Plant Supervisor – Food Manufacturing

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Plant Supervisor to serve as a key operational leader within a high-volume food manufacturing facility. This role works closely with the Plant Manager to oversee daily production, lead frontline employees and supervisors, maintain food safety and quality standards, and improve productivity and operational performance.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on manufacturing leader with at least 3 years of supervisory or management experience in food manufacturing. This person should be comfortable working on the production floor, solving problems quickly, developing employees, and maintaining a strong focus on safety, quality, and productivity.

Experience in a specific food product is not required. Candidates with backgrounds in meat, protein, prepared foods, dairy, bakery, beverage, or other high-volume food manufacturing environments are encouraged to apply.

Key Responsibilities

Production & Operations

• Support the Plant Manager with daily plant and production operations.
• Lead production employees and frontline team members to meet production schedules and performance goals.
• Monitor production, labor utilization, downtime, waste, yields, and overall efficiency.
• Ensure production lines are properly staffed and operating efficiently.
• Troubleshoot production issues and coordinate with Maintenance, Quality, and other departments to resolve problems.
• Maintain a visible, hands-on presence on the production floor.
• Assist with staffing, scheduling, shift coverage, and production priorities.
• Ensure employees follow established procedures, work instructions, and production standards.
• Identify operational issues and take appropriate action to maintain production flow.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, coach, train, and develop production employees and frontline leaders.
• Set clear expectations for safety, attendance, quality, productivity, and performance.
• Hold employees accountable for meeting established standards.
• Promote teamwork, communication, accountability, and a positive workplace culture.
• Assist with employee performance reviews, disciplinary actions, and development plans.
• Identify employees with leadership potential and support their professional development.
• Promote effective communication between shifts and departments.

Food Safety & Quality

• Ensure production employees follow food safety, sanitation, quality, and operational procedures.
• Maintain compliance with applicable food safety and regulatory requirements, including HACCP, GMP, SSOP, and USDA/FSIS standards, as applicable.
• Partner with Quality Assurance to address quality issues, deviations, and corrective actions.
• Maintain a clean, organized, and food-safe production environment.
• Support internal, customer, regulatory, and third-party audits.
• Reinforce proper handling, processing, and documentation procedures throughout the production operation.

Safety

• Promote a strong safety-first culture throughout the facility.
• Ensure employees follow safety policies, procedures, and PPE requirements.
• Identify and address workplace hazards.
• Participate in safety meetings, inspections, and employee training.
• Investigate accidents, near misses, and safety concerns and assist with corrective actions.
• Encourage employees to proactively identify and report safety issues.

Continuous Improvement

• Work with the Plant Manager and other departments to improve productivity, quality, efficiency, and labor utilization.
• Support Lean Manufacturing, 5S, standard work, and waste-reduction initiatives.
• Analyze production data to identify trends and operational problems.
• Help identify root causes and implement corrective actions.
• Develop and improve production processes and operating procedures.
• Support initiatives designed to increase throughput while maintaining safety and quality standards.

Required Qualifications

• 3+ years of supervisory or management experience in food manufacturing.
• Experience leading production employees in a high-volume manufacturing environment.
• Strong understanding of food manufacturing processes and production operations.
• Experience managing staffing, productivity, employee performance, and daily production activities.
• Working knowledge of food safety, quality, and workplace safety requirements.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Ability to work effectively on a production floor and lead by example.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Strong organizational and follow-through skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Operations, Manufacturing, Food Science, Business, or a related field.
• Experience in meat/protein, prepared foods, dairy, bakery, beverage, or another high-volume food manufacturing environment.
• Experience working in a USDA-regulated facility.
• HACCP, GMP, SSOP, or other food safety experience.
• Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, 5S, or continuous improvement experience.
• Experience working in a multi-shift manufacturing operation.
• Experience with ERP, MES, or production management systems.
• Experience supporting audits and regulatory inspections.

Key Skills & Attributes

The successful candidate will be:

• Hands-On: Comfortable leading from the production floor and addressing issues directly.
• People-Focused: Able to coach, develop, and hold employees accountable.
• Safety-Minded: Consistently prioritizes employee safety and food safety.
• Results-Oriented: Focused on meeting production, quality, labor, and efficiency goals.
• Problem-Solver: Able to identify root causes and implement practical solutions.
• Communicative: Clearly communicates expectations and information across shifts and departments.
• Organized: Able to manage staffing, production priorities, employee needs, and operational issues simultaneously.
• Adaptable: Comfortable working in a fast-paced manufacturing environment with changing priorities.
• Continuous-Improvement Minded: Always looking for ways to improve processes, reduce waste, and increase efficiency.