Production Manager

MUSH is a place where driven individuals unlock their highest potential, and as part of a team of high performers, accomplish extraordinary feats. If you want to build a reputation of doing hard things well, and aspire to make the world a little healthier, MUSH may be a great place for you. 

Our first product line of ready-to-eat overnight oats pioneers a new category for the breakfast occasion, offering a healthy, satiating, and convenient alternative to traditional morning meals. By making healthy food more accessible, we believe that humankind can feel, think, and do better. 

In just a few years, we’ve expanded from weekend farmers markets to over 10,000 retail doors including Whole Foods, Costco, Sprouts, Target, and 7-Eleven as well as many high-end specialty stores, coffee shops, and gyms. We are ready to build a world class team that can execute on the huge opportunity ahead of us. 

Role Description

The Production Manager will provide first-level support to front line employees and drive continuous improvement in our facility’s production lines. The ideal candidate possesses a quality-first mentality, excellent technical aptitude, outstanding soft and leadership skills, and a relentless work ethic. He/she will manage the process, people, and productivity related to manufacturing across all shifts.

Specific Responsibilities - General Manufacturing 

• Manage a team of 45-60 associates to ensure Safety, Quality and Productivity goals are met 


• Conduct pre-shift meetings with incoming team to discuss daily objectives and topics related to previous shift, GMPs, metrics, and general plant updates


• Review and study production schedule to identify gaps and risks while collaborating with Performance Manager, Supervisors, and other peers to balance work schedule


• Regularly review and update departmental SOPs to ensure they are current and being followed by all team members


• Uphold product quality, sanitation, and traceability standards by performing regular line and paperwork checks 


• Develop and motivate the team to solve day-to-day operational issues and achieve goals


• Work closely with other departments within operations to ensure production continuity:
  
  
  
  • HR: support your staff, identify gaps, and strengthen your roster
  
  
  • Maintenance: troubleshoot and improve equipment uptime
  
  
  • Quality: an ally to drive efficiency and first-pass quality
  
  
  
  

Specific Responsibilities: Personnel Management

• Set consistent expectations and drive accountability for daily schedule attainment, employee attendance, and performance


• Champion the involvement and development of all employees to promote an engaging workplace where winning becomes a habit 


• Provide regular formal and informal evaluations and feedback on the performance of hourly associates to ensure you have the right team in place and satisfy Production goals


• Develop weekly employee schedule; validate the time and attendance of your team through daily/weekly reviews of team timecards on BambooHR


• Conduct necessary training for new and existing employees to ensure adherence to performance, safety, and quality standards


• Address employee concerns and personnel issues within your team and administer disciplinary actions for performance, attendance, and other violations as needed

Specific Responsibilities - Manufacturing Performance and Continuous Improvement

• Manage production plans on a shift by shift basis to prevent issues and operational inefficiencies


• Ensure production attainment goals are met


• Identify and drive continuous improvement initiatives within the production department


• Collaborate with Performance Manager on conducting root cause analysis on days attainment is not met and take action to address the issues


• Perform root cause analyses, problem solving, and follow-up related to operational and safety incidents within the department


• Develop root cause analysis using 5-Why, Fishbone diagram, etc. to re-align operational performance with goals and objectives


• Quantify waste; initiate projects to eliminate it; prove results quantitatively


• Request and allocate resources to ensure we meet production demands (capacity & personnel)


• Execute efforts to track process performance to include productivity and cost based on Performance Manager’s direction

Tactical Requirements

• B.S. in Industrial (or related) Engineering; M.S. a plus


• 5-7 years experience in food manufacturing to include leading teams 


• Be a true people leader, understand how to rally teams and get them to perform


• Live and breathe Lean/TPS Manufacturing practices - JIT, 5S, 5 Why, Production Leveling, Kaizen, Standard Work, etc


• Mastery of Production KPIs, chiefly OEE and what drives it


• Courageous: have the courage to try new things and make difficult decisions 


• Self starter, with a desire to learn, grow, and evolve as a professional 


• Ability to multitask, prioritize and work in an extremely fast-paced environment


• Impeccable attention to detail and exceptional organizational skills 


• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills


• A beginner’s mind and hands-on approach: Genchi Genbutsu!

Cultural Requirements:

• Teammate: know when to follow, know when to lead; always serving others


• Beginner’s Mind: provide possibilities, options, and solutions


• Communicator: use tact and precision to communicate ideas, issues, and feedback


• Self-Starter: there is no turn-key manual for success, you are helping to build one


• Results Driven: you demand results, but focus on the robust processes that yield them


• Attention to Detail: unwavering discipline with little things that make big differences


• Relationship Builder: customer first mentality with all internal & external counterparts


• Problem Solver: expect the unexpected; be agile & effective in combating issues 


• Thrive on Adversity: our goals are lofty and our values are grounded in humility. We bite off more than we can chew and roll our sleeves up when the situation calls for it.


• Fun: check the fun box every day. Love what you do & do it well.