A well-establish fresh produce processor is seeking a Production Operations Manager to join their team. This position will work in union with the Sr. Vice President of Operations by providing the necessary leadership and management to ensure the company has the proper operational processes, controls, and resources to effectively grow the company and meet its financial goals. This position is responsible for managing 8 production lines in unison with Sanitation, Quality, Receiving, Warehousing and Maintenance in a cost effective and safe manner.

Besides direct staff, this individual will work closely with other department management personnel, the safety resource personnel, labor contractors and the adjoining Cold Storage to ensure all finished products produced are safe and of the highest quality, with employee safety at the forefront. This position will model and support a continuous improvement culture within the operations.

Essential Job Duties/Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day production process to ensure all finished products are made to the design specifications at the lowest total cost.
• Work closely with the Field Department to schedule incoming product.
• Assist in the scheduling of daily production runs.
• Ensure adequate daily labor supply.
• Establish and monitor overall plant performance
• Create and implement cost effective controls and process improvements
• Work closely with the labor contractor on a hiring strategy to meet our business needs along with maximizing labor cost per pound.
• Monitor labor costs and production yields to ensure operation efficiency.
• Management of the label room and product labeling activities.
• Provide direction, development and leadership to staff.
• Be the safety leader in showing year-over-year improvement in all aspects of safety.
• Work closely with scheduling, shipping, quality and purchasing to maintain the industry’s best services levels on all finished goods and that we meet customer specifications and government regulations.

• Participate in the plant HACCP team activities.
• Participate in the monthly GMP and sanitation audits, ensure that proper corrective actions are formulated and carried out.
• Participate in vendor audits and 3rd party audits when necessary.
• Review customer complaints and ensure proper corrective actions are formulated and carried out.
• Ensure proper documentation of production records and product traceability.
• Other duties as assigned by upper management.

 

**PAY RANGE: $120-150K, BONUS, FULL BENEFITS, 401K, RELOCATION ASSISTANCE WITHIN CA ONLY, and more.**

***Actual placement within compensation range may vary depending on experience, skills, and other factors.

 

QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE NEEDED:

• Strong fundamental knowledge of food processing operations and food safety
• Ability to work closely with Quality and Maintenance departments to support a food-safe
• environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills / Bilingual preferred
• Strong work ethic required for fast paced, six days a week, around the clock seasonal operation.
• Self-starter with ability to assess operations and identify and address improvement
• opportunities
• Self-directed, results and goal oriented
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to prioritize activity based on organization capability
• Ability to review, revise and create SOPs
• Ability to work well and communicate with all levels of an organization
• Flexibility to adapt to changing production demands and schedules.
• Knowledge of USDA and OSHA requirements
• Team oriented with a “hands-on” management style that encourages teamwork, open
• communication and continuous improvement
• Microsoft Office familiarity

Please contact Tami Lister, tlister@producecareers.com

Compensation: $120,000-$150,000 DOE