Food manufacturer in the Middletown, NY area is seeking a Production Manager that is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of their food manufacturing lines, ensuring safety, quality, and throughput targets are met or exceeded. This role provides direct leadership to a unionized workforce, requiring strong labor relations skills, a collaborative approach to conflict resolution, and consistent application of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). The ideal candidate brings a robust background in food safety and lean manufacturing, with an understanding of USDA regulations highly valued.

Key Responsibilities Labor Relations & Team Leadership:

Manage, coach, and develop a multi-shift unionized production team. Ensure strict and consistent compliance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), handle first-step grievances, and partner with Human Resources and union stewards to foster a collaborative workplace culture.

Operational Excellence:

Drive daily production schedules to meet volume targets while minimizing waste and labor variance. Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) such as OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness), yield, and downtime.

Food Safety & Compliance:

Maintain a culture of uncompromised food safety. Partner with the Quality Assurance team to ensure full compliance with FDA standards, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), and HACCP plans. Ensure lines are inspection-ready for regulatory audits.

Continuous Improvement:

Implement Lean Manufacturing principles (e.g., 5S, Kaizen, root-cause analysis) to optimize workflows, eliminate bottlenecks, and reduce operational costs.

Safety & Training:

Cultivate a "Safety First" environment by ensuring all union team members receive proper training on machinery operation, lock-out/tag-out (LOTO), and OSHA regulations. Investigate and address safety near-misses or incidents immediately.

Qualifications & Experience Experience:

5+ years of production leadership experience in a food or beverage manufacturing environment.

Union Management:

Direct experience managing a unionized workforce is required. Must demonstrate strong conflict-resolution skills and familiarity with labor contract administration.

Regulatory Background:

Solid understanding of food safety regulations (FDA, GMP, HACCP). Prior knowledge of USDA regulations (FSIS) is highly preferred but not required.

Technical Skills:

Proficient in ERP/MRP systems (e.g., SAP, NetSuite) and manufacturing data tracking. Strong understanding of mechanical processing and packaging equipment.

Education:

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Food Science, or Engineering preferred; equivalent extensive manufacturing leadership experience will be considered. #jdp