Commissary Production Manager

Tim Ho Wan Commissary; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Tim Ho Wan Commissary is seeking a Production Manager to lead the Central Kitchen and Commissary operations in Irvine, CA. You will oversee production planning, food safety, quality, inventory, labor, and cost performance while ensuring regulatory compliance and customer satisfaction.

This role requires strong leadership to develop a high-performing team and drive continuous improvement across multiple shifts and facilities.

Qualifications

• Progressive experience in food manufacturing or high-volume production environments.
• Leadership experience managing supervisors and frontline production teams.
• Experience in food safety systems, production planning, labor management, inventory management, and operational performance management.
• Experience managing production operations across multiple shifts.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize production plans and schedules to meet demand and service requirements.
• Direct daily manufacturing operations to optimize productivity, labor, equipment, and capacity utilization.
• Monitor production performance and implement corrective actions to improve efficiency and schedule attainment.
• Ensure materials, supplies, and resources are available to support production requirements.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives to enhance safety, quality, productivity, and cost performance.
• Coordinate production with warehouse, logistics, and supply chain teams to ensure timely order fulfillment.

Skills

Leadership

Production planning

Food safety

Inventory management

Labor management

Continuous improvement

Cost control

Cross-functional collaboration

Process optimization

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science / related

MBA preferred

Job description

The Production Manager is responsible for leading the day-to-day operations of Tim Ho Wan's Central Kitchen and Commissary, ensuring the safe, efficient, and high-quality production of food that supports our growing restaurant network. This role drives operational excellence by overseeing production planning, food safety, quality, inventory, labor, and cost performance while maintaining the highest standards of compliance and customer satisfaction.

Working closely with cross-functional teams, you'll lead and develop a high-performing production team, champion continuous improvement initiatives, and help build the scalable manufacturing capabilities that support Tim Ho Wan's continued growth across North America. If you thrive in a fast-paced food production environment and enjoy leading teams, improving processes, and delivering results, we'd love to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities

Production, Logistics Planning & Manufacturing Operations

• Develop and execute production plans and schedules to meet demand, inventory, and service requirements.
• Direct daily manufacturing operations to optimize productivity, labor, equipment, and capacity utilization.
• Monitor production performance and implement corrective actions to improve efficiency and schedule attainment.
• Ensure materials, supplies, and resources are available to support production requirements.
• Support startup of new production lines, facility expansions, and business continuity planning.
• Prepare production reports and serve as Officer-in-Charge of Manufacturing when assigned.

Food Safety, Quality Assurance & Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure compliance with food safety regulations, quality standards, HACCP, GMP, and company policies.
• Maintain process controls, product traceability, and required production documentation.
• Partner with Food Safety and Quality teams to support audits, inspections, and regulatory compliance.
• Lead investigations and corrective actions related to food safety, quality, and customer concerns.
• Ensure sanitation, hygiene, and environmental standards are consistently maintained.
• Exercise stop-production authority when food safety or product quality is at risk.

Workforce Leadership & Labor Management

• Lead, coach, and develop production supervisors and manufacturing teams.
• Manage staffing, scheduling, workforce planning, and labor productivity.
• Oversee performance management, training, succession planning, and employee development.
• Partner with Human Resources on employee relations, talent acquisition, and organizational development.
• Ensure compliance with labor laws, company policies, and workplace conduct standards.
• Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork, engagement, and safety.

Inventory, Cost Control & Financial Performance

• Manage inventory, material utilization, production yields, and waste control.
• Monitor labor, operating costs, and productivity to achieve financial objectives.
• Investigate inventory variances and implement corrective actions.
• Support budgeting, forecasting, and business planning activities.
• Identify and implement cost-saving and process improvement initiatives.
• Analyze operational and financial performance to improve profitability.

Distribution & Supply Chain Coordination

• Coordinate production with warehouse, logistics, and supply chain teams to ensure timely order fulfillment.
• Monitor product availability, inventory rotation, and cold-chain compliance.
• Resolve distribution, delivery, and service issues affecting restaurant operations.
• Support demand planning, new restaurant openings, and business expansion.
• Drive improvements that enhance supply reliability and customer satisfaction.

Equipment, Facilities & Asset Management

• Partner with Engineering and Maintenance to maximize equipment reliability and production capacity.
• Support preventive maintenance, calibration, and facility improvement programs.
• Monitor equipment performance, utilities, and infrastructure to ensure operational readiness.
• Support automation, technology upgrades, and new equipment commissioning.
• Protect company assets and support business continuity initiatives.

Operational Excellence & Safety

• Lead continuous improvement initiatives to enhance safety, quality, productivity, and cost performance.
• Promote compliance with workplace safety standards and foster a strong safety culture.
• Drive process improvements, waste reduction, and operational efficiency initiatives.
• Support automation, innovation, and new product commercialization.
• Develop contingency plans and support crisis management, facility expansions, and strategic business initiatives.

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Operations Management, Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Related discipline
• Preferred: MBA, Master’s Degree in Food Science, Engineering, Operations Management, Supply Chain, or Business Administration

Experience

Required

• Progressive experience in food manufacturing, commissary operations, central kitchen operations, food processing, or high-volume food production environments.
• Leadership experience managing supervisors and frontline production teams.
• Experience in food safety systems, production planning, labor management, inventory management, and operational performance management.
• Experience managing production operations across multiple shifts.

This position will work closely with the global team in Asia. Candidates must be able to demonstrate a professional proficiency in both English and Mandarin Chinese (spoken and written).

Preferred

• Chinese or Asian food manufacturing experience
• Dim sum, bakery, protein processing, chilled foods, frozen foods, or prepared foods manufacturing experience

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