Production Manager

Overview

Plantible, backed by Astanor Ventures, Lerer Hippeau, Piva Capital, Kellogg’s, and Vectr Ventures, is a vertically integrated biology company that is unlocking the power in plants in service of people & planet. Our mission is to create solutions that empower customers to make sustainable and regenerative choices without compromising on quality. We are beginning with the food industry. Please visit our website to learn more about our mission and continued success:

The Production Manager is responsible for planning, executing and coordinating processing operations in our semi-automated food processing plant in Eldorado Texas. Keys to success are ensuring safe, compliant, and efficient production that meets the business objectives of the plant around cost, quality and productivity. This role acts as the first-line leader on shift, driving adherence to GMP, safety, and process standards while supporting troubleshooting, documentation accuracy, and team performance.

This leader will be the sole decision maker on their shift to run operations and play a key role with R&D and Engineering teams to continue to optimize and scale our production operations.

• Lead safe and compliant food processing operations by enforcing GMP, PPE, SOPs, and safety standards, proactively identifying risks, and driving a zero-incident culture across all shifts.
• Execute production runs to meet yield, throughput, and quality targets, ensuring stability across all food processing unit operations (maceration, decanter, clarification, TFMF, filtration, UF, spray drying support).
• Own process performance during the shift, monitoring CPPs (e.g., turbidity, flow rates, TMP, dosing conditions), identifying deviations early, and leading real-time troubleshooting with Maintenance, FSQ, and Engineering.
• Drive mass balance discipline and process consistency, ensuring proper sampling, tracking of losses, and escalation of gaps (e.g., clarification performance, TFMF behavior, filtration efficiency).
• Lead and coordinate shift execution, assigning priorities, guiding Operators 1–3, and ensuring strong accountability in safety, quality, and operational performance.
• Ensure batch record accuracy and data integrity, including proper documentation of deviations, verification of operator entries, and identification of improvements in records and SOPs.
• Coordinate and execute critical sampling activities, including in-process, cleaning verification, and non-standard samples, ensuring alignment with FSQ requirements and run objectives.
• Maintain deep operational knowledge of food processing systems, including equipment, piping, valves, and HMI controls, enabling effective operation, diagnostics, and troubleshooting under dynamic conditions.
• Identify and escalate operational risks and inefficiencies, including equipment issues, process variability, and system constraints impacting yield or throughput.
• Support and implement continuous improvement initiatives, including CAPA, process optimization, and Management of Change (MOC), with a focus on increasing yield, stability, and run reliability.
• Ensure clear communication and disciplined shift handoffs, maintaining continuity across runs and alignment with production plans and maintenance activities.

• Technical foundation with strong hands-on capability, through a degree in engineering, food science, bioprocessing, or equivalent experience operating and troubleshooting processing systems in a manufacturing environment.
• Proven experience (3–6+ years) in food, bioprocessing, or similar operations, with direct exposure to unit operations such as centrifugation/decanting, filtration (TFMF/UF), dosing systems, or drying processes.
• Demonstrated shift leadership experience, with the ability to direct operators, prioritize tasks, and drive execution under dynamic production conditions.
• Strong process understanding and troubleshooting skills, including the ability to identify and respond to deviations in key parameters (e.g., turbidity, flow rates, TMP, dosing performance) and support root cause investigations.
• Experience working in…