Plant Production Manager

Golden Platter Foods, Inc.; New Jersey; On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Golden Platter Foods, Inc. is seeking an experienced Production Manager to oversee daily manufacturing operations in New Jersey.

This hands-on leadership role requires direct responsibility for production personnel, staffing, training, and performance, with a focus on safety, quality, and continuous improvement. The role emphasizes managing supervisors and hourly workers, achieving production goals, and maintaining strong presence on the production floor to drive efficiency and accountability

Qualifications

• 5+ years of production management or manufacturing leadership experience.
• Hands-on manufacturing experience is required.
• Must have previously held a management position with direct responsibility for production personnel.
• Experience managing supervisors, leads, and hourly manufacturing employees.
• Experience managing employee performance, accountability, staffing, training, attendance, and productivity.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily manufacturing operations to meet production, quality, safety, and efficiency goals.
• Directly manage production supervisors, leads, and hourly employees.
• Oversee staffing, training, performance, accountability, productivity, and attendance on the floor.
• Maintain a strong production-floor presence and oversee start-ups, changeovers, and shutdowns.
• Monitor output, labor utilization, yields, waste, downtime, and overall performance.

Skills

Leadership

Staffing

Training

Performance management

Safety

Education

Bachelor's degree (Operations Management/Manufacturing/Engineering/Business)

Job description

A well-established manufacturing company with operations in Linden and Newark, New Jersey is seeking an experienced Production Manager to oversee daily manufacturing operations.

We operate in a fast-paced, high-volume environment with a strong focus on safety, quality, efficiency, employee accountability, and continuous improvement.

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Production Manager with a strong manufacturing background who has successfully managed both production operations and personnel.

Manufacturing management experience is required.

Candidates must have held a leadership position where they were directly and fully responsible for managing production employees, including staffing, training, performance, accountability, productivity, attendance, and day-to-day floor operations.

This is a hands-on leadership position requiring a strong and consistent presence on the production floor.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage daily manufacturing operations to meet production, quality, safety, and efficiency goals.
• Directly manage production supervisors, leads, and hourly employees.
• Take ownership of employee performance, accountability, staffing, training, productivity, and daily personnel management.
• Maintain a strong presence on the production floor and actively oversee operations.
• Ensure efficient production start-ups, changeovers, and shutdowns.
• Monitor production output, labor utilization, yields, waste, downtime, and overall performance.
• Identify operational issues and take immediate corrective action.
• Ensure proper staffing and labor allocation based on production requirements.
• Establish clear expectations and hold supervisors and employees accountable for performance.
• Partner with Quality, Maintenance, Sanitation, Warehouse, Supply Chain, and Human Resources.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on productivity, efficiency, waste reduction, and downtime.
• Oversee employee training on production procedures, equipment operation, safety, sanitation, and company standards.
• Promote and enforce a strong workplace safety culture.
• Ensure compliance with applicable company, safety, quality, and regulatory requirements.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of production management or manufacturing leadership experience.
• Hands-on manufacturing experience is required.
• Must have previously held a management position with direct responsibility for production personnel.
• Proven experience managing supervisors, leads, and hourly manufacturing employees.
• Experience managing employee performance, accountability, staffing, training, attendance, and productivity.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing operations, production flow, equipment, downtime, labor utilization, and efficiency.
• Experience managing production goals and KPIs.
• Strong leadership, decision-making, problem-solving, organizational, and communication skills.
• Ability to successfully manage a fast-paced manufacturing operation.
• Willingness to maintain an active and consistent presence on the production floor.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in high-volume manufacturing environments is strongly preferred.
• Experience in food, beverage, pharmaceutical, packaging, consumer goods, or similar regulated manufacturing environments is a plus.
• Experience in a USDA-regulated or food manufacturing facility is a plus.
• Knowledge of GMPs, HACCP, SQF, or similar quality and safety systems is a plus.
• Bachelor's degree in Operations Management, Manufacturing, Engineering, Business, or a related field preferred.

Candidates must have previously been responsible for both production operations and the employees performing the work.

Management experience limited to restaurants, retail, office environments, sales, or other non-manufacturing industries will not meet the requirements for this position.