PRODUCTION LEAD

Righteous Gelato; Calgary; On-site; CAD 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative company is seeking a Production Lead to drive operational excellence in a fast-paced food production environment. This role is pivotal in ensuring that production schedules are met while maintaining high standards of quality and safety. You will lead a dedicated team, fostering their growth through coaching and effective training programs. Your analytical skills will be essential in reviewing production metrics and implementing improvements. If you thrive in dynamic settings and have a passion for leadership, this opportunity allows you to make a significant impact while working closely with a motivated team.

Qualifications

• 3-5+ years in food production or manufacturing with leadership experience.
• Strong coaching skills and ability to use data for decision-making.

Responsibilities

• Own daily and weekly production schedules, ensuring alignment.
• Coach and mentor supervisors and production team members.
• Analyze production metrics to identify process improvements.

Skills

Team Leadership

Production Planning

Data Analysis

Coaching Skills

Food Safety Knowledge

Problem Solving

Education

Experience in Food Production

Experience in Manufacturing

Tools

Lean/Six Sigma

DEAR

Job description

PRODUCTION LEAD

Location: In Person, Calgary AB

Reporting to the Manufacturing Lead, the Production Lead plays a critical leadership role in translating strategic production plans into on-the-ground execution. Sitting at the mid-tier level of our production leadership structure, this role ensures that each shift is properly staffed, scheduled, and equipped to meet daily production targets—while upholding quality, food safety, and team development standards. The Production Lead is also responsible for analyzing raw production data to ensure it is translated into actionable insights for the entire Manufacturing function. This role involves both administrative tasks and on-the-floor work with the team—developing supervisors, managing capacity and scheduling, overseeing training, and ensuring team readiness to “run the play”.

WHO YOU ARE

You’re a production professional with a solid manufacturing background and proven leadership skills. You thrive in fast-paced, hands-on environments where you can bring structure to complexity and foster growth in others. You’re comfortable solving problems on the floor and analyzing data behind the scenes. You lead with empathy and clarity, coaching teams toward high performance with a focus on continuous improvement. You are analytical, adaptable, and calm under pressure—balancing daily operations with strategic planning. You embody the 10 Things That Require Zero Talent: being punctual, demonstrating a strong work ethic, effort, positive body language, energy, attitude, passion, coachability, willingness to do extra, and being prepared.

YOUR MISSION

1. Production Planning & Execution
2. Own the daily and weekly production schedule, ensuring the team, tools, and timelines are aligned.
3. Build staffing plans based on volume, product mix, and goals.
4. Identify capacity issues early and collaborate on hiring and scheduling strategies.
5. Partner with QA and Manufacturing Leads to uphold quality, food safety, and output standards.

1. Team Leadership
2. Coach, mentor, and guide Supervisors and Production Team Members.
3. Conduct team huddles, 1:1s, and performance reviews.
4. Support team development through regular updates and role training.

1. Training Program
2. Manage onboarding, cross-training, and role-specific skill development.
3. Apply our “Tell-Show-Do-Check” approach for effective training.
4. Maintain accurate SOPs and training logs.
5. Evaluate and improve training effectiveness to address performance gaps.

1. Operational Data Analysis
2. Review production metrics such as output, waste, labor, and efficiency.
3. Identify opportunities for process and scheduling improvements.
4. Provide insights and reports to support decision-making.
5. Recommend updates to methods, tools, or equipment to enhance quality and efficiency.

1. Coverage
2. Provide production and supervision coverage as needed.
3. Support hands-on processes and problem-solving on the fly.
4. Ensure documentation is complete and quality standards are maintained.

WHAT YOU BRING TO THE ROLE

• 3–5+ years in food production or manufacturing, with team leadership experience.
• Experience managing scheduling, staffing, and daily operations in a hands-on environment.
• Strong coaching skills and a leadership style that fosters high performance.
• Comfortable using data to guide decisions and process improvements.
• Knowledge of GMPs, food safety, and regulated environments.
• Ability to work both on the floor and in administrative roles, staying connected to the big picture.
• Experience with training, onboarding, SOPs, and building cross-trained teams.
• Bonus: familiarity with DEAR, Lean/Six Sigma, or dairy/frozen CPG environments.
• Excellent communication skills, calm problem-solving approach, positive energy, attention to detail, and pride in your work.