TITLE: Manager, Production

DEPARTMENT: Production

REPORTS TO: Sr. Operations Manager 

About the Role

The Production Manager will lead and manager a dynamic team of Supervisors, Leads, and Associates on the production floor. You will be responsible for the overall production operations, ensuring efficient and high-quality output in meal, snack, and beverage plating and packaging. Your leadership will drive operational excellence, continuous improvement, and team performance to meet and exceed organizational goals.

How You’ll Make a Difference 

As a Production Manager, you will provide critical leadership in overseeing the lean production process in our Production area, ensuring that operations run smoothly and efficiently. Your responsibilities will include:

Lead People & Culture

• Hire, onboard, and develop Supervisors/Leads/Associates; build a cross-trained, high-engagement, inclusive team.
• Set clear goals, coach performance, and hold teams accountable to SOPs, quality, safety, and productivity standards.
• Provide daily guidance to ensure Product Specification and assembly procedure are followed; instruct proper food handling, storage, and service.
• Conduct regular safety meetings; reinforce expectations, recognition, and constructive feedback.

Run the Operation (Production, Materials, & Scheduling)

• Execute daily/weekly plans for plating and packing; manage changeovers, task/standard work, and on-time, in-full (OTIF) shipments.
• Balance labor and line capacity to demand using staffing/production planning tools and real-time dashboards; escalate constraints with options.
• Ensure materials readiness, accurate labeling/lot control, and proactive shortage resolution; maintain documentation and traceability.
• Manage schedules and coverage; ensure punctuality, accountability, and tight shift handoffs.

Safety, Food Safety & Compliance

• Enforce OSHA/EHS standards and drive a proactive safety culture through safety walks, near-miss reviews, and incident investigations.
• Ensure CGMPs, HACCP, and FSMA preventive controls (allergen control, sanitation, traceability) and local health code compliance.
• Maintain sanitation standards (pre-op/post-op), complete verifications/validations, support internal QA audits, and close CAPA actions.

Continuous Improvement & Reliability

• Sustain 5S/area organization and visual management; deploy PDCA/5 Whys to reduce waste, rework, and downtime.
• Improve Units per Labor Hour, yield, first-pass quality, scrap, and downtime; support OEE gains with Maintenance/Operations.
  Participate in trials, menu changes, equipment/layout improvements, and small projects to enhance safety, quality, and throughput.

Plan, Report & Communicate

• Lead start-up/shift-change huddles; keep line boards/dashboards current and communicate menu plans (including dietary/special requirements).
• Partner cross-functionally with Culinary, Kitchen, Warehouse, Maintenance, QA, and Development to set goals and remove constraints.
• Prepare and present periodic reports on production performance and COGs; monitor trends and recommend data-driven improvements.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• OTIF; schedule adherence; Units/Labor Hour; first-pass quality; yield & waste; downtime; COGs accuracy; safety leading indicators/TRIR; FSQA/audit scores.
• Other duties as assigned - Additional tasks, responsibilities, or projects may be assigned as business needs evolve.

Who You Are 

• Associates/Bachelor degree or Manufacturing/Operations certificate preferred (or equivalent experience).
• 4+ years of leadership in production/manufacturing; food or CPG highly preferred.
• Extensive food/commissary production experience and lean manufacturing expertise.
• Strong culinary background with HACCP and safe food-handling knowledge.
• Highly proficient with Production dashboards; fluent in plating sequence execution, labeling, and material verification.
• Tech-savvy, process- and data-driven; proficient with staffing/production planning tools, ERP/MES basics, and Excel/Google Sheets.
• Effective leader and communicator; able to coach for throughput/efficiency, balance feedback, escalate appropriately, and collaborate cross-functionally.
• Proficient in mid- and near-term resource planning/allocation using lean principles; adheres to company SOPs.

Our Culture

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential values at Thistle. We know we do our best and most impactful work when we feel we are represented and belong. We're proud to actively recruit and hire talented people from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences.  We do not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on any legally recognized basis (“protected class”), including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, citizenship, national origin, color, hairstyles, hair texture, religion or religious creed, age, sex (including pregnancy), gender identity, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, veteran or active military status, marital status, criminal record, genetics, retaliation, sexual harassment or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.