SkillBridge Fellowship- Production Supervisor- Austin, MN

Hormel Foods Family of Companies • Austin, MN

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The SkillBridge Production Supervisor Fellowship provides transitioning service members with hands-on, immersive training in food manufacturing operations and frontline leadership. Participants will work alongside experienced Production Team Leaders to develop skills in production execution, people leadership, safety, quality, and continuous improvement. This on-the-floor, experiential role is designed to prepare fellows for a successful transition into full-time Team Leader positions by combining real-world responsibility with structured learning and mentorship in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Requirements

• Must be an approved Department of War SkillBridge participant and eligible to participate through Hire Our Heroes (HOH).
• Demonstrated leadership capability with the ability to influence, motivate, and communicate effectively with diverse teams in a fast-paced, operational environment.
• Strong analytical and critical-thinking skills, with the ability to gather information, assess situations, and support data-driven decision-making.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to clearly convey expectations, document processes, and collaborate across functional teams.
• Proven initiative and self-motivation, with a willingness to take ownership of learning, seek out responsibilities, and contribute value in a hands-on manufacturing setting.
• Possess a strong work ethic and an entrepreneurial mindset, demonstrating adaptability, resilience, and a continuous improvement mentality.
• Comfortable working in a meat manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

• Participate in a structured SkillBridge Fellowship designed to provide hands-on exposure to the full scope of responsibilities performed by a Production Supervisor (Team Leader) in a food manufacturing environment.
• Learn and apply daily production leadership practices, including shift start-up, work assignments, labor utilization, performance monitoring, and end-of-shift reporting.
• Review, evaluate, and support adherence to established standard operating procedures (SOPs), and food safety requirements to ensure consistent, high-quality production output.
• Assist Production Team Leaders with data collection and analysis related to safety, quality, productivity, labor efficiency, downtime, and waste reduction to identify performance improvement opportunities.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives by helping document process gaps, recommending corrective actions, and participating in root cause analysis activities.
• Assist with the supervision and coordination of a production workforce of approximately 15–30 hourly employees, gaining experience in employee engagement, team communication, and day-to-day people leadership.
• Observe and practice effective leadership behaviors, including safety leadership, accountability, coaching, conflict resolution, and fostering a positive team culture.
• Gain exposure to workforce planning and execution, including attendance tracking, break coverage, cross-training coordination, and staffing adjustments to meet production demand.
• Learn the fundamentals of food manufacturing safety, quality, and compliance, including GMPs, sanitation standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Partner with cross-functional teams such as Quality, Maintenance, Sanitation, and Supply Chain to support smooth production operations and issue resolution.
• Maintain an active presence on the production floor, spending approximately 80% of the shift in a hands-on, on-your-feet role, observing operations, engaging with employees, and responding to real-time production needs.
• Participate in daily production meetings, shift handoffs, and performance reviews to understand communication flow and operational alignment.

Benefits

• Furnished apartment for the duration of the program in Austin, MN
• Reimbursement for reasonable travel expenses incurred when travelling to your internship location and when returning to your home location at the end of your assignment.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed