Production Superintendent

Darling Ingredients Inc.; Maquoketa (IA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Darling Ingredients is seeking a Production Superintendent to lead and coordinate all production operations, ensuring safe, efficient, and timely manufacture of high-quality products. You will supervise production supervisors and staff, drive safety, quality, and cost objectives, and foster cross-functional collaboration across maintenance, QA, and other departments.

This role emphasizes planning, resource management, employee development, and continuous improvement, including 5S programs, with

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field with 1–3 years of related experience, or 10+ years supervision experience.
• Strong leadership and team development skills.
• Experience in food manufacturing or process manufacturing preferred.
• Excellent organizational, planning, and time management abilities.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency with manufacturing-related software systems.

Responsibilities

• Promote and maintain a safe work environment per policies and safety standards.
• Lead and develop supervisors and production staff to drive performance.
• Develop and execute production plans to meet safety, quality, cost, and delivery goals.
• Ensure staffing, equipment, and materials meet operational requirements.
• Monitor performance and implement improvements to maximize efficiency.
• Develop and enforce SOPs and 5S/CI programs.
• Partner with Maintenance and QA to ensure equipment reliability and product quality.
• Foster positive employee relations and address concerns.
• Train personnel to ensure safety, quality and workplace expectations.
• Maintain production records and communicate performance to leadership.
• Provide flexible leadership coverage across shifts.
• Support raw material load planning and inbound material flow.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Cross-functional collaboration

Safety compliance

Problem solving

Time management

Communication

Training and development

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

10+ years supervision experience

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

We're one of the world's leading practitioners of circularity, transforming materials from the animal agriculture and food industries into valuable ingredients. Ingredients that nourish people, feed animals and crops, and fuel the world with renewable energy.

The Production Superintendent is responsible for leading and coordinating all production operations to ensure the safe, efficient, and timely manufacture of high-quality products. This position provides leadership to production supervisors and employees, ensuring production goals, quality standards, safety requirements, and cost objectives are achieved. The Production Superintendent drives operational excellence through effective planning, resource management, employee development, continuous improvement initiatives, and cross-functional collaboration.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Other duties may be assigned.

• Promote and maintain a safe work environment by ensuring compliance with company policies, GMPs, regulatory requirements, and established safety standards.
• Lead, coach, and develop Production Supervisors and production employees to drive engagement, accountability, and performance.
• Assists in developing and executes production plans and schedules to meet safety, quality, cost, delivery, and productivity objectives.
• Ensure appropriate staffing, equipment, materials, and resources are available to support operational requirements.
• Monitor production performance and implement improvements to maximize efficiency, reduce downtime, and optimize resource utilization.
• Develop, maintain, and enforce standard operating procedures and continuous improvement initiatives, including 5S programs.
• Partner with Maintenance, Quality Assurance, and other departments to ensure equipment reliability, product quality, and achievement of plant objectives.
• Foster positive employee relations and address employee concerns as appropriate.
• Train and develop personnel to ensure compliance with safety, quality, operational, and workplace expectations.
• Maintain accurate production records, approve timekeeping, and communicate operational performance to plant leadership.
• Maintain a flexible work schedule to provide leadership coverage, support operational needs, and ensure effective oversight across all production shifts.
• Provide support and backup coverage for raw material load planning activities, ensuring continuity of supplier communications and inbound material flow.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Directly supervises approximately 15 employees and other assigned personnel.
• Responsibilities include interviewing, training, coaching, performance management, employee development, disciplinary action, and conflict resolution.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree (4-year program) in a related field and 1-3 years of related experience; OR
• Minimum of 10 years or more of related experience in production supervision in lieu of a college degree

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience managing supervisors and hourly production employees.
• Experience in a food manufacturing, rendering, or process manufacturing environment preferred.
• Strong leadership and team development skills.
• Excellent organizational, planning, and time management abilities.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and manufacturing-related software systems.

Physical Demands

• Frequently sits, uses hands and arms, and reaches.
• Occasionally stands, walks, bends, stoops, kneels, and balances.
• Occasionally lifts, pushes, pulls, or moves up to 60 pounds.
• Must be able to safely access all areas of the facility.

Work Environment

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is frequently exposed to wet and humid conditions, production machinery, and moving mechanical parts. The employee may occasionally be exposed to elevated work areas, airborne particles, chemicals, outdoor weather conditions, temperature extremes, electrical hazards, and vibration. Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) is required. The noise level in the work environment is typically moderate.

Darling Ingredients is an equal opportunity employer and gives consideration to qualified applicants without regard to race, color, creed, religion, age, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, genetic information, physical or mental disability, military service, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state and local law. Know Your Rights: If you would like more information, please click on the link and paste into your browser: https://www.eeoc.gov/poster of this job.