Production Manager - 3rd Shift

Nichols Farms is one of the top processors of pistachios in the United States. For more than two decades, Nichols Farms has maintained superior quality and exceptional service in supplying pistachio and almond products to major retail and wholesale clients domestically and internationally. Nichols Farms maintains a state-of-the-art processing facility at their corporate headquarters in Hanford, California, employing over 350 employees.

Join the Nichols Farms Team in their objective of continued growth. Nichols Farms possesses a strong employee-oriented environment dedicated to training and growth of team members.

The Nichols Farms Mission and Vision supports a culture of striving for mutual success of our employees, suppliers and customers through operational excellence and educational development.

The Production Manager is responsible for all production operations, which includes kernel processing in Building 2, assisting Supervisors from RTE (ready‑to‑eat), roasting, Building 6 processing, Building 7 & 8 packaging and RTE, and maintenance. Provide hands‑on leadership and direction to our teams to deliver operational excellence. The ideal candidate has experience within the agricultural industry, manufacturing operations, and/or hands‑on experience managing food products.

Ensure compliance of all labor, safety, quality, company policies, and regulations. This role is expected to develop individuals and teams to solve operational deficiencies and motivate team members to achieve performance targets. The candidates must be a strategic partner with a strong work ethic and an unfaltering determination to excel in a fast‑paced environment, and a desire to gain tremendous personal and professional growth.

• Manage and maintain daily activities of the production department (through all kernel building 2 process equipment and handsort), ensuring product adheres to Nichols Farms' standard of quality and food safety.
• Maintain effective working relationships with other shift leadership through open communication, visibility, and hands‑on involvement to promote a positive working environment that maximizes safety, quality, production, and employee engagement.
• Responsible for managing the Kernel Processing area and assisting leadership from other departments.
• Provide direction to supervisors on team member coaching and development, employment decisions, and resolving issues through conflict resolution.
• Manage and deliver Company's Mission and Vision by demonstrating and instilling core values to all team members.
• Manage daily and weekly run schedules to meet annual department (Kernel) and plant goals. Help establish and adjust work procedures and schedules to meet production plan.
• Develop and communicate the daily product schedule to Kernel Building 2 and others affected departments.
• Manage all kernel process WIP by using FIFO and assist other departments' leadership in this area.
• Analyze and submit reports for production numbers, downtime, attendance, overtime, and quality checks to the Production Director. This will include daily review of shift timecards and managing all time off requests in a manner that limits disruption to processing outputs.
• Support and train utility operators/color sorters and have current knowledge of color sorting machines.
• Responsible for ensuring and improving the performance, productivity, efficiency, and profitability of departmental and organizational operations by implementing effective strategies and continuous improvement.
• Analyze, propose, and implement process changes to improve production methods, equipment performance, and to gain efficiency and reliability to support business objectives.
• Collaborate with Maintenance leadership to plan preventative maintenance on the production lines.
• Develop capital equipment justification for machine upgrades and process technology to improve quality, cost, and cycle times.
• Provide daily feedback to the Directors of Kernel Process, and other departments with issues/concerns.
• Support Sage X3 (ERP system) functions within kernel department and other departments as time permits.
• Work with Kernel…