Production Manager at Butternut Mountain Farm Morrisville, VT

Butternut Mountain Farm; Morristown (VT); On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Medical, dental, vision, life, and STD

401K with company contribution

Product discounts and free breakfast

Job summary

Butternut Mountain Farm in Vermont seeks a Production Manager to lead multi‑department production across two shifts, aligning schedules, labor, materials, and capacity with demand while ensuring safety, quality, and cost control. You will drive continuous improvement and partner across functions to deliver reliable service.

The role requires leadership across regulated manufacturing, strong data skills, and experience with SQF/HACCP/GMPs, ERP/MRP, and lean methods.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in management, business, economics, engineering or related field.
• Leadership across departments, production lines, or shifts in a regulated manufacturing env.
• Working knowledge of SQF, HACCP, GMPs, sanitation, food safety, traceability, and production documentation.
• Experience using production KPIs, ERP/MRP systems, scheduling, inventory control, forecasting, and capacity planning.
• Knowledge of Lean, 5S, root‑cause analysis, preventive maintenance, equipment reliability, and continuous improvement.
• Experience with budgeting, labor and overtime management, production cost control, hiring, coaching, performance management, and employee development.
• Strong Excel and data‑analysis skills; familiarity with automated filling, packaging, conveying, batching, or processing equipment.

Responsibilities

• Production planning and execution across departments, lines, and shifts to meet demand and cost targets.
• Maintain safety, food safety, quality, sanitation, traceability, and audit readiness.
• Establish KPIs and use data to improve reliability, efficiency, and workflows.
• Manage materials, inventory accuracy, and resource optimization.
• Coordinate repairs, maintenance, and capital projects with Maintenance.
• Lead and develop supervisors and staff; handle hiring, coaching, and performance reviews.
• Oversee labor, overtime, and operating expenses; support budgeting and capacity plans.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally to provide production input for new products and changes.

Skills

Leadership

SQF knowledge

HACCP knowledge

GMPs knowledge

Food safety

Traceability

ERP/MRP

Scheduling

Inventory control

Forecasting

Capacity planning

Lean

5S

Root‑cause analysis

Preventive maintenance

Equipment reliability

Continuous improvement

Budgeting

Labor management

Overtime management

Production cost control

Hiring

Coaching

Performance management

Employee development

Excel

Data analysis

Mechanical aptitude

Automation equipment

Capital projects

Education

Bachelor’s degree in management, Business, Economics, Engineering or related field

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

Automation equipment

Job description

About the Company

Nestled in the Green Mountains of northern Vermont is a company quietly shaping the landscape of agriculture and food distribution: Butternut Mountain Farm. As one of the largest maple syrup companies in the world, Butternut Mountain Farm works closely with maple sugarmakers to aggregate production in order to supply markets too large for any single producer. Customers include leading national retailers across all channels and food manufacturers from emerging brands to Fortune 500 CPGs. Extraordinary customer service, quality products, and a genuine commitment to the industry underpin Butternut Mountain Farm's 50 years of connecting maple from tree to table.

Job Purpose

The Production Manager leads production across multiple departments, lines, and two shifts, aligning schedules, labor, materials, equipment capacity, and inventory with customer demand and business needs. The role develops frontline leaders, ensures safe and compliant operations, controls production costs, drives continuous improvement, and partners across functions to deliver reliable customer service.

Major Tasks

• Production planning and execution: Lead production across departments, lines, and shifts; adjust schedules and resources to customer demand, inventory, staffing, materials, equipment capacity, and constraints; coordinate all production areas; and protect schedule attainment, service, and cost performance.
• Safety, quality, and compliance: Maintain strong safety, food safety, quality, sanitation, and traceability culture; enforce policies, procedures, and work instructions; ensure accurate records; lead corrective actions; and support SQF, regulatory, customer, environmental, workplace, and internal audit requirements.
• Performance and continuous improvement: Establish and communicate KPIs for productivity, throughput, labor, overtime, downtime, waste, quality, staffing, and schedule attainment; use data and root‑cause analysis to improve reliability, efficiency, workflows, equipment utilization, material handling, and cost.
• Materials and inventory: Optimize syrup, ingredients, packaging, labor, and other resources; reduce loss, waste, rework, and abnormal usage; maintain inventory accuracy and traceability; and resolve significant discrepancies or shortages.
• Equipment and capital support: Coordinate repairs, preventive maintenance, and planned downtime with Maintenance; address recurring reliability issues; and support equipment trials, installations, startups, replacements, and capital projects.
• People leadership: Lead and develop supervisors, leads, and employees; set performance expectations; conduct coaching, reviews, training, and development planning; strengthen frontline decision‑making; and participate in hiring, onboarding, employee relations, corrective action, and personnel decisions.
• Labor, budget, and capacity management: Manage staffing, overtime, absenteeism, labor utilization, and operating expenses; participate in the Production budget; and support annual operating, capital, and long‑range capacity plans.
• Cross‑functional leadership: Communicate priorities, risks, constraints, and performance to the Operations Management Team; resolve issues across functions; and provide production input for new products, packaging, process changes, equipment projects, and capacity decisions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in management, Business, Economics, Engineering or related field
• Leadership experience across multiple departments, production lines, or shifts in food, beverage, bottling, packaging, or another regulated manufacturing environment.
• Working knowledge of SQF, HACCP, GMPs, sanitation, food safety, traceability, and production documentation.
• Experience using production KPIs, ERP/MRP systems, scheduling, inventory control, forecasting, and capacity planning.
• Knowledge of Lean, 5S, root‑cause analysis, preventive maintenance, equipment reliability, and continuous improvement.
• Experience with budgeting, labor and overtime management, production cost control, hiring, coaching, performance management, and employee development.
• Strong Excel and data‑analysis skills, mechanical aptitude, and familiarity with automated filling, packaging, conveying, batching, or processing equipment and related capital projects.

Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Benefit package, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, holidays, and paid time off
• 401K Retirement Plan with company contribution
• Product discounts and free breakfast for on‑site staff

PI8ce52c430564-38059-41794325