives to optimize the safe and efficient operation of production lines in the HSL and Core Sauce area, as well as the quality of output. The incumbent will drive projects designed to exceed customer and company needs and standards related to quality, cost, line efficiencies, safety, and productivity. This person must be able to motivate teams and peers towards maximum performance and drive efficiencies through their own actions. Decision-making, problem-solving and development of strategic operating plans with a focus on Continuous Improvement and Lean Manufacturing will be a major portion of this person’s function. A substantial portion of the typical workday will be spent in the production environment (on the production floor).

Essential Functions And Responsibilities

• Supports key operational efforts to ensure safe, high quality and efficient staging, manufacturing, packaging and transfer of products within the Core Sauce Lines.
• Contributes to manufacturing processes for the Core Sauce Lines operations, driving Continuous Improvement and a Lean Manufacturing mentality. Develops, leads and implements special projects and new operational initiatives including GPS, RCA, Gemba, Kaizen.
• Pursues cost improvement initiatives designed to optimize efficiency, reduce waste, etc.
• Covers lead supervisor and supervisory team vacancies.
• Monitors orders and scheduling, adjusting workflow to meet specifications and deadlines, exceeding customer expectations for volume and quality of goods.
• Collaborates with the scheduling and procurement teams, continuously arranging and adjusting production schedules for optimum production efficiency while accounting for customer priorities.
• Ensures manufacturing performance and quality goals are met efficiently, decreasing the need for downtime.
• Liaise with other departments to ensure holistic efficiency and consistency of processes.
• Reviews production and operating reports and resolves operational, manufacturing and maintenance problems to ensure minimum costs and prevent operational delays.
• Teams with other departments to implement new products or revise current products and procedures: labeling, packaging, ingredient research, costing.
• Forecasts facility capabilities and provides input on annual operating budget, estimating costs and determining necessary amounts of available resources (workforce, packaging and ingredients, etc).
• Develops and continuously improves performance standards, goals, and tracking and reporting systems for KPI’s such as cases produced, waste, product and ingredient yields, labor costs per case, safety & quality goals.
• Encourages, evaluates, recommends and drives improvements on processes that will minimize costs, improve efficiencies, and/or maximize product quality.
• Tracks key performance indicators and anticipates and corrects trends which may have a negative impact on targeted metrics.
• Conducts regular production and informational meetings.
• Manages and enforces compliance with all company policies, local, state, and federal / HACCP policies, regulatory requirements, quality standards, HACCP systems, and health and safety standards.
• Ensures that safety practices are properly followed, including adherence to proper PPE requirements, forklift safety, role model behavior and maintaining clean and organized work spaces.
• Pro-actively seeks to correct unsafe conditions and reports any conditions that are not immediately resolved.
• Maintains physical condition of production facilities by planning and implementing new design layouts; inspecting equipment, issuing work orders for repair and requisitions for replacement.
• Continuously promotes motivation among the staff to strive for more efficient and productive manufacturing, including modeling and leading high standards for behavior.
• Coaches and models behaviors for team members on appropriate processes and facilitates problem solving through teamwork and the promotion of a respectful environment.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement
• Brings technical support and knowledge in Continuous Improvement implementation and support (visual management, 5S, process standardization, observation audits and reporting, training, other)
• Tracks and updates key performance indicators.
• Develops collaboration between maintenance, production and engineering department.
• Assistance in the implementation of medium and long-term action plans at the level of each line, shared with the various departments, assistance in monitoring its action plans, provides technical support and knowledge to the realization of this actions plan
• Trains the supervisors and assistance in the implementation of Kaizen/Continuous Improvement events
• Identifies and assesses technical training needs and provide solutions for these needs as requested.
• Assists in the creative development and delivery of technical training programs.
• Help to develop the initiative to investigate and to pro-actively resolve concerns and challenges within Manufacturing processes, suggesting improvements, and acting as an inter-departmental communicator, facilitator and mentor.
• Establishes root cause and corrective action procedures with the help of key interlocutors
• Ensures that safety practices are properly followed, including adherence to proper PPE requirements, associate safety, role model behavior and maintaining clean and organized work spaces.
• Pro-actively seeks to correct unsafe conditions and reports any conditions that are not immediately resolved.
• Continuously promotes motivation among the staff to strive for more efficient and productive operations, including modeling and leading high standards.
• Coaches and models behaviors for team members on appropriate processes and facilitate problem solving through team work and the promotion of a respectful environment, to include conducting and leading team meetings.
• Other related duties and requests as assigned.
  
  

Required Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

• Bachelor’s Degree (engineering degree preferred) or 15 years of leadership experience in a manufacturing environment, or 12-15 years of progressive manufacturing management experience.
• Must be willing to be immersed in day-to-day operations on the production floor.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule that may occasionally require hours outside of assigned shift.
• Regular and reliable attendance required.
• Proven experience of manufacturing processes, technologies, or other relevant areas of responsibility.
• Experience, training and demonstrated results using lean manufacturing methods [5S, Visual Management, Value Stream Mapping, SMED, Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA), Autonomous Maintenance, other] (3+ years)
• Experience in Food Manufacturing with a strong knowledge of Food Safety strongly preferred, but not required.
• Extensive knowledge of production management.
• Understanding of quality standards and health & safety regulations.
• Knowledge of performance evaluation methods, budgeting concepts, and reporting on key production metrics.
• Demonstrated planning, organizing, and project management skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to communicate with all levels of the organization.
• Strong interpersonal skills including the ability to lead, build and maintain effective working relationships, encourage, build and work collaboratively with cross-functional teams, resolve conflict and maintain a customer service orientation.
• Excellent judgment and problem-solving skills.
• Business acumen with the ability to align HR and company strategic goals.
• Proven success with efficient production line organization and process improvement.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, dealing with priorities and schedules that change frequently and having very short time frames.
• Strategic planning expertise.
  
  

Working Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an associate encounter while performing the essential functions of this job. The Production Manager is required to work both in an office environment and on the production floor. While performing the duties of this job, the associate frequently will be exposed to outside weather conditions, wet and/or humid conditions, and extreme heat and/or cold. The associate regularly works near moving mechanical parts and in high precarious places, and has to the risk of exposure to fumes or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, and the risk of electrical shock. The incumbent will be exposed to loud noises from production equipment and thus will be required to wear PPE. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate, but may be high at times due to production and mechanical equipment noise.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be performed by an associate to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the associate is regularly required to stand, walk, use hands to handle, or feel objects, equipment, or controls; reach with hands and arms; see, talk and /or hear. The associate frequently is required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, sit, crouch, or crawl. The associate is occasionally required to taste, touch or smell.

The associates must frequently travel up and down stairs and other uneven work surfaces. Associates must be able to lift, carry, push and/or pull, and balance up to 75 pounds.

This description is intended to indicate the kinds of tasks and levels of work difficulty that will be required of positions that will be given this title and shall not be construed as declaring what the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position shall be. It is not intended to limit or in any way modify the right of any supervisor to assign, direct, and control the work of associates under his/her supervision. The use of a particular expression or illustration describing duties shall not be held to exclude other duties not mentioned that are of similar kind or level of difficulty.