Prep Supervisor

Orbital Kitchens; New York (NY); On-site; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Orbital Kitchens is seeking a Prep Production Supervisor to oversee daily prep and batch production, ensuring safety, efficiency, and on-time delivery. You will supervise staff, manage par levels, and coordinate with the Production Manager to meet location needs.

The role emphasizes adherence to Never 86 standards, food safety, and continuous improvement in production workflows across multiple sites. Strong leadership, communication, and problem‑solving skills are essential.

Qualifications

• Experience in supervising high-volume food production or commissary operations.
• Strong knowledge of food safety, sanitation, and inventory management.
• Proven ability to meet production targets and KPIs while maintaining quality.

Responsibilities

• Plan daily production and prep to meet par levels and schedules.
• Assign tasks, monitor performance, and adjust staffing as needed.
• Oversee QC checks and ensure compliance with recipes and specs.
• Lead cross-functional communication with R&D, Procurement, Distribution.
• Escalate issues impacting production, quality, or deadlines.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Coaching

Organization

Problem solving

Job description

Position Summary

The Prep Production Supervisor is responsible for overseeing daily prep and batch production operations, ensuring all products are prepared accurately, safely, efficiently, and on schedule. This role supervises daily production execution, team assignments, inventory and par levels, quality control, and production performance.

The Prep Production Supervisor is responsible for executing against established operational metrics and escalating issues that may impact product availability, quality, food safety, or production deadlines. This position works closely with the Production Manager and cross-functional teams to ensure production needs are met across all locations.

Key Responsibilities

Production Planning & Execution

• Create and compile daily par sheets to determine current inventory levels and identify prep and batch production needs.
• Assign daily prep and production tasks based on par levels, inventory, staffing, and operational priorities.
• Create and oversee daily prep and batch production schedules for the current location.
• Ensure assigned prep and production tasks are completed accurately and within required timelines.
• Maintain appropriate par levels for all batch‑produced items in walk‑in coolers and storage areas.
• Ensure production is completed on time to prevent product shortages and 86s.
• Oversee the preparation and fulfillment of production orders for current and upcoming satellite locations.
• Monitor production throughout the shift and adjust staffing, assignments, and priorities as operational needs change.
• Identify opportunities to improve production efficiency, organization, workflow, and capacity.
• Escalate production delays, equipment downtime, staffing shortages, inventory issues, or other barriers that may impact production.

Performance & Operational Metrics

• Monitor daily production performance against established company metrics and targets.
• Support execution of the company’s Never 86 standards and proactively identify products at risk of shortage.
• Monitor assigned task completion, production completion, assigned completion %, NVA %, and other established production KPIs.
• Ensure required production tasks, checks, and documentation are completed accurately and on time.
• Identify performance gaps and take corrective action within the Supervisor’s control.
• Escalate recurring issues, missed targets, capacity constraints, or other significant performance concerns to the Production Manager.
• Hold team members accountable for assigned work, production standards, and completion expectations.

Food Quality & Quality Control

• Ensure all recipes, prep procedures, portioning standards, and production specifications are consistently followed.
• Ensure all products meet company quality standards, food safety requirements, and established QC specifications before release or distribution.
• Execute and oversee required quality-control checks throughout production.
• Ensure that required QC tasks and checks are completed and accurately documented.
• Monitor products for consistency in taste, texture, appearance, portioning, and other established quality standards.
• Identify products that do not meet established standards and ensure appropriate corrective action is taken.
• Escalate significant or recurring quality concerns to the Production Manager and appropriate departments.
• Support continuous improvement of production and QC processes.

Food Safety & Sanitation

• Ensure all food is prepared, handled, cooled, stored, and transported in accordance with company procedures and applicable food safety requirements.
• Ensure proper labeling, dating, storage, rotation, and handling of all prepared and batch‑produced products.
• Ensure production areas, equipment, and storage areas are maintained in accordance with sanitation and food safety standards.
• Monitor employee compliance with food safety, sanitation, and personal hygiene requirements.
• Immediately address or upscale food safety concerns.

Team Leadership

• Assign daily responsibilities and clearly communicate production priorities and expectations to the team.
• Monitor employee performance throughout the shift and provide real-time coaching and direction.
• Hold team members accountable for productivity, quality, food safety, task completion, and company standards.
• Support the training and development of production employees.
• Identify staffing, training, or performance concerns and communicate them to the Production Manager.
• Maintain an organized, productive, and accountable production environment.

Communication & Cross-Functional Coordination

• Maintain effective communication with the Production Manager, Shift Managers, Supervisors, and production team regarding daily priorities and operational needs.
• Collaborate with relevant departments, including R&D, Procurement, Distribution, and Management, to support efficient production.
• Communicate issues related to prep, staffing, inventory, product quality, production capacity, equipment, or deadlines.
• Support production planning and fulfillment requirements for satellite locations and company growth initiatives.
• Provide clear handoffs and updates regarding incomplete production, shortages, quality concerns, or other issues requiring follow-up.

Qualifications

• Previous experience in food production, commissary, kitchen, or high-volume food-service operations.
• Previous supervisory or team‑lead experience preferred.
• Strong understanding of food safety, sanitation, inventory management, and production procedures.
• Ability to read, follow, and enforce standardized recipes and production specifications.
• Experience working with production targets, KPIs, or performance metrics preferred.
• Strong organizational, planning, and problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to prioritize production needs and manage multiple deadlines in a fast‑paced environment.
• Strong communication, coaching, and leadership skills.
• Comfortable using scheduling, inventory, production‑management, and reporting systems.
• Ability to identify operational issues, take appropriate corrective action, and elevate when necessary.
• Ability to work collaboratively across multiple departments.