Second Shift Production Manager

Cole's Quality Foods, Inc.•North Liberty, IA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Second Shift Production Manager oversees daily production operations at a food manufacturing facility, leading production employees and supervisors and ensuring production schedules, output targets, customer requirements, product quality, and food safety standards are met. The role promotes a safe, efficient, and productive work environment and collaborates with Quality Assurance, Sanitation, Maintenance, Warehouse, and Human Resources to achieve operational goals and maintain compliance with company policies, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), and applicable regulatory requirements. The Production Manager provides leadership and direction to production teams, manages competing priorities, develops employees, resolves operational challenges, and drives continuous improvement in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. The position is based in North Liberty, Iowa, reports to the Plant Manager, and works second shift, Monday through Friday, from 1:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Hours may be adjusted as needed to support business operations.

Requirements

Three to five years of production or manufacturing leadership experience.
Experience in a unionized manufacturing facility and knowledge of collective bargaining agreements.
Familiarity with SQF, BRCGS, HACCP, or other applicable food safety management systems.
Experience with lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, root cause analysis, and waste reduction.
Knowledge of production scheduling, labor management, manufacturing processes, and performance metrics.
Strong leadership, communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to analyze production data and implement corrective actions.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office and production reporting systems.
Ability to work second shift and adjust hours as needed to support business operations.
Ability to work in a food manufacturing environment with varying temperatures, noise, wet or humid conditions, and active production equipment.
Ability to walk production areas for extended periods and access multiple facility areas.
Ability to wear required personal protective equipment and comply with facility hygiene requirements.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in manufacturing, Operations Management, Business, or a related field; equivalent manufacturing leadership experience may be considered.

Responsibilities

Oversee second-shift production activities to meet production schedules, output targets, and customer requirements.
Monitor production performance, labor utilization, yields, waste, downtime, and efficiency.
Ensure production lines are properly staffed and allocate employees to operational needs.
Review production schedules and communicate priorities, changes, and challenges to relevant departments.
Identify and resolve production issues affecting efficiency, product quality, or delivery schedules.
Coordinate with Maintenance regarding equipment breakdowns, repairs, and production interruptions.
Ensure employees follow work instructions, standard operating procedures, and operating practices.
Monitor material usage, product changeovers, line performance, and the accuracy of production reporting.
Communicate shift performance, outstanding issues, and operational concerns to plant leadership and incoming shifts.
Identify opportunities to improve productivity, reduce waste and downtime, and control operating costs.
Lead and hold production supervisors, leads, and hourly employees accountable.
Establish performance expectations for productivity, attendance, safety, quality, and conduct.
Coach and develop supervisors and employees to improve performance, engagement, and accountability.
Support employee training, onboarding, cross-training, and development initiatives.
Address attendance, performance, and employee relations concerns in accordance with company policies.
Partner with Human Resources on employee relations matters, investigations, corrective action, and workforce planning.
Promote employee engagement, teamwork, communication, and continuous improvement.
Ensure adequate staffing and effective labor allocation throughout the shift.
Apply company policies and applicable collective bargaining agreement provisions consistently, where applicable.
Ensure production complies with GMPs, food safety programs, quality standards, and regulatory requirements.
Enforce compliance with hygiene, handwashing, protective clothing, allergen controls, and other food safety procedures.
Partner with Quality Assurance to address product holds, quality concerns, deviations, and corrective actions.
Coordinate with Sanitation to ensure required cleaning is completed and production areas are released before operations begin.
Verify that production areas, equipment, and materials meet cleanliness and food safety requirements.
Ensure production, traceability, lot identification, and quality documentation is completed accurately.
Support food safety audits, customer audits, regulatory inspections, and internal compliance initiatives.
Escalate potential food safety risks promptly and ensure affected products are appropriately controlled.
Promote workplace safety and ensure employees follow established procedures, OSHA requirements, PPE requirements, and company safety policies.
Identify workplace hazards and implement corrective actions to prevent injuries and incidents.
Participate in incident investigations, root cause analysis, and corrective action planning.
Ensure employees receive training on equipment, safe work practices, and emergency procedures.
Maintain a clean, organized, and safe production environment.
Conduct shift meetings covering production goals, safety updates, quality expectations, and operational priorities.
Communicate effectively with Plant Management, Maintenance, Quality Assurance, Sanitation, Warehouse, and Human Resources.
Provide accurate shift reports covering production results, staffing, downtime, quality concerns, and unresolved issues.
Participate in continuous improvement initiatives focused on efficiency, waste reduction, labor productivity, and process standardization.
Use production data and KPIs to identify trends, address recurring problems, and improve results.
Support implementation of new processes, equipment, procedures, and operational initiatives.