Production Manager

Location: Rocky Mount

The Production Manager serves as a hands-on operational leader responsible for driving safety, quality, production efficiency, labor optimization, waste reduction, and continuous improvement initiatives across the production floor. This role leads daily manufacturing operations while developing high-performing teams, improving manufacturing processes, and supporting profitable growth through operational excellence.

The Production Manager partners cross-functionally with Supply Chain, QA, Maintenance, R&D, and Planning teams to successfully launch new products, improve existing production processes, increase throughput, reduce waste, and optimize labor and equipment utilization. This position plays a critical role in building a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and employee engagement within a fast-paced food manufacturing environment.

Essential Job Duties:

• Direct day-to-day operations through leadership and coaching. Lead team and coach team member performance and development.
• Actively coach, develop and train production team, supervisors and line leads while creating a culture based on mutual trust and respect.
• Set goals and standards for continuous improvement, quality, cost reduction, production volume efficiencies, and safety.
• Lead a culture focused on continuous improvement through engaging employees, implementing new approaches and delivering sustainable results.
• Maximize labor and balance schedules with customer orders while minimizing overtime and supporting profitable growth.
• Create and maintain a proactive safety culture ensuring compliance with all company and regulatory environmental, health, and safety requirements.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on increasing throughput, reducing waste, improving labor efficiency, minimizing downtime, and improving product quality.
• Analyze production data and operational KPIs to identify opportunities for process optimization, cost savings, waste reduction, and improved operational performance.
• Drive lean manufacturing initiatives including standard work, root cause analysis, process flow improvements, visual management, 5S, and waste elimination practices.
• Lead cross-functional projects related to new product launches, line extensions, equipment implementation, process redesign, and operational scalability.
• Collaborate with Sales/Innovation, QA, Supply Chain, and Maintenance teams to ensure successful commercialization and operational readiness for new products and process changes.
• Develop and maintain production SOPs, work instructions, and process controls to ensure consistency, food safety, and operational efficiency.
• Monitor and manage manufacturing waste, yields, labor productivity, downtime, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) to achieve operational targets.
• Identify bottlenecks within manufacturing processes and implement corrective actions to improve line efficiency and capacity utilization.
• Support capital improvement initiatives and equipment upgrades by participating in planning, implementation, testing, training, and startup activities.
• Utilize Red Zone to monitor business transactions and reporting.
• Responsible for reporting any issues that impact food safety or quality immediately.
• Proactively support the organization's goals and objectives.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent industry experience required.
• Three (3) to five (5) years of progressive leadership experience in a manufacturing and distribution environment. Food production experience preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading continuous improvement and operational excellence initiatives in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong understanding of lean manufacturing principles, waste reduction strategies, process optimization, and KPI-driven production management.
• Proven project management experience leading cross-functional initiatives including new product launches, process improvements, equipment implementation, and operational scaling projects.
• Experience analyzing production metrics including labor efficiency, yields, downtime, throughput, waste, and OEE to drive operational improvements.
• Strong problem-solving and root cause analysis skills with the ability to implement sustainable corrective actions.
• Experience implementing Red Zone Manufacturing methodologies preferred.
• Bilingual in English & Spanish preferred.
• Demonstrated experience building a diverse, strong management team and promoting teamwork across all departments.
• Knowledge of safety related issues including compliance with State, Federal and Local regulations.
• Experience with ERP - Net Suite preferred.
• Intermediate to advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel and production reporting systems such as Red Zone.

Physical requirements:

• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds occasionally.
• Standing, walking, bending, lifting, stooping, crouching, kneeling intermittently, use of hands and arms.

Disclaimer:

The physical requirements and job duties are representative only and not exhaustive of the tasks employees may be…