Smokehouse Supervisor

WESTERNS SMOKEHOUSE & MEAT MARKET LLC; Mexico (MO); Presencial; USD 32.000 - 45.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

WESTERNS SMOKEHOUSE & MEAT MARKET LLC in Mexico, MO is seeking a full-time Smokehouse Supervisor to oversee the smokehouse department, ensure food safety, and coordinate production activities. You will lead a team, manage schedules, and ensure compliance with quality standards in a meat-processing facility.

The role emphasizes safety, efficiency, and continuous improvement, with collaboration across QA, Maintenance, Sanitation, and Operations teams to deliver timely, compliant products.

Formación

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Demonstrated experience in meat processing or cooked meat manufacturing.
• Supervisory experience in a production/manufacturing setting.
• Working knowledge of smokehouse operations and production documentation.
• Understanding of GMPs, HACCP, and food safety concepts.
• Ability to interpret production schedules and specifications.

Responsabilidades

• Own the daily execution of the smokehouse production schedule and ensure targets are met.
• Lead and supervise smokehouse staff and ensure proper training.
• Maintain production records and uphold food safety & regulatory compliance.
• Collaborate with QA, Maintenance, Sanitation, Scheduling and other departments.

Conocimientos

Leadership

People management

Operational planning

Food safety awareness

Educación

High school diploma or equivalent

Descripción del empleo

Job Details: Job Location: MEXICO MO - Mexico, MO 65265, Salary Range: $28.00 Hourly, Join the TEAM at Western Smokehouse Partners!

We’re more than just a leader in the better-for-you meat snack industry-we’re a team driven by quality, innovation and a passion for great meat sticks and jerky. With eight facilities across five states, we’re setting the standard in excellence for our co-manufacturing and private label customers. As we continue to grow, we’re looking for highly motivated individuals who want to be part of an industry-leading company that values contribution, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Western Smokehouse Partners is looking for a fulltime Smokehouse Supervisor.

Position Summary

The Smokehouse Supervisor is responsible for the overall operation, performance, and results of the smokehouse department within a meat-processing facility manufacturing cooked meat products. This position provides leadership and direction for all smokehouse activities to ensure products are processed safely, meet established quality specifications, achieve production schedules, and comply with company policies and applicable regulatory requirements.

The Smokehouse Supervisor has full departmental ownership and is accountable for food safety, cooking and cooling compliance where applicable, production efficiency, labor utilization, yield and shrink, product quality, sanitation, equipment reliability, employee development, and accurate production documentation.

This position works closely with Quality Assurance, Maintenance, Sanitation, Scheduling, Warehouse, and other Production departments to maintain efficient product flow, prevent processing deviations, minimize waste and downtime, and achieve operational goals.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

A. Food Safety and Thermal Processing Compliance

• Ensure all cooked meat products are processed according to approved recipes, product specifications, validated processing procedures, and applicable food safety requirements.
• Ensure required cooking, smoking, drying, cooling, and other thermal processing parameters are consistently achieved and documented, as applicable to each product.
• Monitor critical processing parameters, including time, temperature, humidity, airflow, and other established process controls.
• Ensure employees understand and follow applicable HACCP procedures, critical control point monitoring requirements, prerequisite programs, and corrective action procedures.
• Verify that required process records, charts, electronic data, and production logs are accurate, complete, and maintained according to company procedures.
• Immediately communicate deviations, missed process limits, equipment failures, and potential food safety concerns to Quality Assurance and the Production Manager.
• Ensure potentially affected product is identified, segregated, placed on hold, and evaluated by authorized personnel in accordance with established procedures.
• Never permit products to be released or processed outside approved requirements without the appropriate review and authorization.
• Support food safety investigations, root-cause analysis, corrective actions, internal audits, customer audits, and regulatory inspections.
• Reinforce employee responsibility for reporting food safety concerns and stopping or escalating operations when an unsafe condition is identified.

B. Production Planning and Department Performance

• Own the daily execution of the smokehouse production schedule and ensure established production targets are achieved.
• Plan and coordinate staffing, product sequencing, smokehouse loading, processing cycles, unloading, and transfer of product to subsequent operations.
• Ensure the correct products, recipes, processing programs, product lots, and specifications are used for each production run.
• Monitor production attainment, cycle times, throughput, labor utilization, changeovers, downtime, and overall departmental efficiency.
• Identify production constraints and implement corrective actions to improve capacity, product flow, and schedule performance.
• Coordinate with upstream and downstream departments to maintain appropriate product flow and prevent unnecessary delays.
• Review production performance throughout the shift and adjust priorities, staffing, or equipment assignments as needed.
• Communicate schedule risks, equipment constraints, labor shortages, and production variances promptly to the Operations Manager.
• Maintain accurate production reporting and ensure shift handoffs communicate outstanding issues and priorities.

C. Yield, Shrink, Waste, and Product Quality

• Own departmental performance related to product yield, cooking loss, moisture loss, shrink, rework, scrap, and product waste.
• Monitor actual yield and shrink against established product standards and approved targets.
• Investigate unfavorable yield variances and identify contributing factors, including overprocessing, excessive moisture loss, inconsistent loading, improper process settings, equipment performance, or handling practices.
• Ensure products meet established specifications for appearance, color, smoke characteristics, texture, moisture, weight, and other applicable quality attributes.
• Work with Quality Assurance and Production to identify trends, correct process variation, and improve product consistency.
• Ensure employees follow approved product handling, loading, unloading, transfer, and storage practices to minimize damage and waste.
• Support root-cause investigations and corrective actions for customer complaints, nonconforming products, rework, and quality defects.
• Implement approved process improvements that reduce costs without compromising food safety, regulatory compliance, or product quality.

D. Employee Leadership and Accountability

• Provide direct leadership and supervision for all smokehouse personnel and maintain clear expectations for performance, conduct, attendance, and safe work practices.
• Establish daily priorities and assign responsibilities based on production requirements, employee qualifications, and staffing needs.
• Ensure employees are properly trained and qualified before independently performing assigned duties.
• Verify employee understanding of standard operating procedures, food safety requirements, equipment operation, sanitation expectations, and documentation responsibilities.
• Monitor individual and team performance and provide timely coaching, feedback, recognition, and corrective action when appropriate.
• Address attendance issues, policy violations, performance deficiencies, and failure to follow established procedures consistently and in accordance with company policy.
• Develop employee skills, cross-training opportunities, and succession capability within the department.
• Build a culture of ownership, teamwork, accountability, communication, and continuous improvement.
• Conduct shift meetings and communicate production goals, safety concerns, quality expectations, and operational changes.
• Ensure appropriate supervisory coverage and clear communication across shifts.
• Partner with Human Resources and the Operations Manager on employee relations, performance management, and staffing decisions as needed.

E. Equipment Reliability and Maintenance

• Maintain ownership of smokehouse equipment readiness and operational reliability.
• Ensure equipment is operated according to manufacturer recommendations, approved operating procedures, and established safety requirements.
• Monitor smokehouses, racks, trucks, probes, temperature sensors, control systems, dampers, fans, humidity systems, and related equipment, as applicable.
• Identify and report equipment defects, abnormal operating conditions, recurring failures, and maintenance needs.
• Coordinate with Maintenance to prioritize repairs, preventive maintenance, calibration, and equipment improvement projects.
• Ensure equipment malfunctions that could affect food safety or product quality are promptly escalated and addressed before affected operations resume.
• Track downtime and recurring equipment issues, identify root causes, and support corrective and preventive actions.
• Ensure employees do not bypass safety devices, interlocks, alarms, or established equipment safeguards.
• Support equipment trials, process validations, and approved improvements intended to increase reliability, capacity, and efficiency.
• Ensure equipment is returned to service only after required maintenance, inspection, and authorization procedures are completed.

F. Sanitation and Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure the smokehouse department meets established sanitation, housekeeping, and pre-operational inspection requirements.
• Coordinate with Sanitation to ensure cleaning schedules, equipment disassembly, cleaning verification, and required pre-operational releases are completed.
• Ensure production does not begin until required sanitation and pre-operational approvals have been obtained.
• Verify employee compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices, personal hygiene requirements, protective clothing requirements, and applicable allergen or cross-contact controls.
• Ensure chemical handling, equipment cleaning, and environmental conditions comply with established procedures.
• Correct sanitation deficiencies promptly and document corrective actions as required.
• Maintain readiness for internal audits, customer inspections, and regulatory visits.
• Support compliance with applicable USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service requirements, where jurisdictionally applicable, and all relevant company food safety programs.
• Maintain accountability for housekeeping, waste handling, pest-prevention practices, and the condition of the smokehouse production area.

G. Workplace Safety

• Enforce company safety policies and applicable occupational safety requirements.
• Ensure employees use required personal protective equipment and follow safe work procedures.
• Identify and address hazards associated with hot surfaces, steam, pressurized systems, moving equipment, slippery floors, chemicals, manual handling, and confined or restricted spaces, as applicable.
• Ensure employees follow lockout/tagout requirements and other energy-control procedures when servicing or cleaning equipment where required.
• Report incidents, near misses, unsafe conditions, and injuries promptly and support investigations and corrective actions.
• Promote a proactive safety culture in which employees report hazards and supervisors address them without unnecessary delay.

H. Reporting and Cross-Functional Communication

• Maintain accurate and timely production, labor, yield, shrink, downtime, quality, food safety, and training records.
• Review departmental results against established targets and communicate significant variances to management.
• Collaborate with Quality Assurance, Maintenance, Sanitation, Scheduling, and other departments to resolve operational issues.
• Participate in production meetings, continuous improvement initiatives, audits, and corrective action reviews.
• Ensure outstanding production issues, maintenance needs, process deviations, and staffing concerns are communicated during shift transitions.
• Protect the accuracy and integrity of production and food safety records.

3. Key Performance Indicators

• Food safety: Compliance with approved processing limits, required monitoring, record completion, and corrective action procedures.
• Production attainment: Completion of scheduled production volumes and adherence to production plans.
• Throughput and efficiency: Smokehouse utilization, cycle-time performance, labor productivity, and avoidable downtime.
• Yield and shrink: Actual performance against established product-specific yield and shrink targets.
• Product quality: Conformance to specifications, defect rates, rework, waste, and customer complaint trends.
• Equipment reliability: Equipment availability, recurring breakdowns, preventive maintenance completion, and downtime reduction.
• Sanitation: Completion of required cleaning activities, successful pre-operational inspections, and timely closure of deficiencies.
• Employee performance: Training completion, attendance management, cross-training, policy compliance, and demonstrated competency.
• Safety: Compliance with safe work practices, timely hazard reporting, and completion of assigned corrective actions.

Targets and measurement methods will be established by management in coordination with Quality Assurance, Human Resources, and other relevant departments. Food safety and regulatory requirements must never be compromised to achieve production or cost targets.

4. Qualifications and Experience

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Demonstrated experience in meat processing, cooked meat manufacturing, thermal processing, or a related food-manufacturing environment.
• Supervisory experience in a production or manufacturing setting.
• Working knowledge of smokehouse operations, cooking processes, product handling, and production documentation.
• Understanding of food safety principles, GMPs, sanitation requirements, HACCP systems, and corrective action procedures.
• Ability to interpret product specifications, process records, production schedules, and equipment operating instructions.
• Demonstrated ability to manage employees, coordinate production activities, and resolve operational problems.
• Basic computer proficiency and the ability to use production reporting or manufacturing systems.
• Strong organizational, communication, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.

Additional preferred qualifications include experience with yield analysis, process improvement, preventive maintenance coordination, food safety audits, and continuous improvement methodologies.

5. Decision-Making Authority and Accountability

• Assigning work, coordinating staffing, and directing daily departmental activities.
• Adjusting production priorities and sequencing to address operational needs.
• Identifying and escalating food safety, quality, equipment, and personnel concerns.
• Initiating product holds or operational stoppages in accordance with established procedures and delegated authority.
• Coordinating maintenance requests and corrective actions.
• Coaching employees and initiating performance management actions in accordance with company policy.
• Recommending process, equipment, staffing, and productivity improvements.
• Maintaining departmental records and reporting results to management.

6. Working Conditions and Physical Requirements

• Work is performed primarily in a meat-processing and cooked-product manufacturing environment.
• The role may involve exposure to varying temperatures, humidity, noise, steam, hot equipment, wet floors, and production chemicals under controlled operating conditions.
• Regular presence on the production floor is required to supervise employees and verify operational performance.
• The position may require prolonged standing and walking, as well as movement throughout the facility.
• Required personal protective equipment must be worn as applicable.
• Flexible scheduling, early starts, weekends, holidays, overtime, or occasional off-shift coverage may be required to support production.
• Essential job functions must be performed with or without reasonable accommodation, consistent with applicable law.

7. General Responsibilities

The Smokehouse Supervisor is expected to demonstrate integrity, sound judgment, professionalism, accountability, and a commitment to food safety, employee safety, product quality, operational efficiency, and continuous improvement.

The supervisor is accountable for the overall performance of the smokehouse department and is expected to identify problems, take appropriate action, verify results, and communicate unresolved issues to management.

Other duties reasonably related to the position may be assigned based on business needs.

8. Acknowledgement

I acknowledge that I have received and reviewed this job description and understand the general responsibilities and expectations of the Smokehouse Supervisor position. I understand that this document does not constitute an employment contract and that job duties may be modified consistent with company policy and applicable law.

Employee Name: __________________________________

Employee Signature: _______________________________

Date: __________________

Supervisor/Manager Signature: ______________________