Food Production Manager

Up to $97,000 PER YEARGENERAL PURPOSE:The purpose of this position is to oversee all food production operations within the Central Food Production Facility. This role is responsible for ensuring the efficient, timely, and consistent production of products across multiple departments, including Kitchen, Bakery, Seafood, Café, and others. The Production Manager leads daily production activities, develops and supervises a large team, and maintains high standards for food safety, quality, scheduling, productivity, and operational excellence.ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:Follows established Central Food Production Facility policies and proceduresCreate and manage daily and weekly production schedules based on forecasts, par levels, and orders, adjusting plans as needed to meet changing demandsOversee multiple production lines, including hot foods, cold preparation, bakery, frozen desserts, portioning, and packaging operations, ensuring all delivery deadlines are metStandardize recipes, batch sizes, yields, and portion specifications to ensure product consistency across all shifts and associatesLead new product launches by scaling recipes from test batches to full production, developing procedures, and training associatesLead, schedule, coach, and motivate a large multi-shift team, including supervisors and team leadsTrain and cross-train associates to ensure adherence to recipes, procedures, and quality standardsTeaches, mentors, and educates associates to help them be successful members of the teamProvides honest, direct, and constant feedback to associates regarding their performance and areas of improvementManage labor expenses within budget while maintaining high standards of quality, safety, and team engagementOperate and train others to safely operate large commercial equipment, such as kettles, combi ovens, tilt skillets, mixers, slicers, batch freezers for gelato, blast chillers, X rays packaging machines like PAC 3000 and depositing machinesDevelop, implement, and enforce equipment SOPs, lockout/tagout, and safety proceduresMaintain full compliance with USDA, health department, HACCP, and other applicable food safety regulations; lead inspections and auditsHold PCQI CertificationOversee cooling and temperature logs, allergen controls, labeling, date coding, lot tracking, and traceabilityConduct quality inspections on finished products and implement corrective actions when standards are not metWork closely with Quality Control to maintain required documentation and implement new SOPs as neededManage packaged and finished goods inventory, ensuring accurate counts and proper FIFO rotationCommunicate production changes to the Inventory Control Manager changes to allow time for inventory to be purchasedCoordinate with vendors and the Inventory Control Manager regarding ingredient quality, availability, and concernsWork with Inventory Control Manager to purchase industrial size ingredients as neededteams to support production volumes, scheduling, and new product introductionsReport key metrics (output, on-time fill, waste, labor, food safety) to leadership on a set cadenceIdentify and implement process, equipment, and facility improvements to support growth and operational efficiencyDrive continuous improvement of key performance indicators, including production yields, labor efficiency, schedule attainment, and OTIF performanceCompletes assigned tasks efficiently and in a timely mannerSets a professional and positive example to othersAssists as needed to ensure the success of the company as a wholeMARGINAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:Performs other job-related duties as assigned.NATURE OF WORK CONTACTS:Consistent and daily interaction with Central Food Production Facility associates and managementTRAINING & QUALIFICATIONS:To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.Desired knowledge, skills, and abilities:A high school diploma or GED is required; college education preferred; five years of food production or othercentral kitchen or manufacturing experience preferred; or any combination of education, experience, and trainingwhich provides the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:Ability to interpret policies and procedures5+ years of high-volume kitchen experience in a commissary, central kitchen, food manufacturing, catering or institutional setting3+ years managing kitchen teams of 20 or more people, including supervisors or leadsHands-on skill operating, troubleshooting, and training others on large commercial kitchen equipmentDemonstrated success managing multiple production lines and meeting strict deadlinesServSafe Manager certification (or equivalent), or ability to obtain within 30 days of hireWorking knowledge of USDA requirements, HACCP, allergen control, cooling and temperature requirements, and local health codesExperience developing production schedules, prep lists, par levels, and scaled recipesKnowledge of inventory management, ordering processes, and food and labor cost controlsBasic computer skills: spreadsheets, email, and scheduling or inventory softwareStrong communication, coaching, and leadership skills with the ability to hold teams accountableCulinary degree or comparable professional culinary training preferredExperience across producing a variety of products: soups, sauces, assembled items like burritos, frozen dessert, baking, dairy portioning, and fresh saladsHACCP certification and experience writing HACCP plansKnowledge of packaging, labeling, nutrition, and allergen-labeling requirements preferredExperience with lean manufacturing, continuous improvement initiatives, or production-line design preferredExperience establishing or expanding commissary or food production facilities preferredBilingual English/Spanish skills preferredMust possess integrity, a positive attitude, be mission-driven, and be self-directed with a demonstrated passion for Harmons’ mission and commitment to working collaborativelyAbility to work under pressure and manage multiple prioritiesMust possess solid communication skills, including verbal and listening skills in order to effectively and efficiently communicate with and manage diverse groups of peopleAbility to professionally and appropriately handle conflictMust possess the ability to accept constructive review and be accountable for one’s own success as well as the success of your teamRequired to make logical, significant decisions using general, recognized analytical skills and techniquesContinually strives to be product minded, customer minded, personnel minded, detailed, forward focused, and consistentAbility to work weekends, evenings, and holidaysPHYSICAL/SENSORY DEMANDS:The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an associate encounters whileperforming the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individualswith disabilities to perform the essential functions.Work is generally performed in a safe and comfortable warehouse environment with the possibility of frequentexposure to cold, hot, slippery, and wet conditions. While performing the duties of this job, the associate isregularly required to grasp, push, pull, carry, stoop, twist, crouch, and reach; perform tasks requiring repetitivemotion and eye, hand, and foot coordination; hear and respond to customer inquiries. Also requires standing,walking, and bending throughout the entire workday and the ability to maneuver heavy objects weighing up to50 pounds from location to location. Stand and walk for 8–10+ hours per shift. Lift, push and carry up to 50 lbs regularly; move heavier loads with equipment or team lifts. Bend, reach, kneel and use hands repeatedly for prep, portioning and equipment work. Work in hot, cold, wet and noisy environments, including walk-in coolers and freezers. Work early mornings, nights, weekends and holidays as production demands. Wear required PPE and follow all safety procedures.