Production Superintendent - Protein

We are partnering with a leading protein manufacturer to identify an experienced Production Superintendent to provide operational leadership across a high-volume manufacturing facility.

This is a key leadership position responsible for overseeing production activities, developing frontline leadership, and ensuring the facility consistently meets targets for safety, food safety, quality, yield, productivity, labor efficiency, and on-time production.

The successful candidate will work closely with Production, Maintenance, FSQA, Engineering, HR, and senior plant leadership to optimize daily operations and build a safe, efficient, and high-performing production environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee day-to-day production operations, ensuring production schedules and customer requirements are consistently achieved.
• Directly manage and develop Production Supervisors, Leads, and hourly production employees.
• Establish clear expectations around safety, quality, productivity, attendance, performance, and accountability.
• Monitor production performance against key KPIs including throughput, yield, labor efficiency, downtime, OEE, waste, and quality.
• Ensure production activities comply with USDA, HACCP, GMP, SSOP, food safety, and company requirements.
• Partner closely with FSQA to address quality issues, product holds, non-conformances, and corrective actions.
• Work with Maintenance and Engineering to identify equipment issues and minimize unplanned downtime and production interruptions.
• Optimize labor utilization, staffing levels, line balancing, and production flow.
• Identify and implement opportunities to improve throughput, yield, efficiency, cost, and overall operational performance.
• Lead daily production meetings and communicate performance, priorities, issues, and action plans to plant leadership.
• Analyze production data and develop corrective action plans when performance falls below expectations.
• Maintain high standards of employee safety, sanitation, housekeeping, GMP, and regulatory compliance.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives using Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, 5S, and root-cause analysis methodologies.
• Assist with the implementation and commissioning of new equipment, process improvements, and capital projects.
• Work closely with HR to support recruitment, onboarding, training, employee development, performance management, and retention.
• Ensure production employees receive appropriate training on operating procedures, food safety, quality, and safety requirements.
• Manage labor and operating expenses within established departmental budgets.
• Provide regular reporting to the Production Manager and Plant Manager on operational performance and key issues.
• Promote a culture of safety, accountability, teamwork, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will be an experienced production leader with a strong background within protein, meat, poultry, RTE, food processing, or another high-volume manufacturing environment.

You will ideally bring:

• Bachelor's degree in Operations, Business, Food Science, Engineering, or a related discipline is preferred.
• 5+ years of progressive production experience, including leadership responsibility within a manufacturing environment.
• Proven experience managing production teams in a high-volume food, protein, meat, or poultry processing facility.
• Strong understanding of production flow, labor management, yields, throughput, and manufacturing KPIs.
• Experience leading Production Supervisors, Leads, and hourly production employees.
• Strong knowledge of USDA, HACCP, GMP, SSOP, food safety, and workplace safety requirements.
• Demonstrated success improving throughput, labor efficiency, yield, downtime, quality, and productivity.
• Experience working cross-functionally with Maintenance, Engineering, FSQA, HR, Supply Chain, and Operations.
• Strong understanding of Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement principles.
• Excellent leadership, communication, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to motivate and develop teams within a fast-paced, high-volume manufacturing environment.
• Willingness to work flexible shifts, including nights, weekends, and holidays when required by the operation.

What the Role Offers

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced production leader to join a leading and growing protein manufacturer and take ownership of a critical production function within a high-volume facility.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to make a measurable impact on production performance, throughput, yield, labor efficiency, food safety, and operational excellence, while developing frontline leadership talent and progressing within the organization.