Production Supervisor – Food Manufacturing

Position Summary

The Production Supervisor is responsible for leading and coordinating daily manufacturing operations to ensure the safe, efficient, and compliant production of high-quality food products. This role oversees production personnel, optimizes labor and equipment utilization, drives continuous improvement initiatives, and ensures all production activities comply with food safety, quality, regulatory, and company standards. The Production Supervisor serves as a key leader in fostering a culture of safety, accountability, teamwork, and operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities

Production & Operations Management

• Supervise and coordinate daily production activities to achieve safety, quality, productivity, cost, and service objectives.
• Ensure production schedules are executed efficiently while meeting customer demand and on-time delivery requirements.
• Monitor production performance and take corrective actions to address downtime, bottlenecks, waste, and inefficiencies.
• Optimize workforce utilization, equipment performance, and material flow to maximize operational effectiveness.
• Partner with Maintenance, Quality, Supply Chain, and Warehouse teams to ensure uninterrupted operations.

Food Safety & Quality Compliance

• Ensure compliance with all food safety programs, including HACCP, GMPs, sanitation procedures, allergen controls, and company quality standards.
• Promote a culture of food safety and quality awareness throughout the production team.
• Verify that production processes consistently meet product specifications and regulatory requirements.
• Support internal, customer, and third-party audits and implement corrective and preventive actions as required.
• Investigate quality incidents, deviations, and customer complaints, driving sustainable corrective actions.

Safety & Regulatory Compliance

• Maintain a safe work environment by enforcing company safety policies, OSHA requirements, and environmental standards.
• Conduct routine safety observations, audits, and employee coaching to minimize workplace hazards and incidents.
• Lead incident investigations and implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
• Ensure employees are trained and compliant with all required safety procedures and regulatory standards.

Leadership & Employee Development

• Lead, motivate, and develop production team members to achieve departmental objectives.
• Conduct performance evaluations, maintain performance documentation, and provide regular coaching and feedback.
• Develop employee skills through structured training, cross-training, and succession planning initiatives.
• Foster a culture of accountability, engagement, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Manage employee attendance, scheduling, and staffing requirements to support operational needs.

Continuous Improvement

• Lead Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives focused on productivity, quality, safety, and cost reduction.
• Utilize root cause analysis methodologies to identify and eliminate process inefficiencies.
• Monitor and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) including safety, quality, labor efficiency, yield, downtime, and schedule attainment.
• Participate in process improvement projects, equipment upgrades, and operational excellence initiatives.

Documentation & Reporting

• Maintain accurate production records, training documentation, performance records, and compliance-related documentation.
• Prepare and communicate production reports, KPI metrics, shift handoff information, and operational updates.
• Ensure data accuracy within ERP systems and other production management tools.

Required Qualifications

Education & Experience

Preferred:

• Bachelor’s degree in food science, Food Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, or a related field.
• 3-5 years of leadership experience in a food, beverage, consumer packaged goods (CPG), or regulated manufacturing environment.
• Experience supervising hourly production employees in a fast-paced manufacturing setting.

Preferred Experience

• Experience with HACCP, GMP, SQF, BRC, FSMA, or similar food safety and quality systems.
• Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Continuous Improvement, or Kaizen experience.
• ERP experience, preferably SAP.
• Project management experience.
• Experience with automated manufacturing equipment and process optimization.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong leadership, coaching, and team development skills.
• Excellent organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret production and performance data.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and manufacturing information systems.
• Knowledge of food manufacturing regulations, food safety programs, and quality systems.
• Ability to prioritize multiple tasks while maintaining attention to detail.
• Bilingual (English and Spanish) is preferred.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Safety Performance (TRIR, Near Miss Reporting, Incident Rate)
• Food Safety & Quality Compliance
• Schedule Attainment
• Labor Productivity & Efficiency
• Yield and Waste Reduction
• Production Efficiency and Downtime Reduction
• Employee Training Completion
• Employee Engagement and Retention
• Customer Service Performance
• Continuous Improvement Savings and Project Completion

We are a global leader in taste, scent, and nutrition, offering our customers a broader range of natural solutions and accelerating our growth strategy. At IFF, we believe that your uniqueness unleashes our potential. We value the diverse mosaic of the ethnicity, national origin, race, age, sex, or veteran status. We strive for an inclusive workplace that allows each of our colleagues to bring their authentic self to work regardless of their religion, gender identity & expression, sexual orientation, or disability.

Visit IFF.com/careers/workplace-diversity-and-inclusion to learn more