SC Production Manager

Position Summary

The Production Manager is responsible for the daily execution, coordination, and performance of production operations within an assigned American Natural Processors (ANP) manufacturing facility.

This position provides direct leadership to production Shift Leads and operating personnel, ensuring established production schedules, staffing requirements, safety expectations, and quality standards are consistently achieved.

The Production Manager translates plant objectives into actionable production plans, monitors operational performance, addresses production interruptions, and maintains accountability for efficient utilization of labor, equipment, and materials.

Working under the direction of the Plant Manager, this position collaborates with Maintenance, Quality Assurance, Scheduling, and other supporting departments to maintain safe, reliable, and efficient production operations.

The Production Manager is expected to demonstrate and reinforce the ANP Ways through consistent leadership, accountability, communication, and professional conduct.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1. Production Operations & Performance

• Direct and coordinate daily production activities to meet established production schedules, volume requirements, quality standards, and efficiency goals.
• Translate production schedules into daily and shift-specific operating plans.
• Monitor production output, throughput, equipment utilization, downtime, and operational performance.
• Identify and resolve production interruptions, process inefficiencies, and operational concerns.
• Ensure appropriate staffing and equipment resources are available to support production requirements.
• Coordinate production activities and shift transitions to maintain operational continuity.
• Monitor production waste, labor utilization, and controllable production expenses.
• Communicate production results, operational concerns, and resource needs to the Plant Manager.

2. Employee Supervision & Development

• Directly supervise production Shift Leads and assigned production personnel.
• Establish clear expectations for attendance, job performance, safety, productivity, and workplace conduct.
• Monitor employee performance and provide coaching, corrective instruction, and ongoing feedback.
• Participate in hiring, onboarding, performance evaluations, disciplinary actions, and employee separations in coordination with the Plant Manager and Human Resources.
• Ensure adequate shift coverage and appropriate distribution of production responsibilities.
• Identify training needs and support employee cross-training and skill development.
• Promote teamwork, accountability, and consistent application of company policies.

3. Safety & Workplace Compliance

• Enforce established safety procedures, safe operating practices, and required personal protective equipment standards.
• Monitor production activities for unsafe conditions or behaviors and initiate immediate corrective action when necessary.
• Support safety training, inspections, incident investigations, and corrective actions.
• Ensure production employees understand and follow applicable safety procedures.
• Communicate significant safety concerns to the Plant Manager and appropriate functional leadership.

4. Food Safety, Quality & Sanitation

• Ensure production personnel follow established food safety programs, GMPs, sanitation procedures, SOPs, and work instructions.
• Coordinate with Quality Assurance personnel to address production-related quality concerns and corrective actions.
• Support HACCP, SQF, regulatory, and customer audit requirements applicable to production operations.
• Ensure production equipment and work areas are maintained in accordance with sanitation and housekeeping requirements.
• Assist with investigations of production-related quality deviations and implementation of corrective measures.
• Support proper handling, identification, and control of materials and finished products.

5. Maintenance Coordination & Equipment Reliability

• Coordinate with Maintenance leadership regarding equipment failures, repairs, and preventive maintenance needs.
• Ensure equipment deficiencies and maintenance requests are properly reported and documented.
• Communicate production priorities and equipment availability to support effective maintenance scheduling.
• Monitor recurring equipment problems and recommend operational or maintenance improvements.
• Ensure production employees follow equipment operating procedures and promptly report abnormal conditions.
• Support the safe return of equipment to production following maintenance activities.

6. Training & Continuous Improvement

• Ensure production personnel receive required job-specific training and competency assessments.
• Reinforce established SOPs, work instructions, and production standards.
• Identify opportunities to improve production efficiency, employee performance, material utilization, and workflow.
• Participate in continuous improvement initiatives and implementation of approved process changes.
• Support accurate completion of production records, training documentation, and operational reports.

7. Communication & Reporting

• Maintain consistent communication with Shift Leads, production personnel, and supporting departments.
• Provide the Plant Manager with timely updates regarding production performance, staffing, downtime, and operational concerns.
• Escalate significant equipment failures, safety incidents, food safety concerns, and production interruptions through established reporting channels.
• Participate in operational planning meetings and assist with implementation of plant objectives.

Supervisory Responsibilities

The Production Manager directly supervises assigned production Shift Leads and operating personnel.

This position exercises day-to-day authority over production assignments, staffing coordination, workflow, employee coaching, and immediate operational decisions within established company policies.

Significant personnel decisions, capital expenditures, changes to facility-wide priorities, and matters affecting other departments require coordination with or approval from the Plant Manager and applicable corporate leadership.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and operational leadership experience.
• Progressive experience in manufacturing or industrial production operations.
• Demonstrated experience supervising production employees or frontline leaders.
• Working knowledge of industrial equipment, production processes, workplace safety, and operational efficiency.
• Strong communication, organization, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and respond effectively to changing production conditions.
• Ability to interpret production reports, operating procedures, and performance metrics.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in food manufacturing, agricultural processing, or another regulated manufacturing environment.
• Familiarity with HACCP, SQF, GMPs, and food safety programs.
• Experience coordinating multi-shift production operations.
• Knowledge of preventive maintenance processes and production cost management.
• Experience developing production employees and frontline supervisors.

Work Environment & Position Expectations

• Work is primarily performed in an active industrial manufacturing environment.
• May involve exposure to noise, temperature variations, moving machinery, and other production conditions.
• Requires regular presence in production areas and the ability to access applicable areas of the facility, including stairs and ladders.
• May require extended hours, shift coverage, or off-shift availability based on operational needs.
• Must comply with all applicable safety and sanitation requirements.

Performance Expectations

Performance will be evaluated based on:

• Achievement of established production targets and schedules.
• Production efficiency, labor utilization, and downtime management.
• Consistent enforcement of safety and food safety requirements.
• Employee performance, training, attendance, and accountability.
• Effective coordination with Maintenance, Quality Assurance, and supporting departments.
• Timely reporting and resolution of production concerns.
• Demonstrated adherence to the ANP Ways.