Kitchen Lead — Production & Safety Leader

Tandem Foods; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 55,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Tandem Foods is expanding operations at our Omega facility with the launch of our new SL6 production line. The Kitchen Lead will direct employees in the assigned processing area, ensuring safe, efficient, and high-quality output across all stages from ingredient prep to finished product transfer.

You will monitor safety, GMP, food safety, and quality standards, coach staff, and partner with maintenance, sanitation, and quality teams to achieve continuous improvement and reliable shift handoffs.

Qualifications

• Experience leading production teams in a manufacturing setting.
• Knowledge of GMP, HACCP, and food safety standards.
• Ability to monitor compliance with formulas, specs, procedures, and quality requirements.
• Coaching and training of employees to promote safety and efficiency.
• Strong communication for shift handoffs and supervisor reporting.

Responsibilities

• Lead and direct employees within the assigned processing area, coordinating daily activities, breaks, and relief coverage as needed.
• Manage production activities to ensure compliance with established formulas, specifications, procedures, and quality standards.
• Review labor schedules and ensure trained employees are assigned to appropriate job functions with the tools and resources necessary to perform their work.
• Monitor and enforce all plant safety, GMP, food safety, and quality requirements, taking corrective action and escalating concerns when necessary.
• Ensure compliance with BRC, HACCP, GMP, FDA, USDA, allergen, and Gluten Program requirements as applicable.
• Partner with Production Supervisors and management to ensure employees complete all required training.
• Coach, train, and motivate employees while promoting teamwork, accountability, safety, quality, and operational excellence.
• Communicate regularly with the Production Supervisor regarding production performance, employee concerns, equipment issues, and potential operational problems.
• Coordinate with other Leads and processing employees to ensure effective shift handoffs and communication of outstanding issues between shifts.
• Monitor employee attendance using established systems and escalating attendance concerns to the Production Supervisor.
• Ensure production paperwork, data recording, and required documentation are completed accurately, legibly, and submitted on time.
• Partner with Maintenance, Warehouse, Quality, Sanitation, and other support functions to coordinate production activities, scheduled downtime, changeovers, and startups.
• Monitor equipment and production line conditions, make minor adjustments when appropriate, assist Maintenance with repairs, and submit work orders or maintenance requests as needed.
• Drive continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to improve line efficiency, solve production problems, and leverage plant resources.
• Partner with the team to develop, improve, and audit standard work, procedures, and One Point Lessons (OPLs) to ensure consistent execution.
• Support labor scheduling, production supplies, quality control, maintenance coordination, sanitation, improvement projects, employee training, and line efficiency within the assigned area.
• Report safety incidents within the assigned area and actively promote safe behaviors throughout the workforce.
• Serve as backup to the Production Supervisor as needed.
• Support production operations across an assigned shift, which may include 8–12 hour shifts and 5–7 days per week based on business needs.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

People leadership

Food safety awareness

Shift coordination

GMP/HACCP knowledge

Safety training

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Job description

Tandem Foods is expanding operations at our Omega facility with the launch of our new SL6 production line. The Kitchen Lead will direct employees in the assigned processing area, ensuring safe, efficient, and high-quality output across all stages from ingredient prep to finished product transfer.

You will monitor safety, GMP, food safety, and quality standards, coach staff, and partner with maintenance, sanitation, and quality teams to achieve continuous improvement and reliable shift handoffs.