First-Shift Production Leader – Food Manufacturing

Wow Bao; Forest City (IA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

401(k) Retirement Plan

Paid Time Off

Employee Discount Programs

Employee Assistance Program

CARE culture

Job summary

Wow Bao in Forest City is seeking a hands-on 1st Shift Production Manager to lead daily manufacturing activities and drive safety, quality, and efficiency. You will provide direct leadership to production supervisors and hourly staff, coordinate with Quality, Maintenance, and Supply Chain, and ensure the first-shift schedule is executed with accountability and continuous improvement.

Ideal candidates have 5+ years in food manufacturing and 3+ years in supervisory roles, with strong knowledge of

Qualifications

• 5+ years of manufacturing experience in food or high-volume production.
• 3+ years of supervisory or line leadership experience.
• Strong knowledge of production scheduling, line performance, labor planning, changeovers, downtime, yield, waste, and throughput.
• Experience with HACCP, GMPs, food safety systems, sanitation and quality standards.
• Ability to coach front-line leaders and drive performance.
• Strong communication, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to work in fast-paced production environments and adapt to changing priorities.

Responsibilities

• Lead first-shift production teams to meet daily schedules and quality targets.
• Oversee floor execution including line performance, staffing, and changeovers.
• Coach supervisors and team leads on discipline, accountability, and problem solving.
• Ensure timely production reporting and accurate handoffs.
• Directly supervise production supervisors, team leads, and hourly staff.
• Develop safety, quality, service, cost, and people through accountability.
• Support training, onboarding, and performance evaluations.
• Collaborate with maintenance and QA to ensure equipment reliability and food safety.
• Drive continuous improvement on standard work, changeovers, and waste reduction.

Skills

Production leadership

Line performance

Labor planning

HACCP knowledge

GMP compliance

Quality standards

Coaching frontline leaders

Communication skills

Tools

ERP systems

Production scheduling software

Job description

Wow Bao in Forest City is seeking a hands-on 1st Shift Production Manager to lead daily manufacturing activities and drive safety, quality, and efficiency. You will provide direct leadership to production supervisors and hourly staff, coordinate with Quality, Maintenance, and Supply Chain, and ensure the first-shift schedule is executed with accountability and continuous improvement.

Ideal candidates have 5+ years in food manufacturing and 3+ years in supervisory roles, with strong knowledge of