Production Superintendent

1) Daily Execution

• Lead startup: confirm staffing, line readiness, materials, and pre-op/QA requirements.


• Set the plan for the shift: targets, priorities, constraints, and escalation rules.


• Monitor performance in real time (downtime, labor, yield, waste, safety, quality).


• Remove roadblocks by coordinating with Maintenance, QA, Warehouse, Scheduling, and Sanitation.


• Make decisions fast. If it can’t be fixed quickly, escalate with facts and options.

2) Build Supervisor Performance (Addressing Real-World Pain Points)

• Clarify expectations for supervisors and leads: what ‘good’ looks like each hour, each changeover, each shutdown.


• Hold supervisors to ownership.


• Enforce follow-through: every issue has an owner, deadline, and closeout verification.


• Coach in the moment and document patterns. Use progressive discipline when coaching fails.


• Train supervisors on the basics: staffing to plan, downtime response, standard work, and communication cadence.

3) Escalation Discipline (No Surprises)

• Create a clear escalation ladder: what to escalate, to whom, and by when.


• Require supervisors to escalate early with the 5 essentials: what happened, when, impact, current status, and what help is needed.


• Drive “stop the bleed” actions first, then root cause and permanent corrective action.


• End the shift with a clean handoff: unresolved issues, risks, and next actions documented.

4) Safety, Food Safety, and Compliance

• Enforce PPE, LOTO, machine guarding, and safe behavior standards.


• Maintain GMP and sanitation standards; correct deviations immediately.


• Support HACCP-related controls and QA hold/release practices.


• Ensure allergen controls and housekeeping expectations are met.


• Support internal inspections, corrective actions, and audit readiness.

5) Continuous Improvement and Problem Solving

• Lead structured problem solving for repeat downtime, yield loss, waste, and quality issues.


• Drive standard work and visual controls that reduce variability.


• Participate in trials, changeovers, and process improvements; ensure changes stick.

 6) Communication and Reporting

• Run quick, consistent shift huddles: targets, constraints, safety/quality messages, and expectations.


• Maintain accurate production reporting: labor, downtime, yield, waste, and corrective actions.


• Communicate professionally and directly with all departments; align on priorities.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years leadership experience in manufacturing (food preferred) managing hourly and salaried employees, or equivalent.


• Proven ability to drive performance: labor, downtime, yield, and safety/quality results.


• Strong communication, delegation, coaching, and accountability skills.


• Comfortable with data-driven decision-making and production reporting tools.


• Working knowledge of food safety basics (GMPs; HACCP awareness).

Preferred Qualifications

• Food manufacturing experience (breading/battering/frying, packaging, or similar high-volume operations).


• Lean/CI exposure (root cause, standard work, 5S, visual management).


• Experience developing front-line supervisors and leads.

Working Conditions and Requirements

• Plant environment: noise, moving machinery, wet/icy conditions, temperature variation, food-grade dust/odors.


• Allergen exposure: fish/shellfish and other common allergens (wheat, egg, soy, milk, nuts).


• Safety-sensitive role requiring strict adherence to policies and procedures.

First 90 Day Expectation

• Establish a consistent shift cadence (startup, hourly checks, escalation, end-of-shift closeout).


• Standardize expectations for supervisors (what gets checked, reported, and acted on each hour).


• Implement an escalation ladder and make it real—no more surprises.


• Identify top 3 repeat performance killers (downtime, waste, yield, staffing) and drive permanent fixes.


• Develop each supervisor: strengths, gaps, and a clear plan with measurable milestones.