Food Production Manager

Up to $97,000 PER YEAR

GENERAL 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 procedures
• Create and manage daily and weekly production schedules based on forecasts, par levels, and orders, adjusting plans as needed to meet changing demands
• Oversee multiple production lines, including hot foods, cold preparation, bakery, frozen desserts, portioning, and packaging operations, ensuring all delivery deadlines are met
• Standardize recipes, batch sizes, yields, and portion specifications to ensure product consistency across all shifts and associates
• Lead new product launches by scaling recipes from test batches to full production, developing procedures, and training associates
• Lead, schedule, coach, and motivate a large multi-shift team, including supervisors and team leads
• Train and cross-train associates to ensure adherence to recipes, procedures, and quality standards
• Teaches, mentors, and educates associates to help them be successful members of the team
• Provides honest, direct, and constant feedback to associates regarding their performance and areas of improvement
• Manage labor expenses within budget while maintaining high standards of quality, safety, and team engagement
• Operate 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 machines
• Develop, implement, and enforce equipment SOPs, lockout/tagout, and safety procedures
• Maintain full compliance with USDA, health department, HACCP, and other applicable food safety regulations; lead inspections and audits
• Hold PCQI Certification
• Oversee cooling and temperature logs, allergen controls, labeling, date coding, lot tracking, and traceability
• Conduct quality inspections on finished products and implement corrective actions when standards are not met
• Work closely with Quality Control to maintain required documentation and implement new SOPs as needed
• Manage packaged and finished goods inventory, ensuring accurate counts and proper FIFO rotation
• Communicate production changes to the Inventory Control Manager changes to allow time for inventory to be purchased
• Coordinate with vendors and the Inventory Control Manager regarding ingredient quality, availability, and concerns
• Work with Inventory Control Manager to purchase industrial size ingredients as needed
• teams to support production volumes, scheduling, and new product introductions
• Report key metrics (output, on-time fill, waste, labor, food safety) to leadership on a set cadence
• Identify and implement process, equipment, and facility improvements to support growth and operational efficiency
• Drive continuous improvement of key performance indicators, including production yields, labor efficiency, schedule attainment, and OTIF performance
• Completes assigned tasks efficiently and in a timely manner
• Sets a professional and positive example to others
• Assists as needed to ensure the success of the company as a whole

MARGINAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

NATURE OF WORK CONTACTS:

• Consistent and daily interaction with Central Food Production Facility associates and management

TRAINING & 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 other

central kitchen or manufacturing experience preferred; or any combination of education, experience, and training

which provides the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Ability to interpret policies and procedures
• 5+ years of high-volume kitchen experience in a commissary, central kitchen, food manufacturing, catering or institutional setting
• 3+ years managing kitchen teams of 20 or more people, including supervisors or leads
• Hands-on skill operating, troubleshooting, and training others on large commercial kitchen equipment
• Demonstrated success managing multiple production lines and meeting strict deadlines
• ServSafe Manager certification (or equivalent), or ability to obtain within 30 days of hire
• Working knowledge of USDA requirements, HACCP, allergen control, cooling and temperature requirements, and local health codes
• Experience developing production schedules, prep lists, par levels, and scaled recipes
• Knowledge of inventory management, ordering processes, and food and labor cost controls
• Basic computer skills: spreadsheets, email, and scheduling or inventory software
• Strong communication, coaching, and leadership skills with the ability to hold teams accountable
• Culinary degree or comparable professional culinary training preferred
• Experience across producing a variety of products: soups, sauces, assembled items like burritos, frozen dessert, baking, dairy portioning, and fresh salads
• HACCP certification and experience writing HACCP plans
• Knowledge of packaging, labeling, nutrition, and allergen-labeling requirements preferred
• Experience with lean manufacturing, continuous improvement initiatives, or production-line design preferred
• Experience establishing or expanding commissary or food production facilities preferred
• Bilingual English/Spanish skills preferred
• Must possess integrity, a positive attitude, be mission-driven, and be self-directed with a demonstrated passion for Harmons’ mission and commitment to working collaboratively
• Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple priorities
• Must possess solid communication skills, including verbal and listening skills in order to effectively and efficiently communicate with and manage diverse groups of people
• Ability to professionally and appropriately handle conflict
• Must possess the ability to accept constructive review and be accountable for one’s own success as well as the success of your team
• Required to make logical, significant decisions using general, recognized analytical skills and techniques
• Continually strives to be product minded, customer minded, personnel minded, detailed, forward focused, and consistent
• Ability to work weekends, evenings, and holidays

PHYSICAL/SENSORY DEMANDS:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an associate encounters while

performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals

with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Work is generally performed in a safe and comfortable warehouse environment with the possibility of frequent

exposure to cold, hot, slippery, and wet conditions. While performing the duties of this job, the associate is

regularly required to grasp, push, pull, carry, stoop, twist, crouch, and reach; perform tasks requiring repetitive

motion 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 to

50 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.