About the Role:

The Quality Production Supervisor will oversee the daily operations of the Quality Assurance/Quality Control Department at our manufacturing facility in Brea, CA. This passionate individual will be responsible for all aspects of manufacturing, from incoming materials to finished goods. Ensure that the production of finished goods follows all company SOPs and the regulating agencies' guidelines. The Quality Production Supervisor will also lead and direct Quality Assurance and Control Inspectors/Technicians. They will evaluate their team’s performance and indicate corrective action as required.

This role will report to the Quality Manager.

This is a full-time, on-site role at our facility in Brea, CA. 

The anticipated base compensation range for this role will be $80,000 to $90,000. Compensation will be commensurate with the candidate's experience and local market rates.

What You'll Do:

• Quality Management & Compliance
  
  • Ensure adherence to all requirements through meticulous documentation, regular audits, and prompt corrective actions.
  • Implement and monitor Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) within the work environment.
  • Oversee timely and accurate completion of non-conformance investigations, including out-of-specification investigations resulting from sampling and product quality testing.
  • Establish and maintain Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) criteria for inspection and testing.
  • Support all company policies and ensure compliance with industry regulations
• Team Leadership & Development 
  • Train and support Quality Control Technicians, fostering their professional growth.
  • Develop and conduct comprehensive training programs for inspectors and auditors.
  • Lead by example, demonstrating a strong capacity to motivate employees and collaborate effectively across departments.
• Collaboration & Communication:
  • Work closely with the Production team to define and establish operational parameters.
  • Organize and manage meetings as needed to facilitate effective communication and decision-making.
  • Utilize excellent written and verbal communication skills to ensure clarity and effectiveness in all interactions.
• Continuous Improvement:
  • Manage a continuous improvement program within the department to enhance efficiency and quality.
  • Set departmental goals that are directly aligned with broader company objectives.
  • Lead and support both internal and external audits to identify areas for improvement and ensure compliance.
• Safety:
  • Thoroughly understand and consistently adhere to all safety requirements and procedures.

About You:

Essential Skills & Attributes:

• Ability to work effectively and efficiently as part of a team across all departments.
• Self-motivated with a strong positive capacity to motivate employees and other departments.
• Proven leadership abilities and a capacity to teach others.
• In-depth knowledge of product manufacturing and testing processes.
• Flexible and adaptable, capable of transitioning between tasks efficiently without loss of speed or quality.
• Detail-oriented with strong clerical and time management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Superior problem-solving, decision-making, and organizational abilities.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office programs or similar suites (e.g., Google Office suites).
• Demonstrates high standards, takes ownership, and is invested in positive outcomes.
• Proactively assists others, maintains a positive attitude, and possesses a good sense of humor.
• Gets things done effectively even with imperfect resources, exhibiting innovation and a sense of urgency.

Experience & Education:

• Minimum of an Associate's Degree in a related field.
• 4+ years of experience with inspection and quality control.
• 3+ years of experience in a supervisory/managerial role.
• 4+ years of GMP experience is required.
• Experience with analytical tools/instruments (e.g., FTIR, pH meter, viscosity meter, force gauge) and the ability to teach and mentor technicians on their use.
• 3+ years of experience working in cosmetics or chemical manufacturing is preferred.
• Interest in health and wellness, personal care, and/or eCommerce industries is a plus.
• Experience working in the consumer products industry is highly preferred.

Working Conditions:

• Office and manufacturing environment, with potential for travel.
• Full-time position, with additional hours as needed to meet project deadlines and quality objectives.

About the Role:

The Production Supervisor is a frontline manufacturing leader responsible for safely executing daily production across cold process soap and natural deodorant operations while meeting SQDC (Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost) targets. This role leads a shift team to deliver schedule attainment, throughput, and yield while ensuring product quality and compliance with GMPs, SOPs, and sanitation standards (where applicable).

This position is hands-on and requires strong floor presence—coaching teams in real time, removing barriers, managing performance, escalating risks early, and driving root-cause problem solving. The Production Supervisor partners closely with Quality, Maintenance, Planning, and Warehouse to deliver results and strengthen standard work.

This is a full-time role with company benefits based in Brea, CA. This role reports to the Production Manager.

The anticipated base compensation range for this role will be $75,000 to $80,000. Compensation will be commensurate with the candidate's experience and local market rates.

Key Outcomes — What Success Looks Like (First 90–180 Days)

• Consistently achieves schedule attainment target (e.g., 99% or site target) through strong shift execution and changeover discipline.
• Improves/maintains yield loss below targets (e.g., Soap <5%, Deo <10% or site targets) through defect prevention and rapid problem-solving.
• Demonstrates strong safety leadership with zero serious incidents, strong near-miss reporting, and daily hazard controls.
• Runs a stable daily management cadence: tier meetings, visual boards, escalation, and action tracking.
• Builds a capable team: clear expectations, coaching, training completion, reduced turnover, and improved engagement.

Core Responsibilities:

1) Safety Leadership (Non-Negotiable)

• Own shift-level safety performance: enforce PPE, LOTO awareness, chemical handling procedures (e.g., caustics), ergonomics, and safe material movement.
• Lead daily safety huddles, pre-shift readiness checks, and hazard identification (behavior-based and condition-based).
• Ensure immediate response and escalation for incidents, near misses, and unsafe conditions; lead or support incident investigations.
• Maintain high standards in housekeeping (5S), spill response, and aisle discipline to prevent slips/trips/falls and cross-contamination.
• Ensure all team members are trained and compliant with safety SOPs and required certifications (forklift/pallet jack, chemical safety, etc. as applicable).

2) Production Execution & Schedule Attainment

• Execute production plans for cold process soap and natural deodorant lines to meet daily/weekly schedules and volume targets.
• Conduct shift start-up readiness checks: labor plan, materials availability, line clearance, equipment readiness, QC readiness, and staffing contingencies.
• Coordinate changeovers, startups, shutdowns, and product transitions with minimal downtime and maximum adherence to standards.
• Lead real-time decision making on labor allocation, line balancing, bottleneck removal, rework disposition, and escalation.
• Ensure shift communication is tight: passdowns, shift notes, downtime logs, abnormality reporting, and escalation protocols.

3) Quality & GMP Compliance

• Ensure product is manufactured and packed to specification: weights, fill levels, appearance standards, labeling accuracy, lot traceability, and packaging integrity.
• Enforce GMP and sanitation standards: line clearance, fragrance controls (as applicable), tool control, and contamination prevention.
• Partner with Quality to ensure in-process checks are completed on time and documented correctly (SPC checks where applicable).
• Respond to quality holds, deviations, and nonconformances; support investigations, containment, and corrective actions (CAPA).
• Drive “Quality at the Source” culture—operators own checks, stop-and-fix mindset, and proactive defect prevention.

4) People Leadership, Coaching & Performance Management

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of hourly associates and leads; set expectations for behavior, output, and standards.
• Conduct daily coaching, recognition, and corrective conversations to reinforce accountability and performance.
• Complete performance documentation as required: attendance, coaching logs, disciplinary actions, and performance improvement plans (in partnership with HR).
• Build a training culture: ensure cross-training depth, skill matrices updated, and certification to standard work.
• Support hiring, onboarding, and ramp-up: participate in interviews, provide role clarity, and ensure new hires meet competency milestones.
• Maintain a respectful, inclusive, high-trust environment aligned to Dr. Squatch values—no shortcuts, no chaos, no drama.

5) Continuous Improvement (CI) & Daily Management System

• Run daily tier meetings and shift scorecards; track and close actions related to Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost.
• Identify losses (downtime, yield loss, labor inefficiency, scrap, rework) and lead structured problem solving (5 Whys, Fishbone, A3 thinking).
• Drive standard work adoption: audit adherence, refresh SOPs, and eliminate variation.
• Partner with Engineering/Maintenance on reliability improvements and preventative actions.
• Support Kaizen events, line trials, and process changes; ensure changes are properly trained and controlled.

6) Materials, Inventory, and Flow

• Coordinate with Warehouse/Materials on raw material staging, component availability, WIP control, and finished goods flow.
• Ensure accurate material transactions if applicable (NetSuite or site ERP): consumption, scrap recording, lot tracking, and production reporting.
• Prevent line starvation and overproduction through strong communication with Planning and Materials.

7) Equipment Care & Maintenance Partnership

• Enforce basic equipment care and operator PMs (clean, inspect, lubricate, tighten where applicable).
• Escalate maintenance issues quickly; ensure tickets are written with clear details and urgency classification.
• Collaborate on reducing repeat failures, improving changeover consistency, and standardizing settings.

8) Administrative & Compliance Responsibilities

• Ensure shift documentation is complete and accurate: batch records, downtime logs, quality checks, training sign-offs, safety forms, and production reports.
• Maintain audit readiness: organized records, traceability, SOP adherence, and clean work areas.
• Participate in internal audits, customer audits, and regulatory inspections (as applicable).

About You:

Required Qualifications

• 3+ years of manufacturing leadership experience (supervising hourly production teams), preferably in CPG, cosmetics/personal care, food, pharma, or chemical processing environments.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams in a fast-paced production environment with high standards for safety, quality, and output.
• Strong working knowledge of standard work, line balancing, and shift execution; root cause problem-solving (5 Whys, Fishbone, CAPA); and KPI management (SQDC, downtime, scrap, labor efficiency).
• Comfort with hands-on shop floor leadership; able to coach operators in the moment.
• Strong communication skills: clear expectations, calm under pressure, structured escalations.
• Proficiency with basic tools (Microsoft Excel/Google Sheets) and willingness to learn ERP systems (e.g., NetSuite).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with cold process soap, cosmetics/personal care manufacturing, or similar batch/fill-pack operations.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, TPM, OEE measurement, or Daily Management Systems.
• Familiarity with HACCP-style thinking, sanitation programs, fragrance controls, and traceability.
• Experience with ERP/MES systems (NetSuite, Parity Factory, or similar).
• Bilingual (Spanish/English) strongly preferred for many manufacturing environments.

Leadership Competencies (What We Look For)

• Safety First Mindset: never trades safety for output.
• High Standards / Low Drama: calm, firm, consistent, and fair.
• Execution Excellence: creates stability and hits commitments.
• Coach + Accountability: develops people while holding the line on expectations.
• Problem Solver: runs toward problems, uses data, fixes root causes.
• Ownership: treats the shift like their business; communicates early and often.
• Team Connector: partners across Quality, Maintenance, Warehouse, Planning.

Physical Demands

• Ability to stand/walk for extended periods on a manufacturing floor.
• Ability to lift up to [50] lbs with or without accommodation.
• Frequent bending, reaching, pushing/pulling, and stair/ladder use (site dependent).
• Must be able to wear required PPE (safety glasses, gloves, hearing protection, etc.).

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