Production Manager - Retail

Holly Poultry; Hanover (MD); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Holly Poultry, Inc. is seeking a Production Manager for the Tender Department in our Maryland facility.

This hands-on leader will oversee Tender Cutting and Tender Grader operations, ensuring safe, compliant, and efficient production that meets customer specs. The role requires strong floor presence, training and certification oversight, and a track record of improving labor efficiency and yield in a high-volume setting.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in food manufacturing or protein processing.
• 2+ years in production leadership or management.
• Bilingual English/Spanish preferred.
• Experience with GMPs and food safety standards.
• Proven track record leading hourly teams in a high-volume environment.
• Experience with production-tracking systems (e.g., Redzone) is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own daily operations of the Tender Cutting and Tender Grader departments.
• Drive accountability and standard work across supervisors and hourly staff.
• Ensure tender specs (size, weight, trim) meet customer requirements.
• Lead training, certification, and continuous improvement programs.
• Manage labor planning, overtime, and yield performance.
• Lead daily production meetings and report KPIs to leadership.

Skills

GMP compliance

Labor management

Food safety standards

Yield optimization

Team leadership

Data-driven decision making

Tools

Redzone

Job description

One Fine Family is built on a simple belief — everyone deserves great chicken at a great price. Proudly based in Baltimore for more than 60 years, we’ve grown into a family of brands united by that purpose. One Fine Chicken delivers “Better Chicken for Everyone” with premium quality at an incredible value. Easy Street brings bold, globally inspired flavors to everyday meals, capturing the vibrant spirit of street food culture. Holly Poultry, our food service brand, has earned the trust of some of the nation’s most beloved restaurants, including Raising Cane’s, Hattie B’s, Royal Farms, and Nando’s, by providing fresh, high-quality poultry with unmatched confidence and reliability. Rooted in community and driven by purpose, One Fine Family proudly gives back, donating more than 300,000 pounds of chicken each year to local food banks and charities-because better chicken should make life better for everyone.Join us and be a part of something bigger. At One Fine Family, we are united by purpose, fueled by passion, and committed to making a difference. Together, we’re shaping the future of food — one plate, one person, and One Fine Family at a timeWe are currently hiring for: Production Manager – Tender DepartmentPosition SummaryThe Tender Production Manager is responsible for the overall performance of the tender operation, including tender cutting and tender grading departments. This role owns end-to-end execution of product quality, customer specifications, training effectiveness, hourly employee performance, labor efficiency, and overtime control.The Production Manager is accountable for ensuring that product leaving the tender grader is verified and confirmed to meet customer specifications, and that quality ownership does not stop at automation or equipment. This role will also design, implement, and manage performance-based incentive programs to drive accountability, consistency, and engagement across hourly employees and supervisors.This is a hands-on leadership role requiring strong floor presence, disciplined labor planning, and the ability to reset expectations, training, and performance culture, along with strong analytical and financial capability to drive measurable improvements in labor efficiency and yield performance.Key ResponsibilitiesDepartment Leadership & OwnershipOwn daily operations of the Tender Cutting and Tender Grader departments, including safety, quality, productivity, labor, and employee performance.Provide strong floor presence and visible leadership during production.Establish and enforce clear expectations for supervisors and hourly employees.Drive a culture of accountability, standard work, and continuous improvement.Quality & Customer Specification ComplianceEnsure tenders meet all customer size, weight, trim, and specification requirements.Oversee consistent execution of cutting standards across medium and jumbo tenders.Ensure graded product is verified and not assumed to be in spec solely based on grader output.Partner with Quality Assurance to analyze defects, customer complaints, rework, and non-conformance trends.Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions related to cutting, grading, sizing, yield, and verification.Maintain and enforce SOPs aligned with current customer specifications.Retail/Tray Pack Department Oversight & VerificationOwn staffing, training, and performance of the Tender Grader Department.Establish verification, audit, and escalation processes to confirm graded product meets specifications.Ensure grading equipment is treated as a process tool, not final quality approval.Monitor grader accuracy, drift, and variability; ensure recalibration, retraining, and corrective action.Implement layered quality checks involving supervisors and QA.Ensure hourly employees understand that quality responsibility continues beyond the grader.Training & StandardizationDevelop, implement, and maintain structured training and certification programs for all hourly employees.Establish standard work and certification requirements for:Medium tender cuttingJumbo tender cuttingTender grading and verification proceduresEnsure new hires are trained and certified within defined timelines.Conduct routine audits to verify training effectiveness and adherence to standards.Retrain employees based on performance trends, quality issues, or process changes.Labor & Yield Performance AnalysisAnalyze daily, weekly, and monthly labor and yield performance to identify trends, gaps, and negative variances.Monitor key drivers including labor cost per pound, line efficiency, trim loss, give-away, and waste.Identify root causes of performance issues, including process inefficiencies, training gaps, line balance, and product mix.Develop and implement corrective action plans to improve labor utilization and yield outcomes.Partner with Finance to understand cost targets, standard costs, and variance drivers, and translate data into operational actions.Hold supervisors accountable for performance against defined labor and yield targets.Drive a data-based decision-making approach, ensuring issues are proactively identified and addressed.Hourly Performance ManagementDefine and communicate clear, measurable performance expectations.Ensure supervisors actively coach, correct, and document hourly performance.Address underperformance promptly through retraining, reassignment, or corrective action.Reinforce that quality, verification, labor discipline, and adherence to standard work are non-negotiable.Supervisor Development & AccountabilityDirectly manage and develop front-line supervisors and team leaders.Hold supervisors accountable for:Training completion and certificationQuality and specification complianceVerification and audit executionLabor scheduling and overtime controlHourly performance managementCoach supervisors on leadership, communication, and accountability.Escalate or replace supervision that does not meet expectations.Labor Planning, Scheduling & Overtime ControlOwn labor planning and scheduling for both tenders cutting and tender grader departments.Develop labor schedules aligned with production plans, product mix, and staffing levels.Actively manage and reduce overtime while maintaining quality, safety, and service.Identify and address root causes of overtime, including:Inefficient scheduling or line balanceTraining gaps and lack of cross-trainingQuality rework or verification failuresAttendance or staffing challengesHold supervisors accountable for schedule adherence and proactive labor management.Ensure overtime is planned, approved, justified, and continuously improved not habitual.Strong analytical and financial acumen with the ability to interpret production data and drive improvements in labor efficiency and yield performance.Incentive Program Development & ManagementDesign, implement, and manage performance-based incentive programs for hourly employees and supervisors.Ensure incentive metrics are aligned with:Customer specification compliancePost-grader verification and audit adherenceYield improvement and waste reductionTraining and certification completionLabor efficiency and overtime reductionSafety and attendancePartner with HR, QA, and Finance to ensure incentive plans are measurable, fair, and sustainable.Monitor incentive effectiveness and adjust metrics to drive desired behaviors.Ensure incentives reward doing the job right, not just producing volume.Production Planning & ExecutionExecute daily and weekly production plans to meet volume, service, and delivery requirements.Balance labor and throughput without compromising quality or safety.Adjust processes in real time to manage raw material variability.Coordinate with maintenance to ensure equipment readiness and reliability.Continuous ImprovementLead improvement initiatives focused on:Cutting and grading consistencyYield improvement and waste reductionVerification effectivenessLabor efficiency and overtime reductionUse data and KPIs to measure performance and drive improvement.Partner cross-functionally with QA, Maintenance, Procurement and SafetyFood Safety & Safety ComplianceEnsure compliance with GMPs, SQF, and sanitation standards.Enforce all safety policies and maintain a safe work environment.Support internal and external audits and corrective actions.Metrics, Reporting & CommunicationTrack and report KPIs including:Customer spec compliance (% on-spec tenders)Post-grader defect and rework ratesYield, trim loss, and wasteTraining and certification completionLabor efficiency and overtime %Safety and food safety performanceLead daily production meetings and shift handoffs.Communicate performance, issues, and corrective action plans to leadership.Qualifications5+ years of experience in food manufacturing or protein processing.2+ years in a production leadership or management role.Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferredExperience using factory production or efficiency tracking systems (such as Redzone) a plusStrong knowledge of GMPs and food safety standards.Proven experience leading hourly teams in a high-volume environment.Demonstrated success building training systems and improving performance.Candidates must successfully pass post-offer/pre-employment drug test, and background screen.Holly Poultry, Inc. and its subsidiaries are an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.