Sr. Production Supervisor - 1st Shift - Germantown, WI

dsm-firmenich•Germantown, WI

2d•$95,000 - $115,000•Onsite

About The Position

As a Sr. Production Supervisor – Cultures Production Process, you will be responsible for leading shift-based manufacturing operations within a fermentation and cultures production environment. This role ensures safe, efficient, and compliant execution of production plans while meeting targets for output, yield, and quality. The position drives team performance through coaching and development, enforces strict adherence to GMP, HACCP, and safety standards, and leads continuous improvement initiatives to optimize processes and reduce waste. The Sr. Production Supervisor also collaborates cross-functionally with Quality, Maintenance, Supply Chain, and SHE teams, while managing real-time production issues, supporting equipment reliability, and maintaining accurate documentation and reporting.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and 5 years of supervisory experience.
Or 2 year degree and 7 years of supervisory experience.
Manage a team of 16-20 direct reports.
Demonstrates strong leadership and communication skills in influencing peers to perform in an exemplary manner.
Understands all safety, quality, food safety requirements.
Thorough understanding of all SHE requirements with a proven record of support for them and the coaching of peers.
Experience in continuous improvement and cross-functional collaboration.
Experience leading a team from diverse backgrounds.

Responsibilities

Enforce all plant safety procedures (Life Saving Rules, SHE requirements, PPE).
Lead and coordinate all production activities on shift to meet daily production targets (volume, yield, schedule adherence).
Conduct pre-shift meetings (safety, quality, production plan, priorities).
Assign labor and balance staffing across production rooms/equipment based on demand and constraints.
Monitor production flow and adjust resources to address bottlenecks or downtime.
Ensure smooth shift handoff with prior and next shifts (status, issues, actions).
Investigate incidents, near misses, and unsafe conditions; implement corrective actions.
Ensure compliance with OSHA, FDA, GMP, HACCP, and food safety standards.
Support internal/external safety and food safety audits.
Verify production processes meet HACCP plans and critical control points (CCPs).
Collaborate with Quality team to resolve product deviations or holds.
Ensure accurate batch documentation, traceability, and lot control.
Track and manage KPIs.
Analyze production data to identify trends and improvement opportunities.
Lead daily performance reviews and escalate constraints impacting targets.
Build a high-performance team culture focused on accountability and engagement.
Supervise leads and operators; provide direction and coaching.
Organize, monitor and conduct training and onboarding for new employees.
Evaluate employee performance and conduct regular feedback sessions. (1 x quarter).
Address employee issues (attendance, discipline, morale) following site HR policies
Drive waste reduction, efficiency improvements, and process optimization.
Participate in root cause analysis (RCA) and implement corrective/preventive actions.
Maintenance & equipment coordination.
Ensure availability of raw materials, packaging, and supplies.
Coordinate with Warehouse and Planning teams on production schedules.
Maintain inventory accuracy and support cycle counts when needed.
Ensure completion and accuracy of production reports, batch records and cleaning and sanitation logs.
Generate shift reports including KPIs, issues, and action plans.
Crisis & Escalation Management.