Production Lead

Thistle; Burlington (NJ); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Thistle is seeking a Lead, Production to oversee the production floor and manage a team of Production Associates. You will coordinate plating, packing, and overall line activities to achieve daily KPI targets while maintaining product quality and safety.

The role requires enforcing GMPs and SOPs, communicating line goals, and participating in weekly safety meetings alongside QA and OSHA initiatives. A focus on efficiency and accuracy is essential.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of Production Associates on the production floor to meet KPI goals.
• Coordinate plating and packing of meals, snacks, and beverages according to SOPs.
• Enforce GMPs and quality controls; ensure products are produced and documented accurately.
• Communicate daily production goals and line status to the team and supervisors.
• Maintain sanitation, line readiness, proper labeling, and accurate measurement weights.

Job description

TITLE: Lead, Production DEPARTMENT: Production REPORTS TO: Supervisor, Production

WHO WE ARE: Thistle makes it easy to eat well – without overthinking it. Thistle was founded in 2013 with a mission to help people get and stay healthy while improving the sustainability of our food system. Thistle delivers fully prepared, healthy-by-default meals, snacks, desserts, and organic cold-pressed juices. We believe the health of people starts with eating real, whole foods, in the right balance, without the friction. We’re building a future where nutritious, sustainable food is accessible, craveable, and part of everyday life

About The Role

Production Leads are responsible for leading a team consisting of Production Associates on the production floor. They ensure that production functions, including, but not limited to, plating and packing meals, snacks, and beverages, are performed to satisfaction to meet production KPI goals. The person in this position has the ability to effectively communicate the daily goals of the production department to the production team.

How You’ll Make a Difference

• Support Production Leadership in overseeing production process on production lines, including production execution, Quality Control/Quality Assurance, and time tracking
• Ensure employees are following GMPs, ensuring that products are consistently produced and controlled according to policy
• Maintain working knowledge of and assist with the implementation of new and existing SOPs and policies across production teams; ensure processes and policies are adhered to at all times
• Driving and pushing the line for better efficiency and accuracy, meeting targeted goals for the shift.
• Organizing the line with the correct components and materials
• Understanding and communicating which meal the line will be working on and addressing any major allergies, meal specifics, and/or other pertinent information
• Ensure that sanitation buckets, cleaning solutions, and materials are on the line prior to production, and make sure all GMPs are followed.
• Identifying who will be utilizing scales and ensuring their proper use and the target weight for components
• Understand the targeted weight volume needed to fulfill meals and anticipate early enough to provide the Kitchen ample time to supplement the short called-out
• Ensure all documentation, Quality Control, and Quality Assurance are conducted, completed, and submitted on time.
• Communicating break and lunchtime expectations of when to return to the line. Ensuring that all associates returning are on time and accounted for.
• Updating the Production Board with Line progression numbers either every hour or every 2 hours.
• Submit all Documentation to the Production Managers' office and input metrics into appropriate digital forms
• Ensure that Meal Towers are properly labeled with the correct amount, date, and meal code
• Identify and communicate all shorts, including, but not limited to, bin weights, components, meal count shorts, etc.
• Proper updates and communication on Slack and other necessary methods such as the call-out line, phone, meetings, etc.
• Attend consistent safety meetings once per week, keeping track of policy changes and rollouts
• Support Production leadership in ensuring OSHA compliance standards are adhered to at all times by staff
• Support Production leadership with internal QA audit initiatives