Production Manager

Job Description The Production Manager plans, organizes, directs, and controls the plant production function across Packaging and Processing. The role translates business priorities into executable operating plans; ensures compliance with food safety, quality, safety, labor, and regulatory requirements; and owns performance across Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, People, and Sustainability. This leader is expected to understand the economics of the operation, make fact-based tradeoffs, and proactively remove barriers to performance.

What Business Ownership Means in This Role:
· Own results, not activities: understand the drivers behind performance and close gaps with speed and discipline.
· Run Packaging and Processing as one integrated value stream, balancing throughput, labor, material flow, maintenance needs, quality, and customer service.
· Make decisions using data, plant economics, operational risk, and consumer impact.
· Build strong operating routines so performance is visible, abnormalities are escalated, and actions are completed on time.
· Develop the organization: create clear expectations, coach leaders, strengthen succession, and hold the team accountable for standards and results.

Key Responsibilities:

KHMS and Operating System Leadership:
· Lead KHMS as the way the operation is managed, not as a separate initiative. Establish and sustain Daily Management Systems, leader standard work, tiered accountability, visual management, standard work, and structured problem solving.
· Assess KHMS maturity across Packaging and Processing, identify priority gaps, and build a practical roadmap that strengthens capability and delivers measurable business results.
· Ensure KPIs, losses, actions, ownership, and due dates are clearly understood at every operating tier.
· Use PDCA, root-cause analysis, and loss elimination to prevent recurrence rather than repeatedly managing symptoms.
· Create a culture of continuous improvement in which employees identify abnormalities, solve problems at the right level, and protect standards.

Safety, Food Safety, Quality, and Compliance:
· Own a zero-loss safety culture through visible leadership, risk identification, timely escalation, corrective action, and consistent adherence to Life Saving Rules and plant safety standards.
· Ensure all production activities comply with GMPs, SOPs, Kraft Heinz specifications, food safety requirements, and applicable regulatory standards.
· Lead operational readiness for audits and support the development, execution, and sustainment of corrective actions.
· Partner with Quality to reduce defects, consumer complaints, rework, holds, giveaway, and repetitive failures through robust problem solving and process control.
· Maintain high standards for sanitation, housekeeping, product protection, and process discipline.

Operational Performance and Reliability:
· Own execution of the production plan across roasting/processing and packaging, delivering schedule attainment, service, throughput, yield, labor productivity, and cost targets.
· Lead daily and weekly operating reviews, identify the critical constraints, and ensure recovery plans are specific, resourced, and time-bound.
· Partner with Maintenance and Engineering to improve OEE, strengthen basic equipment care, prioritize planned maintenance, reduce chronic losses, and improve startup reliability.
· Optimize labor and production schedules based on demand, line capability, changeovers, maintenance requirements, material availability, and cost.
· Ensure effective shift handoffs, escalation, and cross-functional communication across the 24/7 operation.

Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement:
· Apply Lean principles and tools to improve flow, eliminate waste, reduce variability,…