Line Leader

Hilton Food Group; Brantford; Hybrid; CAD 41,000 - 51,000; Full time

Job summary

Hilton Foods Canada in Brantford, Ontario, is seeking a Line Leader to coordinate daily production line operations, ensuring safe, efficient, and high-quality manufacturing. You will drive production schedules, monitor KPIs, and lead a team to meet client requirements.

Reporting to the Production Supervisor, you will coach staff, support onboarding, enforce HACCP and GMP, and pursue continuous improvement initiatives to reduce waste and improve safety and productivity.

Qualifications

• 2-5 years of manufacturing, food processing, packaging, or production experience.
• Knowledge of HACCP systems and food safety programs.
• Knowledge of traceability and recall procedures.
• Experience leading frontline production teams.
• Strong understanding of GMP, HACCP, sanitation, and quality systems.
• Experience working in KPI-driven manufacturing environments.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated problem-solving and decision-making ability.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced production environment.
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.

Responsibilities

• Execute daily production plans to meet output, customer service, quality, and cost objectives.
• Monitor line performance and ensure production schedules are achieved within established timeframes.
• Manage labour, materials, equipment, and resources to maximize productivity and minimize waste.
• Monitor KPIs including productivity, yield, downtime, labour efficiency, quality, and safety.
• Identify production bottlenecks and implement corrective actions to maintain operational flow.
• Escalate significant operational issues, equipment failures, quality concerns, or staffing challenges.
• Complete production documentation, records, and reporting accurately and on time.
• Ensure adherence to SOPs, work instructions, and company policies.
• Provide daily leadership, coaching, guidance, and support to production team members.
• Conduct pre-shift meetings, line huddles, and shift handovers to communicate priorities and expectations.
• Support onboarding and training of new employees.
• Monitor employee performance, attendance, and productivity.
• Provide constructive feedback and coaching to improve individual and team performance.
• Identify high-potential employees and support development plans.
• Promote a positive, inclusive, and respectful workplace culture.
• Foster collaboration across Production, Quality, Maintenance, Warehousing, and Operations.
• Promote and reinforce a strong safety-first culture.
• Ensure compliance with OH&S requirements and safe work practices.
• Conduct pre-operational inspections and safety checks.
• Identify hazards, near misses, and safety improvement opportunities.
• Participate in incident investigations and corrective actions.
• Ensure proper use of PPE and safe equipment operation.
• Support compliance with WHMIS and food manufacturing safety standards.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives and Lean activities.

Skills

Manufacturing leadership

HACCP & food safety

Traceability & recalls

Frontline team leadership

GMP & sanitation

KPI-driven environment

Communications

Problem-solving

Multi-priority management

Detail orientation

MS Office

Education

Post-secondary education in Operations/Manufacturing/Food Science

Lean Six Sigma certification

Tools

ERP

MES

Job description

Job Title: Line Leader

Salary Range: CAD$29:63 – 37:03 per hour

Working Type: On-Site

PURPOSE OF ROLE

The Line Leader is responsible for coordinating and leading daily production line operations to ensure safe, efficient, and high-quality manufacturingperformance. The role drives achievement of production schedules, food safety,quality, people, and cost objectives while fostering a culture ofaccountability, continuous improvement, teamwork, and operational excellence.The Line Leader provides day-to-day leadership, coaching, and support toproduction team members to ensure operational targets are consistently met.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Production Operations & Performance

• Execute daily production plans to meet output, customer service, quality, andcost objectives.
• Monitor line performance and ensure production schedules are achieved withinestablished timeframes.
• Manage labour, materials, equipment, and resources to maximize productivity andminimize waste.
• Monitor and communicate key performance indicators (KPIs) includingproductivity, yield, downtime, labour efficiency, quality, and safety.
• Identify production bottlenecks and implement corrective actions to maintainoperational flow.
• Escalate significant operational issues, equipment failures, quality concerns,or staffing challenges to the Production Supervisor/Manager.
• Complete production documentation, records, and reporting accurately and ontime.
• Ensure adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs), work instructions,and company policies.

People Leadership & Team Development

• Provide daily leadership, coaching, guidance, and support to production teammembers.
• Conduct pre-shift meetings, line huddles, and shift handovers to communicatepriorities and expectations.
• Support onboarding and training of new employees.
• Monitor employee performance, attendance, and productivity.
• Provide constructive feedback and coaching to improve individual and teamperformance.
• Identify high-potential employees and support employee development plans.
• Promote a positive, inclusive, and respectful workplace culture.
• Foster collaboration across Production, Quality, Maintenance, Warehousing, andOperations functions.

Food Safety & Quality

• Ensure compliance with HACCP, GMP, food safety, quality, sanitation, andregulatory requirements.
• Verify products are manufactured according to specification and customerrequirements.
• Monitor Critical Control Points (CCPs) and Quality Control Points (QCPs).
• Ensure traceability and product integrity requirements are always maintained.
• Investigate quality concerns and support corrective and preventive actions.
• Support internal audits, customer audits, and regulatory inspections.
• Maintain accurate production and quality records.

Health, Safety & Compliance

• Promote and reinforce a strong safety-first culture.
• Ensure compliance with Occupational Health & Safety requirements, companysafety procedures, and safe work practices.
• Conduct pre-operational inspections and safety checks.
• Identify hazards, near misses, unsafe conditions, and safety improvementopportunities.
• Participate in incident investigations and corrective action activities.
• Ensure proper use of PPE and safe equipment operation.
• Work closely with Health & Safety representatives and management to improveworkplace safety performance.
• Support compliance with WHMIS requirements and food manufacturing safetystandards.

Continuous Improvement

• Lead and participate in continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support Lean Manufacturing, waste reduction, efficiency improvement, andcost-saving activities.
• Participate in root cause analysis and problem-solving exercises.
• Monitor line performance trends and recommend improvements.
• Support implementation of process improvements that enhance safety, quality,service, and productivity.

KEY EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Essential

• 2-5 years of manufacturing, food processing, packaging, or productionexperience.
• Knowledge of HACCP systems and food safety programs.
• Knowledge of traceability and recall procedures.
• Previous experience leading or coordinating frontline production teams.
• Strong understanding of food safety, GMP, HACCP, sanitation, and qualitysystems.
• Experience working in KPI-driven manufacturing environments.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated problem-solving and decision-making ability.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced production environment.
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.

Desirable

• Experience with ERP, MES, or production management systems.
• Knowledge of CFIA regulations.
• Post-secondary education in Operations, Manufacturing, Food Science, or relateddiscipline.
• Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or Continuous Improvement experience.

Hilton Foods Canada is committed to building a culture of diversity andinclusion and are committed to providing equal opportunities to all employees.At Hilton Foods Canada, we welcome and encourage applications from people withdisabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates takingpart in all aspects of the selection process. If you require an accommodationduring the recruitment process, please advise the HR representative. Allrequests for an accommodation and the accommodation measures will be handled ina confidential manner at all times.