Production Lead - Weekday Night Shift

Utz Quality Foods, Inc; Kings Mountain (NC); On-site; USD 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision plans

Employer 401k match

Profit sharing plan

Employee stock purchase plan

Job summary

Utz Quality Foods, Inc. in Kings Mountain, NC is hiring a Production Lead to supervise equipment, train staff and troubleshoot production issues. The role emphasizes safety, quality and cost control while maintaining peak output in a rotating shift.

You will mentor team members, coordinate with maintenance and supervisors, and ensure GMP and food safety standards are met. This is a hands-on leadership position with growth potential.

Qualifications

• Must be able to inspire and motivate the team to meet production goals and maintain high morale.
• Ability to delegate tasks effectively and ensure all team members contribute to their full potential.
• Able to work independently and as part of a team with a proactive attitude.
• Previous experience in manufacturing is preferred, especially in food production.
• Must obtain and maintain forklift certification and read production schedules.

Responsibilities

• Guide your team to achieve goals around Safety, Quality, Production, and Cost.
• Operate and maintain key production equipment including fryers, packaging machines, seasoning machines, printers, and labelers.
• Collaborate with Maintenance to troubleshoot and resolve equipment issues.
• Train new and existing team members to ensure competency in operating equipment.
• Help execute the shift production schedule, including start-ups, changeovers, and shutdowns.
• Monitor product quality and ensure GMP and food safety standards are followed.
• Provide coverage for vacancies and support cross-functional needs as required.
• Work with machine operators, maintenance staff, and supervisors to maintain smooth operations.

Skills

Team leadership

Motivate others

Delegation

Independent & team work

Problem solving

Food production experience

Tools

Forklift

Job description

Are you looking for a fulfilling career with a company that values teamwork and your personal success? At Utz Quality Foods, we are committed to helping you grow while ensuring our manufacturing operations run smoothly. Join a team of dedicated professionals working together to create top-quality snacks!

We are currently seeking a Production Leadto oversee key production equipment, provide training, and support troubleshooting efforts. If you have hands‑on experience in a manufacturing environment and are ready to lead a team toward achieving production goals, we want to hear from you!

Work Schedule:

• Rotating Schedule: 1st week: Monday to Thursday 2nd week: Monday to Wednesday 6:00 PM to 6:30 AM

Responsibilities:

• Guide your team to achieve goals around Safety, Quality, Production, and Cost.
• Be able to operate and maintain all key production equipment, including fryers, packaging machines, seasoning machines, printers, and labelers.
• Work alongside Maintenance to troubleshoot and resolve production equipment issues.
• Train new and existing team members to ensure everyone is qualified to operate equipment effectively.
• Help execute the shift production schedule, including start-ups, changeovers, and shutdowns.
• Monitor product quality and ensure all tasks related to food safety and GMP are followed.
• Fill in for vacancies and provide coverage for critical job positions as needed.
• Work cross-functionally with machine operators, maintenance staff, and supervisors to keep operations running smoothly.

Requirements:

• Ability to inspire and motivate the team to meet production goals and maintain high morale.
• Ability to delegate tasks effectively and ensure all team members are contributing to their full potential.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team, with a self‑motivated, proactive attitude.
• Previous experience in manufacturing is preferred, especially in food production.
• Ability to juggle multiple responsibilities, such as monitoring machines, training new team members, and troubleshooting problems simultaneously.
• Ability to obtain and maintain forklift certification.
• Basic computer skills and the ability to read production schedules.
• Ability to safely lift up to 50 lbs as needed.

External Recruitment Process

• Easy Application (5 mins): Introduce yourself and answer a few key questions to get started.
• Engaging Chat Interview (20-25 mins): Share your experiences in an online chat, highlighting how your values align with ours.
• Live Interview: Selected candidates will meet with the hiring manager to explore their alignment with the team and overall Utz company culture.

Continuously Pursuing Excellence!

Here at Utz, we have a passion for exciting and delighting consumers with delicious snack foods made from high quality ingredients. After over a century with a strong family heritage, our diverse portfolio of brands includes Utz, Zapp's, Boulder Canyon, and On the Border. Our associates are the reason for the success of this company, so it is important we provide a supportive, caring and inclusive environment that offers opportunities for career growth and advancement. We also help take care of our associates by providing benefits, resources, and programs that ensure they live their healthiest lives. Our full-time benefit package includes medical, dental, and vision plans, an employer match 401k, profit sharing plan, employee stock purchase plan and much more. Join our world class team and help us become the fastest growing pure-play U.S. snacking company of scale!

Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

• Must be self‑motivated.
• Ability to respond to changes quickly and pay close attention to detail.
• Knowledge of safe operating practices involved in the use of lock‑out/tag‑out programs and food safety.
• Experience with general mechanic tools (Allen wrenches, screw drivers, etc.).
• Demonstrated ability to operate production and data entry equipment.
• Must follow all personal and food safety rules, policies, and procedures.
• Strong commitment to company values.