Food Production Manager

Harmons•West Valley City, UT

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Food Production Manager oversees food production operations at the Central Food Production Facility, ensuring efficient, timely, and consistent production across departments such as Kitchen, Bakery, Seafood, and Café. The role leads daily operations across multiple production lines, develops and supervises a large multi-shift team, and maintains standards for food safety, product quality, scheduling, productivity, and operational excellence. The manager plans production, standardizes recipes and processes, supports new product launches, manages labor and inventory, and coordinates with Quality Control, Inventory Control, vendors, and facility leadership. The position also ensures compliance with food-safety regulations and facility procedures, maintains production and traceability records, and drives improvements to production performance and facility operations.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED required.
At least five years of high-volume kitchen experience in a commissary, central kitchen, food manufacturing, catering, or institutional setting.
At least three years managing kitchen teams of 20 or more people, including supervisors or leads.
Hands-on ability to operate and troubleshoot large commercial kitchen equipment and train others to use it.
Demonstrated success managing multiple production lines and meeting strict deadlines.
ServSafe Manager certification or equivalent, or ability to obtain it 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, including spreadsheets, email, and scheduling or inventory software.
Strong communication, coaching, and leadership skills, including the ability to hold teams accountable.
Integrity, a positive attitude, a mission-driven and self-directed approach, and commitment to Harmons’ mission and collaborative work.
Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple priorities.
Ability to communicate effectively with and manage diverse groups of people, handle conflict professionally, and accept constructive review and accountability.
Ability to make logical, significant decisions using recognized analytical skills and techniques.
Ability to work weekends, evenings, and holidays.
Ability to stand and walk for 8–10 or more hours per shift; lift, push, and carry up to 50 pounds regularly; and bend, reach, kneel, and perform repetitive hand tasks.

Nice To Haves

College education.
Culinary degree or comparable professional culinary training.
Experience producing a variety of products, including soups, sauces, assembled items such as burritos, frozen desserts, baked goods, dairy portions, and fresh salads.
HACCP certification and experience writing HACCP plans.
Knowledge of packaging, labeling, nutrition, and allergen-labeling requirements.
Experience with lean manufacturing, continuous improvement initiatives, or production-line design.
Experience establishing or expanding commissary or food production facilities.
Bilingual English/Spanish skills.

Responsibilities

Follow 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 to meet changing demand.
Oversee multiple production lines, including hot foods, cold preparation, bakery, frozen desserts, portioning, and packaging, and ensure delivery deadlines are met.
Standardize recipes, batch sizes, yields, and portion specifications across 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 follow recipes, procedures, and quality standards; mentor associates and provide ongoing performance feedback.
Manage labor expenses within budget while maintaining quality, safety, and team engagement.
Operate and train others to safely operate commercial food-production equipment.
Develop, implement, and enforce equipment SOPs, lockout/tagout procedures, and safety practices.
Maintain compliance with USDA, health department, HACCP, and other applicable food-safety regulations; lead inspections and audits.
Oversee cooling and temperature logs, allergen controls, labeling, date coding, lot tracking, and traceability.
Inspect finished products and implement corrective actions when standards are not met.
Work with Quality Control to maintain required documentation and implement SOPs.
Manage packaged and finished-goods inventory, accurate counts, and FIFO rotation.
Communicate production changes to the Inventory Control Manager in time to support purchasing.
Coordinate with vendors and the Inventory Control Manager on ingredient quality, availability, concerns, and purchasing industrial-size ingredients.
Report production metrics, including output, on-time fill, waste, labor, and food safety, to leadership on a set cadence.
Identify and implement process, equipment, and facility improvements that support growth and operational efficiency.
Improve production yields, labor efficiency, schedule attainment, and OTIF performance.
Complete assigned tasks efficiently and on time, set a professional and positive example, and assist as needed to support the company.
Perform other job-related duties as assigned.