Production Manager

*This opening is for off shift - ideally 2nd/3rd shift split*

MISSION: 

Jackson’s Food Company is the leading manufacturer of sweet potato kettle chips cooked in premium oils. Our Snack Super™ brand is powered by heroic employees, sweet potatoes, and superior oils. We stand poised to upset the snacking status quo forever. All employees support our mission of delivering a safe and quality product.  

POSITION SUMMARY:  

The Production Manager is responsible for overseeing and leading all day-to-day production operations to ensure production plans are executed efficiently, safely, and in alignment with weekly and monthly goals. This role is accountable for product quality, team performance, and operational excellence across assigned production areas. The Production Manager partners closely with Production, Warehouse, Quality, and Maintenance, teams to drive results, resolve issues, and foster a strong performance-driven and continuous improvement culture. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The following statements reflect the general details necessary to describe the major functions of this position and are not intended to be a detailed description of all the work/functions that may be required. Other duties may be assigned. Individual will work a varied schedule based on client needs. 

• Own and execute the daily, weekly, and monthly production plans, ensuring appropriate staffing, workflow allocation, and resource utilization in alignment with production scorecards and KPIs.
• Lead, coach, and develop production supervisors, associates, and technicians to achieve performance, safety, quality, and engagement objectives.
• Proactively identify production risks, bottlenecks, and potential downtime issues; communicate impacts and corrective actions to senior leadership, Maintenance, and cross-functional partners in a timely manner based on severity.
• Drive root cause analysis and corrective actions for production inefficiencies, downtime, quality deviations, and safety incidents to ensure sustained improvements in run rates and throughput.
• Maintain full accountability for production performance, including labor efficiency, attendance, safety compliance, and adherence to company culture as outlined in the Jackson’s Chips Employee Handbook.
• Ensure all production areas remain “audit ready” by enforcing standards related to cleanliness, organization, food safety, GMPs, and environmental health and safety.
• Manage departmental inventory levels in alignment with production schedules and demand forecasts; identify variances and communicate risks or constraints to leadership.
• Ensure strong food safety culture by reinforcing GMP knowledge, food safety protocols, and employee accountability for identifying and reporting potential food safety concerns.
• Oversee onboarding, training, and ongoing development of production personnel, including equipment operation, safety procedures, and industry best practices.
• Champion continuous improvement initiatives, lean manufacturing principles, and cultural engagement efforts across production teams.
• Partner with Engineering and Maintenance to support the qualification, validation, and startup of new equipment, ensuring readiness to operate and minimal disruption to production.
• Analyze production metrics and trends to support data-driven decision-making and continuous operational improvement. 

QUALIFICATIONS:  To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE 

• Bachelor's degree from four-year college or university; and one to three years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination.
• Five to seven years experience in food manufacturing, ideally in a management role