Production Shift Manager (Indoor Vertical Farming)

Oishii•Clay Township, OH

11d•$72,000 - $85,000•Onsite

About The Position

Oishii is seeking a Production Shift Manager to lead production operations across multiple farms and a packaging team on multiple shifts within its indoor vertical farming facility in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. The manager owns execution of production functions for a specific shift, including team development, equipment readiness, sanitation, health and safety, food safety and quality, cost, and product yield. This is a hands-on role that spends most of its time in farm or packaging environments observing operations, checking adherence to processes, auditing execution against standards, and coaching team members to improve performance. The position follows a fixed Sunday–Wednesday, 12-hour schedule. Shift hours rotate every six months between 6:00 AM–6:00 PM and 6:00 PM–6:00 AM, on predetermined rotation dates. Occasional off-hours emergency response may be required. The role involves regular direct physical contact with bee colonies for pollination, and candidates must not be allergic to bees. The position is based at Oishii Farm Corporation in Phillipsburg, NJ, with no travel required.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
At least 5 years of experience in farming, production/manufacturing, warehousing, or a similar environment.
At least 5 years of progressive management experience leading operations teams, including frontline or hourly associates.
Track record of making sound, independent decisions when issues arise on shift.
Demonstrated use of real-time reporting and data to improve productivity, quality, yield, and cost metrics.
Working knowledge of food safety and sanitation practices such as GMP or HACCP.
Experience handling complex employee relations issues and sensitive situations with tact, discretion, and confidentiality.
Ability to communicate clearly, concisely, and purposefully, verbally and in writing, at different organizational levels.
Ability to shift priorities quickly, meet deadlines, collaborate cross-functionally and across locations, and support evolving needs in a startup environment.
Ability to lead through others and develop teams with varied experience levels.
Ability to solve problems, work through ambiguity, use sound judgment in the absence of established processes, synthesize information quickly, and take action.
Entrepreneurial mindset and ability to develop and implement ideas, processes, and policies rapidly; prioritize tasks in light of available resources; and take ownership of results.
Availability for a Sunday–Wednesday 12-hour schedule, including the six-month day/night rotation and occasional off-hours emergency response.
Ability to lift up to 30 pounds, climb ladders, crouch, kneel, reach, and stretch as needed; hand dexterity is required.
Comfort with an active, non-sedentary role for 5–6 hour stretches, including extended time in cold storage areas.
Must not be allergic to bees due to regular direct physical contact with bee colonies.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in business or a related field.
PCQI, HACCP, or SQF certification.
Familiarity with Lean, Six Sigma, or other continuous improvement methods.
Computer literacy with Google Suite, Slack, Notion, or similar tools.

Responsibilities

Drive production KPIs, including pruning or packaging speed, bruise rate, integrated pest management task completion, cost reduction, yield, quality, and productivity.
Operate and troubleshoot farming and packaging technologies.
Analyze real-time reporting and data to guide decisions and improve performance.
Maintain safety guidelines, integrated pest management risk controls, and sanitation practices on the shift.
Communicate expectations and upcoming changes clearly, promptly, effectively, and respectfully to associates.
Work with cross-functional partners, including maintenance, to support cohesive facility operations.
Coordinate troubleshooting with cross-functional partners to identify and resolve system malfunctions, plant health issues, environmental issues, and other problems; escalate gaps when needed.
Understand, implement, and enforce food safety policies, including worker hygiene, sanitation, and required documentation.
Manage people by directing work, providing feedback, evaluating performance, assigning tasks, setting goals, coaching team members, resolving issues, and maintaining consistent staffing.
Spend most of the working time in farm or packaging operations, observing processes and stepping in to drive performance when needed.
Audit team execution against established standards and provide immediate coaching and feedback when gaps are identified.
Develop a deep understanding of farming and packaging processes to assess performance, identify inefficiencies, and coach employees to meet expectations consistently.
Respond to facility or team emergencies and issues outside scheduled shift hours when necessary.