Production Manager – Food & Beverage Manufacturing

Production Manager – Food & Beverage Manufacturing

Albany, NY | $110,000–$115,000 | Full-Time, On-Site

Are you a production leader who thrives in a fast‑paced manufacturing environment and knows how to get the best out of people, processes, and equipment?

We are seeking an experienced Production Manager to take a key leadership role within a high-volume food and beverage manufacturing operation in Rensselaer, NY
.

This is an opportunity for a hands‑on manufacturing leader who enjoys being close to the operation, developing supervisors and production teams, improving performance, and taking ownership when challenges arise.

As Production Manager, you will oversee daily production operations and lead supervisors and production employees with a focus on safety, quality, service, efficiency, and cost performance
.

You will:

• Lead and develop production supervisors and hourly manufacturing teams

• Drive daily production performance to meet customer demand, quality standards, and production schedules

• Monitor KPIs and identify opportunities to improve throughput, efficiency, labor utilization, downtime, waste, and operating costs

• Champion continuous improvement initiatives across the production floor

• Ensure production activities meet company standards for safety, GMPs, food safety, sanitation, and quality

• Identify operational problems and lead teams toward practical, sustainable solutions

• Develop, implement, and maintain Standard Operating Procedures

• Partner with Maintenance, Quality, HR, Supply Chain, and plant leadership to keep operations running effectively

• Coach employees, manage performance, conduct evaluations, and support employee development

• Handle employee relations matters, including disciplinary situations and grievances when applicable

• Maintain operational readiness for internal, customer, and regulatory inspections

• Promote strong communication through production meetings, shift meetings, and regular interaction with employees

• Serve as a key escalation point for plant operational issues

• Provide leadership support to the Plant Manager as needed

We are looking for a proven manufacturing leader who can balance people leadership with operational execution
.

Ideal candidates will bring:

• 5–8+ years of manufacturing experience

• Previous production supervisory or management experience

• Experience leading supervisors and hourly production employees

• Food, beverage, dairy, consumer packaged goods, or other high-volume regulated manufacturing experience strongly preferred

• Strong understanding of manufacturing process flow and production operations

• Experience managing production KPIs and driving measurable operational improvements

• Knowledge of continuous improvement methodologies

• Strong safety and quality mindset

• Experience working within GMP, sanitation, food safety, or similar regulated manufacturing requirements

• Strong coaching, employee development, and performance-management skills

• Experience with employee relations and union environments is a plus

• Strong problem-solving, analytical, and decision-making abilities

• Ability to communicate effectively across all levels of a manufacturing organization

• High school diploma or equivalent required; bachelor's degree in a related field preferred

Monday through Friday | 7:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

This is a plant leadership position, so candidates should also be comfortable providing weekend, on-call, and after-hours support when operational needs require it
.

$110,000–$115,000 annually

This role offers the chance to make a visible impact inside a large-scale manufacturing operation.

You won't simply be maintaining a production schedule. You'll be responsible for developing leaders, strengthening the operation, improving…