Production Lead (Shift 2nd)

The Original Cakerie•Aurora, CO

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Dessert Holdings is hiring a Production Lead at its Aurora, Colorado food manufacturing plant. This position oversees and produces safe, quality food according to production standards and schedules. The Lead is responsible for food safety and quality for Steven Charles products and must notify a supervisor or other person of authority when food safety or quality issues or threats are observed. The role requires understanding and applying Quality Management Systems, including SQF, HACCP, and GMP. The Production Lead organizes and guides 10–40 employees, supports production goals, and ensures compliance with safety, quality, sanitation, and operational standards. The posted shift is 3:00 PM–3:00 AM, with overtime and weekend work as needed.

Requirements

Prior experience in a manufacturing environment and/or a leadership role.
Ability to read, write, and complete production documentation in English or Spanish.
Basic math skills and proficiency with batch sheets, formulas, and specifications.
Basic equipment knowledge, including operation and first-level troubleshooting.
Strong verbal communication skills.
Ability to work overtime and weekends as needed.
Ability to stand for extended periods and lift up to 50 pounds with assistance as needed.
Ability to perform repetitive motions, including grasping, pushing/pulling, bending, kneeling, and reaching.
Ability to work in environments with exposure to heat, cold, chemicals, food allergens, loud noise, and moving mechanical parts.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual in English and Spanish.
Prior experience leading teams or supervising production lines.

Responsibilities

Enforce safety rules, including PPE, machine guarding, and LOTO requirements, and perform start-of-shift and in-process safety checks.
Stop production and promptly escalate safety hazards; report incidents, near-misses, and hazards; and create and track maintenance work requests through resolution.
Coach employees on safe work practices and ensure required safety training is completed and documented.
Ensure compliance with SQF, HACCP, GMP, allergen, sanitation, and hygiene standards.
Conduct, document, and verify quality checks for weights, temperatures, labels, lot codes, and visual standards.
Verify batch sheets, formulas, build sheets, raw material usage, FIFO, and traceability at start-up and changeovers.
Escalate and quarantine products affected by quality or food safety issues, support investigations, and ensure timely rework and corrective actions.
Lead, coach, and organize 10–40 employees to meet hourly and daily production goals while minimizing waste and downtime.
Hold team members accountable for safety, quality, and operations on the assigned line.
Establish standard line staffing, verify coverage at start-up, breaks, and changeovers, and escalate staffing gaps.
Train and cross-train employees and verify task qualifications and certifications.
Set up production lines to standard configurations and support start-ups, changeovers, and shift handoffs.
Maintain accurate, real-time production documentation and system entries, including D365, Hour-by-Hour boards, Centerlines, CID's, and pre-op inspections.
Monitor and communicate KPIs such as efficiency, throughput, waste, and downtime, and follow downtime escalation procedures.
Operate equipment and perform basic troubleshooting; request maintenance support when issues exceed the role's scope.
Submit and track maintenance work orders in eMaintenance for equipment, safety, or operational issues.
Maintain housekeeping, sanitation, and GMP standards and support 5S, standard work, and continuous improvement activities.
Communicate priorities, issues, and abnormalities to supervision and support investigations and corrective actions.