Production Supervisor (1st shift)

Sara Lee Frozen Bakery,LLC•Traverse City, MI

About The Position

The Production Supervisor is a member of the plant leadership team and provides management and leadership to deliver business results and operational improvements. The role directly supervises production associates and collaborates with departments across the bakery, including maintenance, sanitation, and shipping. The supervisor is accountable for operational targets, team leadership, safety, quality, continuous improvement, performance management, associate development, engagement, and operating results for the assigned area. The position works the first shift, 5:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with flexibility, and reports to the Production Manager. Hourly production employees report to this position. Approximately 0–1% travel is required, and the role requires the ability to tour facilities and grounds.

Requirements

Three to five years of supervisory experience in production, preferably in food processing or fast-paced consumer products manufacturing.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to handle difficult conversations.
Strong organizational skills.
Willingness to work flexible hours, including nights, weekends, and holidays.
Willingness to write routine reports and correspondence.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
Willingness to become proficient in NetSuite ERP.
Ability to troubleshoot.
Ability to succeed in an ambiguous environment.
Ability to lead, motivate, and mentor teams of hourly associates.
Experience delivering critical performance feedback and holding associates accountable to business objectives.
Ability to tour facilities and grounds.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree.
Knowledge of FDA, USDA, and EPA.
Kronos knowledge.

Responsibilities

Deliver operational targets and lead teams in the assigned area.
Drive safety, quality, continuous improvement, performance management, associate development, team engagement, and operating results.
Build an effective team and manage the training strategy for individual associates and the team.
Implement and enforce established policies, area strategies, and organizational strategies.
Coordinate materials, staffing, and resources to support line operations and changeovers.
Collaborate with the Area Leadership Team to create and execute the reliability strategy for the area.
Coach operators to strengthen functional and leadership capabilities and promote accountability in people safety, quality and food safety, autonomous maintenance, and team engagement.
Develop, implement, and promote safety programs and safe work practices through participation in plant safety teams, programs, and initiatives.
Ensure continued production of safe, defect-free products consistent with Sara Lee Frozen Bakery principles.
Manage associate relations issues and guide hiring, training, retraining, development, and motivation of Operations associates.
Use technical resources on shift for preventive maintenance, repair, and troubleshooting of process and packaging equipment to achieve desired performance levels.
Identify risks and opportunities, lead on-shift incident resolution, prioritize escalated issues, assign resources, and make decisions to resolve them.
Participate in implementing improvement strategies to help the line or area perform more effectively.
Partner with Talent Acquisition to recruit and select operations associates and ensure effective onboarding.
A trained designee appointed by plant management covers absences or vacancies.