Assistant Production Manager

Echo Lake Foods, Inc.•Burlington, WI

About The Position

The Assistant Production Manager supports the Production Manager in overseeing daily production operations to ensure safe, efficient, and compliant manufacturing of food products. The role provides hands-on leadership for Supervisors, Leads, and line teams on assigned shifts, helping enforce GMPs, HACCP, food safety programs, customer specifications, and productivity standards. The Assistant Production Manager helps drive continuous improvement, resolves day-to-day operational issues, and steps in for the Production Manager as needed to keep the shift on track toward safety, quality, service, and cost goals. The position oversees assigned lines and shifts, supports staffing and production planning, monitors performance metrics, and collaborates with departments including QA, Maintenance, Warehouse, Sanitation, Scheduling, Procurement, HR, and EH&S. It also supports food safety and regulatory compliance, employee development, problem solving, improvement initiatives, documentation, and shift handoffs. The work takes place in a fast-paced food manufacturing environment with moving equipment, packaging machinery, wet floors, and forklift traffic. The role may require off-shift or weekend support based on production needs and involves walking, standing, and climbing stairs for extended periods, working in cold, hot, humid, or noisy conditions, and occasionally lifting up to 50 pounds.

Requirements

At least 2 years of experience in food manufacturing, including some experience in a lead or supervisory capacity.
Working knowledge of GMPs, HACCP, SQF/FSMA, CCP/CP monitoring, and food safety regulations.
Demonstrated ability to lead or support a team on the production floor.
Strong communication, leadership, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to interpret specifications, SOPs, operational data, and regulatory requirements.
Ability to walk, stand, and climb stairs for extended periods.
Ability to work in temperature-controlled or variable environments, including cold, hot, humid, or noisy conditions.
Ability to lift up to 50 pounds occasionally if needed.

Nice To Haves

Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
Exposure to Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, 5S, or OEE improvement programs.
Bilingual English/Spanish skills.
Familiarity with ERP or manufacturing execution systems (MES).

Responsibilities

Oversee assigned production lines and shifts to meet schedules, output targets, labor plans, and customer expectations.
Support implementation of production strategies to improve efficiency, minimize downtime, and increase productivity.
Assist with line staffing, cross-training, and labor utilization in coordination with HR and Supervisors.
Lead daily shift meetings and participate in production planning and cross-functional meetings as assigned.
Monitor assigned-line KPIs, including Efficiency, OEE, Throughput, Waste, Yield, and Labor Utilization, and escalate variances to the Production Manager.
Serve as the production point of contact when the Production Manager is absent.
Help ensure finished products meet customer and internal requirements for quality, appearance, weight, coding, packaging, labeling, and palletization.
Support compliance with HACCP, CCP/CP monitoring, allergen control, SQF/FSMA requirements, and internal audit standards.
Assist with product hold/release processes and root cause analysis for deviations or non-conformances.
Work with QA to enforce corrective and preventive actions and maintain compliance readiness.
Reinforce adherence to quality control procedures, documentation standards, and verification steps.
Support safety and GMP excellence in assigned production areas, including proper gowning, sanitation, and hygiene practices.
Conduct floor walkthroughs focused on safety, GMPs, housekeeping, and equipment conditions.
Partner with EH&S on OSHA, LOTO, machine guarding, ergonomics, and accident prevention compliance.
Help assigned areas meet or exceed SQF, regulatory, customer, and internal audit expectations.
Supervise, mentor, and develop Leads and line teams on assigned shifts.
Support performance evaluations, goal setting, coaching, and accountability in partnership with the Production Manager.
Support positive employee relations by addressing concerns respectfully and promptly and escalating as needed.
Help train employees on SOPs, GMPs, safety practices, and job-specific competencies.
Partner with HR and the Production Manager on hiring, onboarding, disciplinary actions, and workforce planning.
Support Lean, Six Sigma, 5S, Kaizen, and other continuous improvement initiatives to eliminate waste, reduce downtime, and improve throughput.
Use data to identify trends, root causes, and improvement opportunities on assigned lines.
Support improvements in equipment reliability, changeover reduction, workflow efficiency, and material utilization.
Assist with capital projects, equipment installations, and layout optimization as assigned.
Maintain accurate production documentation, including shift logs, reports, and KPI tracking.
Track production metrics daily and report deviations, corrective actions, and performance summaries to the Production Manager.
Communicate with QA, Maintenance, Warehouse, Sanitation, Scheduling, and Procurement to support operations.
Ensure thorough and accurate shift handoff documentation.