TITLE: Manager, Production DEPARTMENT: Production REPORTS TO: Sr. Operations Manager

About The Role

The Production Manager will lead and manager a dynamic team of Supervisors, Leads, and Associates on the production floor. You will be responsible for the overall production operations, ensuring efficient and high-quality output in meal, snack, and beverage plating and packaging. Your leadership will drive operational excellence, continuous improvement, and team performance to meet and exceed organizational goals.

How You’ll Make a Difference

Responsibilities

As a Production Manager, you will provide critical leadership in overseeing the lean production process in our Production area, ensuring that operations run smoothly and efficiently. Your responsibilities will include:

Lead People & Culture

Hire, onboard, and develop Supervisors/Leads/Associates; build a cross-trained, high-engagement, inclusive team.
Set clear goals, coach performance, and hold teams accountable to SOPs, quality, safety, and productivity standards.
Provide daily guidance to ensure Product Specification and assembly procedure are followed; instruct proper food handling, storage, and service.
Conduct regular safety meetings; reinforce expectations, recognition, and constructive feedback.

Run the Operation (Production, Materials, & Scheduling)

Execute daily/weekly plans for plating and packing; manage changeovers, task/standard work, and on-time, in-full (OTIF) shipments.
Balance labor and line capacity to demand using staffing/production planning tools and real-time dashboards; escalate constraints with options.
Ensure materials readiness, accurate labeling/lot control, and proactive shortage resolution; maintain documentation and traceability.
Manage schedules and coverage; ensure punctuality, accountability, and tight shift handoffs.

Safety, Food Safety & Compliance

Enforce OSHA/EHS standards and drive a proactive safety culture through safety walks, near-miss reviews, and incident investigations.
Ensure CGMPs, HACCP, and FSMA preventive controls (allergen control, sanitation, traceability) and local health code compliance.
Maintain sanitation standards (pre-op/post-op), complete verifications/validations, support internal QA audits, and close CAPA actions.

Continuous Improvement & Reliability

Sustain 5S/area organization and visual management; deploy PDCA/5 Whys to reduce waste, rework, and downtime.
Improve Units per Labor Hour, yield, first-pass quality, scrap, and downtime; support OEE gains with Maintenance/Operations. Participate in trials, menu changes, equipment/layout improvements, and small projects to enhance safety, quality, and throughput.

Plan, Report & Communicate

Lead start-up/shift-change huddles; keep line boards/dashboards current and communicate menu plans (including dietary/special requirements).
Partner cross-functionally with Culinary, Kitchen, Warehouse, Maintenance, QA, and Development to set goals and remove constraints.
Prepare and present periodic reports on production performance and COGs; monitor trends and recommend data-driven improvements.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

OTIF; schedule adherence; Units/Labor Hour; first-pass quality; yield & waste; downtime; COGs accuracy; safety leading indicators/TRIR; FSQA/audit scores.
Other duties as assigned - Additional tasks, responsibilities, or projects may be assigned as business needs evolve.

Thistle

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