Director of Production Tarrier Foods Corp. - 3.6 Columbus, OH Job Details Full-time $120,872.25 - $140,050.45 a year 1 hour ago Benefits Health savings account Relocation assistance Health insurance Dental insurance 401(k) Paid time off Parental leave Vision insurance 401(k) matching Professional development assistance Life insurance Retirement plan Qualifications Capacity requirements planning (CRP) Manufacturing management Strategic management Teamwork Production data analysis Coaching Resource planning methods MRP Manufacturing facility experience Team development Key Performance Indicators Production planning Master production scheduling (MPS) Workforce management Lean management Managing food or beverage production teams Manufacturing company experience

Full Job Description SUMMARY:

The Director of Production is responsible for providing both strategic and day-to-day leadership of the facility's production operations. The Director leads a Production Department of approximately 50 employees through Production Coordinators and frontline leaders. This role oversees production planning, scheduling, workforce performance, and the development of production personnel to ensure safe, efficient, and consistent execution of manufacturing objectives. As a key member of the leadership team, the Director of Production will work closely with the Plant Manager and cross-functional partners to resolve operational challenges, improve processes, identify risks, and support the facility's long-term performance. This position requires an experienced, hands-on manufacturing leader with strong operational judgment and a demonstrated ability to develop leaders and improve manufacturing performance.

POSITION DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Production Leadership & Execution Assume primary ownership of the day-to-day operations and performance of the Production Department. Lead, coach, and develop production personnel. Maintain a consistent presence on the production floor and establish clear expectations for safety, quality, productivity, attendance, housekeeping, and accountability. Ensure production teams have the leadership, staffing, materials, equipment, information, and training necessary to successfully execute each day's production plan. Identify operational issues early, establish corrective actions, and follow through until issues are resolved. Create a culture of accountability, teamwork, empowerment, urgency, professionalism, and continuous improvement. Serve as the primary point of leadership for production-related issues and escalate significant business risks to the Plant Manager when appropriate. Production Planning & Scheduling Own and manage the facility's daily and weekly production schedule in coordination with customer demand, inventory requirements, labor availability, material availability, equipment capacity, sanitation requirements, and other operational constraints. Translate customer and business requirements into achievable daily and weekly production plans. Establish production priorities and communicate schedules to the Production Management Team. Monitor production performance throughout each shift and adjust labor, equipment, sequencing, and priorities as necessary. Improve schedule attainment and reduce downtime, changeover losses, unnecessary overtime, and production disruptions. Work proactively with other departments to identify material, staffing, equipment, or capacity constraints before they impact production. People Leadership, Training & Development Develop Production Coordinators and frontline leaders into confident, accountable managers of their teams. Establish clear roles, responsibilities, performance expectations, and accountability throughout the Production Department. Establish and maintain effective production-specific onboarding, qualification, cross-training, and skills-development processes in partnership with Training and Development, Human Resources, Quality, and other appropriate functions. Ensure employees are properly trained and qualified to perform assigned responsibilities safely and effectively. Build leadership depth within Production through coaching, cross-training, succession planning, and the identification and development of high-potential employees. Ensure employees are trained, qualified, and consistently performing work to established standards. Provide regular coaching and performance feedback and participate in performance reviews and corrective action processes as appropriate. Partner with Human Resources and plant leadership on staffing requirements, recruiting needs, retention, employee relations, and workforce development. Safety, Food Safety & Quality Reinforce a safety-first culture and ensure production activities are performed in accordance with company safety policies and applicable regulatory requirements. Ensure compliance with company food safety, quality, sanitation, GMP, allergen, traceability, labeling, and documentation requirements. Partner closely with Quality personnel to investigate production or quality issues and implement effective corrective and preventive actions. Support customer, regulatory, certification, and internal audits as required. Take immediate action when conditions could compromise employee safety, product quality, food safety, or customer requirements. Exercise the authority and responsibility to stop production or equipment operation when conditions present an unacceptable employee safety, product quality, food safety, or customer requirements risk and ensure appropriate corrective action is taken before operations resume. Operational Performance & Continuous Improvement Establish, monitor, and communicate key performance indicators. Develop, maintain, and continuously improve daily and weekly production reporting that provides clear visibility to production performance, operational losses, staffing requirements, emerging risks, and priorities. Establish a consistent operating cadence for reviewing production performance with Production Coordinators and plant leadership and ensure identified actions are assigned, tracked, and completed. Identify bottlenecks, recurring problems, and inefficient processes and lead efforts to eliminate root causes. Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, labor efficiency, capacity, waste reduction, and organization. Use data and production results to make decisions and establish priorities rather than relying solely on reactive problem-solving. Cross-Functional Leadership Work closely with the Plant Manager, plant leadership, and cross-functional partners to ensure alignment on operational priorities and requirements. Participate in capacity planning, labor planning, equipment planning, new product introductions, and other operational initiatives. Partner with Maintenance, Quality, Sanitation, Supply Chain, and other operational departments to resolve constraints and ensure production requirements are effectively supported. Communicate production risks, resource requirements, performance issues, and recommended solutions clearly to the Plant Manager. Qualifications Required 7+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing operations, production management, or a related field. 3+ years of significant leadership responsibility managing production teams and frontline leaders. Demonstrated experience developing and managing production schedules in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. Proven ability to lead, coach, develop, and hold employees accountable. Strong understanding of manufacturing productivity, labor management, capacity planning, scheduling, and continuous improvement. Experience using production data and KPIs to identify problems and improve operational performance. Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities. Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills. Ability to effectively balance immediate production requirements with longer-term organizational improvement. Comfortable spending significant time on the production floor and working directly with employees at all levels of the organization. Ability to work flexible hours as operational needs require. Preferred Bachelor's degree in Operations Management, Engineering, Business, Supply Chain, Food Science, or a related field; equivalent manufacturing leadership experience will also be considered. Leadership experience in food manufacturing, food packaging, contract manufacturing, or a similarly regulated manufacturing environment. Experience with GMPs, food safety programs, HACCP, SQF/BRC or similar food safety certification systems. Experience with ERP/MRP systems and manufacturing scheduling tools. Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, 5S, or other continuous improvement experience. Experience managing multiple production lines, departments, shifts, or a diverse product portfolio.

Pay:

$120,872.25 - $140,050.45 per year

Benefits:

401(k) 401(k) matching Dental insurance Health insurance Health savings account Life insurance Paid time off Parental leave Professional development assistance Relocation assistance Retirement plan Vision insurance

Work Location:

In person