Production Manager

Job Summary:

This position is responsible for ensuring that manufacturing processes run safely, reliably, and efficiently. This individual collaborates with cross-functional groups including Human Resources, Quality, Supply Chain, Warehousing, and Finance to meet production targets.

Essential Functions of the Job:

• Manages production employees to ensure safety, quality, and productivity.
• Motivating and supporting current staff.
• Supporting strategic objectives
• Strong decision-making skills and a result-driven approach.
• Conducts new hire onboarding and training and conducts performance evaluations as needed.
• Ensures we are meeting retention KPIs.
• Planning and organizing employee schedules, to align with demand requirements.
• Achieves budgeted targets for raw material yield, labor, and packaging materials usage across all shifts meeting KPI’s.
• Schedule and conduct production meetings with direct reports.
• Meet or exceed schedule attainment and adherence KPIs.
• Audits workstations to ensure SOPS are readily available and are being followed routinely – initiates creation of SOPs and other instructional tools as needed.
• Collaborate with the warehouse and quality assurance personnel to ensure prompt shipment of the product.
• Meet or exceed OTIF KPI’s.
• Maintain GMP/Housekeeping to the highest standards within the department through the involvement of all team members. Adheres to company GMP’s, food safety procedures and all other quality processes.
• Always maintain an audit ready shop floor.
• Develops and recommends improvements of facilities, equipment, or procedures to improve safety, quality, and efficiency.
• Drives productivity, quality, and safety initiatives throughout production to impact productivity and the cost structure.
• Establish and support a work environment of continuous improvement that supports the companies Quality policy, Quality System & the appropriate regulations for the area.
• Ensures production follows SunOpta QA standards, SOPs, HACCP, and GMPs.
• Committed to ensure that the products produced meet all food safety and quality requirements.
• Collaborate with cross-functional groups including Human Resources, Maintenance, Quality Assurance, Warehousing, and Finance to meet production targets.
• Communicate and execute the production schedule.
• Manage labor and material resources to maximize efficiency and yields.
• Protect company assets by the direct intervention of any condition resulting in the abuse of equipment or buildings.
• Works with management to ensure effective organizational design and that roles are correctly organized, defined, documented, and communicated to all employees.
• Responsible for Food Safety and reporting any non-compliance issues to their immediate supervisor and Quality leadership.
• Certified member of the Health & Safety Committee.
• Wear PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) when required.
• All other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Responsible for the overall direction, coordination, and evaluation of all Production Supervisors, and indirectly for all hourly production personnel.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Certificate and/or bachelor’s degree in related fields of study preferred.
• Minimum of five consecutive years of related work experience required.
• Strong working knowledge of systems including a prominent level of instrumentation and automation experience.
• MS Word, MS PowerPoint, and MS Excel.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing practices.
• Experience with Oracle or similar ERP system.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Outstanding verbal, written, multi-tasking and presentation skills.
• Ability to create momentum and foster organizational change.
• Possess strong technical skills.
• Project Management skills.
• Skills related to leadership, people, and teamwork.
• Confident, organized, efficient.
• Ability to think critically, communicate effectively, and make decisions.

Additional Considerations:

• This position will be at the SunOpta Plant in Omak, WA.
• This Plant is a 24/7 operation with 3 shifts.
• Non-conventional work week which will include occasional off-shift work to provide support to all teams.
• Relocation or international remote working arrangements (outside of the US) will not be considered.