Lead Production Operator

Shift

The candidate must be flexible, able to work any shift, weekends, overtime, and holidays. The schedule may vary to cover vacations and sick days within the department. The Production Lead Operator must be able to maintain a consistent work schedule and be available to work extended hours if needed.

Duties and Responsibilities include the following.

• Promote and enforce a safety culture within the plant; enforce company policies and procedures.
• Oversee activities of Production Operators in absence of the Production Supervisor/Superintendent.
• Ensure proper standard operating procedures are followed in the fermentation process and complete them as scheduled.
• Ensure control sheets are completed accurately and timely for each process.
• Review control sheets for variances and approve or make necessary adjustments to fermentation.
• Maintain supervisor logbook; communicate with other shift operators and document all problems or concerns.
• Report any special occurrences or incidents to the next shift.
• Enforce food safety rules and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) guidelines within the plant; this is to include production, maintenance, office or contractor personnel.
• Maintain a clean work environment.
• Regularly monitor equipment through production walkthroughs and communicating issues with the proper personnel.
• Perform minor machine and equipment maintenance.
• Utilize judgment to determine when to call upon maintenance personnel or to write repair work order requests.
• Notify laboratory when tests are needed; deliver samples for testing.
• Oversee all shipments to ensure correct product and amount has been shipped and that it meets our procedural guidelines.
• Accountable for all process logs daily.
• Responsible and accountable for the safety of all assigned personnel.
• May fill in for absent or vacationing Process Lead Operators or Operators.
• Must be able to perform all tasks assigned to Process Operators.
  
  
  

Education and/or Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Biological Sciences, Chemistry or Production Management required or
• A minimum of 3-years production supervision experience in a food processing/manufacturing environment
• Food industry experience preferred.
  
  
  

Travel Requirements

• None
  
  
  

Competencies

All Employees

• Open minded
• Show curiosity and openness
• Listen actively to different ideas and points of view
• Adopt a positive attitude to change
• Show empathy (put him/herself in others’ shoes)
• Open to diversity
• Accept and ask for feedback
• Act as an innovation – change agent
• Come up with creative ideas to improve situations (processes, systems, services, products…)
• Experiment different and new ways of working
• Challenge the status quo with a mindset of continuous improvement
• Innovate while remaining constantly attentive to customers’ needs
• Learn from failures and treat them as Learning, Growing, and Improving moments
• Accountable
• Show proactivity
• Implement necessary actions and changes without delay
• Take ownership
• Come up with solutions instead of problems
• Concentrate on priorities
• Differentiate between essential and trivial matters
• Accept support from others, ask for it when needed, escalate when required
• Concentrate on his/her direct perimeter
• Consider team and group priorities in decision
• Achiever
• Strive for results and performance
• Focus on deliverables/expected results
• Back up statements with facts and figures
• Do what has been committed to
• Go the extra mile
• Deliver results while remaining customer centric
• Show professionalism and perseverance
• Work efficiently
• Remain focused on objectives
• Show resilience when facing obstacles
• Act honestly and ethically
• Team player
• Promote cooperation, collaboration, and team spirit
• Support others
• Remain available even under pressure
• Share information and best practices
• Learn from others
• Open to work with other departments
• Encourage others to do their best
• Put Team’s interest before own interest
  

Leaders

• Visioning
• Set the vision and define strategies
• Address situations from a holistic perspective
• Keep the big picture of the company and its strategy
• Able to anticipate changes and next steps to come
• Explore different business opportunities
• Inspiring
• Engage through a meaningful purpose
• Embody the Group values as role model
• Empower people to deliver their best
• Give space to reveal collective intelligence
• Influence by a strong personal impact and convictions
• Communicate clearly with enthusiasm
• Set people up for success
• Defend own convictions with courage in a respectful way
  

Other Skills:

Reasoning Ability

Possess the ability to apply practical understanding to execute instructions provided in written, oral, or diagrammatic form. Capable resolving operational issues by applying established procedures to real world situations.

Physical Demands

The physical requirements described here are essential for successfully perform the core duties of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to fulfill these duties. This role regularly involves sitting, using hands to manipulate, handle, or feel objects, as well as communicating verbally or listening. The employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms, as well as stand and walk. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. The position requires specific vision capabilities, including close and distance vision.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to wet and/or humid conditions; moving mechanical parts; high, precarious places; fumes or airborne particles; toxic or caustic chemicals; extreme cold; and extreme heat. The employee is frequently exposed to outside weather conditions and risk of electrical shock. The noise level in the work environment is usually loud.