Production Shift Manager- Weekend Night

Utz Brands, Inc.•Kings Mountain, NC

4d•Onsite

About The Position

Utz Quality Foods is seeking an experienced Production Shift Manager for its Kings Mountain, North Carolina facility. The role oversees production activities on the assigned shift to ensure safe, efficient operations and achievement of quality, food safety, and production goals. The manager leads Production Supervisors, monitors labor and equipment performance, resolves operational challenges, partners with cross-functional teams, develops talent, promotes accountability, and supports continuous improvement through Integrated Work Systems (IWS). Food manufacturing and sanitation experience are essential, as weekends are heavily focused on sanitation activities. The role follows a rotating weekend schedule: Friday through Sunday in Week 1 and Thursday through Sunday in Week 2, working from 6:00 PM to 6:30 AM. The schedule rotates every two weeks. Additional shifts and extended hours may be needed based on business demand. Utz describes itself as a company with a strong family heritage and a diverse snack-food portfolio. It states that it provides a supportive, caring, and inclusive environment with opportunities for career growth and advancement. Its full-time benefits package includes medical, dental, and vision plans, an employer 401(k) match, profit sharing, and an employee stock purchase plan.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED required.
Prior leadership experience in a production or food manufacturing environment, including experience leading supervisors or multiple production lines.
Hands-on knowledge of packaging and processing operations, fryer machines and packaging machinery, and sanitation procedures in a food production setting.
Experience planning and scheduling production and adjusting to changing priorities.
Experience monitoring and analyzing labor usage and crew efficiency.
Familiarity with ERP systems, such as Microsoft Dynamics 365, and inventory tracking.
Experience using maintenance systems such as EAM (Enterprise Asset Management).
Experience working with performance monitoring tools such as RedZone.
Strong leadership, coaching, and interpersonal skills to lead, motivate, and develop supervisors and teams.
Strong public speaking and presentation skills.
Knowledge of food safety practices, GMPs, and SQF requirements.
Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities, including under pressure.
Ability to assess performance data and implement process improvements.
Effective delegation and follow-up to ensure task completion and accountability.
Competency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
Ability to lift moderately heavy materials and perform occasional physical tasks such as skid pulling.
Attention to detail, organizational ability, and commitment to quality standards.
Strong commitment to maintaining a safe and compliant work environment.
OSHA-compliant forklift operator experience required.

Nice To Haves

Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Operations Management, Food Science, Business, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Responsibilities

Lead, coach, and develop the Production Supervisor and hold the supervisory team accountable for safety, quality, productivity, and people-related results.
Direct daily processing and packaging operations and serve as the escalation point for production, quality, safety, and personnel issues.
Execute the production schedule efficiently while maintaining quality, adjusting for downtime, equipment issues, staffing gaps, or supply shortages.
Monitor and analyze labor hours and crew size, adjusting staffing and line assignments in real time.
Partner with HR and the Production Manager on interviewing, hiring, onboarding, training, performance evaluations, attendance, and corrective action.
Ensure shift personnel receive and document appropriate training, including cross-training coverage.
Ensure processing and packaging standards are upheld to produce quality product.
Develop and implement methods to achieve plant performance and efficiency goals.
Analyze line-level performance, drive process improvements, and identify and reduce waste.
Manage material usage and waste, including film waste, on assigned lines.
Monitor RedZone for packaging and fryer efficiencies, quality checks, and downtime, and ensure loss root causes are addressed.
Ensure work orders and preventative maintenance tasks are entered and tracked in EAM, coordinating with Maintenance and Sanitation to minimize downtime.
Ensure ERP production transactions are executed and monitored accurately to maintain data integrity.
Work with production planning, quality, maintenance, warehouse, and other departments to achieve production attainment and schedule adherence goals.
Communicate shift performance, issues, and priorities through handoffs and regular updates with the Production Manager and other shift leaders.
Support and sustain plant Integrated Work Systems, including maintaining and communicating line-level KPIs and performance standards.
Assist with month-end inventory counting and ensure inventory accuracy for the assigned shift.
Be responsible for shift safety performance and support a safety and health culture through employee engagement and maintenance of a safe work environment.
Follow and enforce GMP and food safety practices and applicable SQF requirements.
Follow instructions and training for reporting and escalating food safety problems to appropriate personnel.
Work additional shifts and extended hours as needed based on business demand.
Perform other duties as assigned that support company and department objectives.