Production Manager (Food & Beverage)

EMEA3 Recruitment; Columbus (GA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Symrise, Columbus facility, is seeking a Production Manager to lead beverage and dry blend operations, driving safety, quality, cost efficiency and continuous improvement. You will manage daily production, labor planning, and cross-functional coordination to meet customer needs.

This role requires minimum 5 years of manufacturing leadership, HACCP certification, and ability to develop future leaders in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Engineering, Manufacturing, Business, Operations Management, or related field preferred.
• Minimum 5 years manufacturing experience with at least 2 years in food and/or beverage manufacturing.
• With an Associate's degree, minimum 7 years manufacturing experience with at least 2 years in food/beverage manufacturing.
• With a High School Diploma/GED, minimum 10 years manufacturing experience with at least 2 years in food/beverage manufacturing.
• Minimum 3 years production leadership experience; experience leading supervisors, leads, or multi-functional production teams preferred.
• HACCP certification is required.

Responsibilities

• Direct daily production activities for beverage and dry blend operations.
• Oversee all manufacturing processes (processing, blending, filling, packaging, sanitation, finished goods).
• Collaborate with Planning, Logistics, Quality, Maintenance and other teams to meet customer requirements.
• Recruit, train, coach, and develop production staff and future leaders.
• Ensure GMP, HACCP, FDA, SQF compliance; maintain audit readiness and documentation.
• Lead continuous improvement using Lean manufacturing and KPI tracking.
• Champion a safety-first culture and lead incident investigations.

Skills

Production leadership

People development

Communication

Root cause analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Lean manufacturing

Problem solving

Safety & GMP

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Engineering, Manufacturing, Business, Operations Management, or related field

Equivalent combination of education and progressive manufacturing leadership experience

Job description

About Us

Symrise is a global supplier of fragrances, flavors, food, nutrition, and cosmetic ingredients. Its clients include manufacturers of perfumes, cosmetics, food and beverages, pharmaceuticals and producers of nutritional supplements and pet food.

Its sales of € 4.9 billion in the 2025 fiscal year make Symrise a leading global provider. Headquartered in Holzminden, Germany, the Group is represented by more than 100 locations in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the United States and Latin America.

The Columbus facility operates as an innovation-focused manufacturing environment supporting product commercialization, small-scale production, and customer-driven growth initiatives.

Symrise works with its clients to develop new ideas and market-ready concepts for products that form an integral part of everyday life. Economic success and corporate responsibility are inextricably linked as part of this process.

Symrise – always inspiring more…

About the Role

Position Summary

The Production Manager leads all beverage and dry blend operations at the Columbus manufacturing site, driving operational performance, compliance with food safety and regulatory standards, and facility growth. This role establishes systems supporting safety, quality, service, cost efficiency, and employee development, while building future supervisory leadership. Strong cross-functional collaboration is required. Reports to the Plant Manager.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Operational & Production Leadership
  • Direct daily production activities for beverage and dry blend operations, ensuring safety, quality, delivery, and productivity targets are met.
  • Oversee all manufacturing processes (processing, blending, filling, packaging, sanitation, finished goods), and ensure effective communication, shift handoffs, and escalation routines.
  • Collaborate with Planning, Logistics, Quality, Maintenance, and other teams to resolve constraints and meet customer requirements.
  • Execute production schedules through effective labor planning and resource allocation.
• People Leadership & Development
  • Recruit, train, coach, and develop production staff and future leaders, fostering engagement, accountability, and a culture of continuous improvement.
  • Build organizational capability through mentoring, structured expectations, and performance management, supporting succession planning.
• Food Safety, Quality & Compliance
  • Ensure compliance with GMP, HACCP, FDA, SQF, and customer/regulatory requirements; maintain audit readiness through documentation, training, and process control.
  • Partner with Quality to resolve issues, implement corrective actions, and drive continuous improvement in quality systems.
• Continuous Improvement & Equipment Ownership
  • Lead initiatives to improve efficiency, reduce downtime and waste, and enhance productivity, safety, and quality using Lean Manufacturing and performance metrics.
  • Support standard work, visual management, KPI tracking, and daily management systems.
  • Partner with Maintenance to improve equipment reliability, preventive maintenance, and support new equipment commissioning and process optimization.
• Safety Leadership
  • Champion a safety-first culture, ensuring compliance with OSHA, company safety policies, PPE, and safe operating procedures.
  • Lead incident investigations, corrective actions, and proactive risk reduction activities.

About You

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Engineering, Manufacturing, Business, Operations Management, or related field preferred.
• Equivalent combination of education and progressive manufacturing leadership experience considered.
• With a Bachelor's degree, must have a minimum 5 years manufacturing experience with at least 2 years of experience in food and/or beverage manufacturing.
• With an Associate's degree, must have a minimum 7 years manufacturing experience with at least 2 years of experience in food and/or beverage manufacturing.
• With a High School Diploma/GED, must have a minimum 10 years manufacturing experience with at least 2 years of experience in food and/or beverage manufacturing.
• Minimum 3 years production leadership experience required. Experience leading supervisors, leads, or multi-functional production teams preferred.
• HACCP certification is required.
• Ability to lead, coach, develop, and hold teams accountable.
• Strong employee engagement and communication skills.
• Ability to develop future leaders.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, production systems, and performance management.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a rapidly changing environment.
• Strong troubleshooting and root cause analysis capability.
  Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Ability to work effectively with Quality, Maintenance, Supply Chain, Engineering, Commercial, and Product Development partners.
• Ability to balance customer requirements with operational capability.
• Knowledge of food manufacturing equipment, sanitation practices, production processes, and regulatory expectations.
• Ability to learn and support multiple manufacturing technologies.
• Understands production cost drivers, labor utilization, efficiency, yield, waste reduction, and operational KPIs.

Preferred Experience - Candidates with the below additional experience will be prioritized

• Beverage processing, dry blending, packaging, or ingredient manufacturing.
• SQF, HACCP, GMP, FDA-regulated environments.
• Lean Manufacturing / Continuous Improvement programs.
• New product introduction or commercialization environments.
• Production scheduling and capacity planning.
• Equipment startup, process improvement, and operational scaling.

What We Offer

Become part of our open and transparent culture. It will give you the opportunity to flourish and to develop inspiring experiences that contribute to the health and well-being of consumers in 160 countries around the world. Putting our employees in focus fuels our strong company growth above market rates and makes us an excellent place to develop your career.

Come join us and embark on a fascinating journey with Symrise.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.