Food Processing Line Lead

Charlie's Produce; Walla Walla (WA); On-site; USD 37,195 - 42,705; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision

ESOP/401(k)

Paid vacations

Pre-tax commuter

Onsite parking

Sick leave

Tuition assistance

EAP

Job summary

Charlie's Produce in Washington state is seeking a Cook Chill Lead to coordinate daily production within the Cook Chill Department. The role provides hands-on leadership to the production staff, ensuring safe, efficient, and compliant food manufacturing in line with Charlie's quality standards.

You will monitor HACCP and safety procedures, train new employees, and collaborate with QA and supervisors to maintain schedules and product quality.

Qualifications

• Experience in food manufacturing, preferably cook-chill or ready-to-eat.
• Strong HACCP/GMPs knowledge and food safety compliance.
• Ability to lead and motivate a production team.
• Experience operating industrial cooking and chilling equipment.
• Attention to documentation accuracy and record-keeping.
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs and work in hot/cold environments.

Responsibilities

• Directs daily cook-chill operations, including batching, cooking, chilling, portioning, mixing and packaging.
• Ensures day-to-day operation plans are implemented and monitored to meet production schedules.
• Trains new employees in cook-chill procedures, safety and equipment operation.
• Maintains HACCP compliance and coordinates with QA and audits.
• Monitors inventory, expiration dates, waste, and adherence to recipes.
• Leads by example to build a diverse, productive team and uphold safety standards.

Skills

People leadership

Food manufacturing

HACCP/GMPs

Cook-chill equipment

Documentation accuracy

Heavy lifting

Communication

Job description

Company Description

CP Fresh is a Charlie's Produce Company - Who We Are

Charlie's Produce is the largest privately owned produce wholesaler on the West Coast, and we are growing. The secret to our success in this industry is PEOPLE! We strive to hire the best and we reward them with a working environment that fosters loyalty, stability, innovation, and growth. Charlie's was founded in quality, and we are proud that it is still our focus.

Company Description

CP Fresh is a Charlie's Produce Company - Who We Are

Charlie's Produce is the largest privately owned produce wholesaler on the West Coast, and we are growing. The secret to our success in this industry is PEOPLE! We strive to hire the best and we reward them with a working environment that fosters loyalty, stability, innovation, and growth. Charlie's was founded in quality, and we are proud that it is still our focus.

CP Fresh brings the same quality to processed foods that Charlie's brings to produce! Our state of the art processing plant provides fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, an expanded salad line, and a USDA-certified hot kitchen. We partner with local vendors to offer our customers fresh, high- quality, made-to-order products.

With a team of dedicated people who are passionate about food, supply chain, and their community- we are looking for like minded individuals to help further our goal to enhance our communities through quality produce and prepared foods.

What We Offer

• An amazing company culture
• Medical/Dental/Vision on the first of the month following hire
• ESOP (Profit Sharing) and 401(k)
• Paid vacations, paid holidays
• Pre-tax commuter benefits, and onsite parking
• Coverage under State Sick Leave
• 100% Prepaid College Tuition for employees and their dependents
• Employee assistance program (EAP)

Additional Compensation Details

• $27-31 an hour

Job Description

The Cook Chill Lead role is an on-site position and requires regular attendance at the facility. It is responsible for coordinating and overseeing daily production activities within the Cook Chill Department. This role ensures that all prepared food items are produced safely, efficiently, and in accordance with Charlie's Produce quality standards, regulatory requirements, and production schedules. The Cook Chill Lead provides hands‑on leadership to production staff, supports continuous improvement initiatives, and maintains a safe, organized, and compliant work environment.

Schedule

4:00am-12:30pm weekend availability is required

Duties Include But Are Not Limited To

• Directs daily cook chill operations, including batching, cooking, chilling, portioning, mixing and packaging
• Plan, implement and monitor the day‑to‑day operation
• Communicate with the team about any changes, new items and any concerns.
• Assigns tasks to production staff and ensures workflow meets production schedules
• Monitors product quality, consistency, and adherence to recipes and specifications
• Troubleshoots production issues and escalates equipment or process concerns
• Enforce all HACCP, GMPs, USDA, FDA, and all food safety -regulations. Be able to work with USDA inspector, QA and Audits
• Conduct and complete required documentation accurately and legibly (weights, counts, quality checks, temperature logs, ingredient check off and allergens, inventory, Decant and any additional document that need to fill out for production runs
• Ensure proper operation of kettles, chillers, pumps, fillers, and related equipment
• Training new employees in cook-chill procedures, safety and equipment operation
• Great Communicate with supervisors, QA, and other departments to coordinate production needs (checking in with supervisor at the begging and end of shifts)
• Be able to motivate employees in a team‑based environment
• Evaluate performance of staff, build and motivate effective teams to ensure the organizational goals for diversity, career development, productivity, performance management and employee involvement are met
• Leads by example and understand all aspects of production
• Keep track on expiration dates and inventory of produce/follow proper rotation to ensure older product is used first/keep track of waste
• Label and organize all product/maintain a clean and organize workstation following food safety and sanitation procedures
• Make sure all orders for the day are fulfilled and of good quality standard/ make sure everything is delivered to designated areas. USDA, Room 4, warehouse and any other areas
• Inventory control and be able to place orders for the next day
• Lead fast paste and safe production runs to complete orders in a timely manner for trucks to be out on schedule
• Make sure associates have all their needs equipment, produce, paperwork and anything else they need to be successful to complete assignments assigned to them in an efficient order.
• Multitask and be able to solve any issues that come across
• Make sure all products are safe to consume and label correctly and packaged up to weight, Follow recipes and directions
• Be able to run orders by allergen control and store them properly so we don't cross contaminate product
• After finishing orders for the day make sure to communicate with warehouse supervisor or lead for any issues or missing orders. Make sure all orders are completed from the allocation
• Report any suspicious activity or broken equipment that is not safe to use
• Responsible for scheduling breaks, lunches, and to ensure they are following company policies. Be aware of every associate whereabouts
• Complete assignments as assigned

Make sure at the end of the day everything is labeled, store correctly, clean and organized, collect all paperwork, and make sure it’s filled correctly. No associate left behind make sure everyone leaves like a team

Qualifications

• Experience in food manufacturing, preferably in a cook-chill or ready to eat environment
• Strong understanding of HACCP, GMPs, and food safety regulations
• Ability to lead and motivate a production team
• Comfortable operating industrial cooking and chilling equipment
• Strong attention to detail and documentation accuracy
• Ability to lift 50 lbs. and work in hot and cold environments
• Strong communication and organizational skills

Additional Information

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Attorney General's Washington Fair Chance Act guide

RCW 49.94.010

This is a safety-sensitive position.

This employer participates in E-Verify and will provide the Social Security Administration and if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security with information from each new employee's Form I-9 to confirm work authorization.

We do not provide H1-B sponsorships at this time.

Please note that the pay range provided is a good faith estimate for the position at the time of posting. Actual compensation will be dependent on factors, including but not limited to, the individual's qualifications, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities as well as physical work location within the state.

For additional protected privacy information please visit: Privacy Policy | Charlie's Produce (charliesproduce.com)

Charlie's Produce is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Visit our Employment Page for more details or to view our privacy center: https://www.charliesproduce.com/careers/