Production Shift Manager- Weekend Night

Utz Quality Foods is seeking an experienced Production Shift Manager to lead our team at our Kings Mountain, NC facility. This role oversees all production activities on the assigned shift, ensuring safe, efficient operations while meeting quality, food safety, and production goals.

The Shift Manager leads Production Supervisors, monitors labor and equipment performance, resolves operational challenges, and partners with cross-functional teams to drive results. This individual also develops talent, promotes accountability, and supports continuous improvement through our Integrated Work Systems (IWS) initiatives.

Food manufacturing and sanitation experience are essential for this position. Because weekends are heavily focused on sanitation activities, candidates must have a strong understanding of both production operations and sanitation processes.

This position follows a rotating weekend schedule:

• Week 1: Friday through Sunday

• Week 2: Thursday through Sunday

• Hours: 6:00 PM – 6:30 AM

The schedule rotates every two weeks.

Responsibilities:

• Leads, coaches, and develops the Production Supervisor and holds the supervisory team accountable for safety, quality, productivity, and people-related results on the assigned shift.

• Directs daily processing and packaging operations for the assigned shift and serves as the escalation point for production, quality, safety, and personnel issues.

• Executes the production schedule efficiently and maintains quality, adjusting for downtime, equipment issues, staffing gaps, or supply shortages as needed.

• Monitors and analyzes labor hours and crew size needed to efficiently run production lines, and adjusts staffing and line assignments in real time.

• Partners with HR and the Production Manager on interviewing, hiring, onboarding, training, performance evaluations, attendance, and corrective action for shift personnel.

• Ensures appropriate training is delivered and documented for all shift personnel to ensure proper job performance and cross-training coverage.

• Ensures production of quality product by ensuring all processing and packaging standards are upheld.

• Develops and implements methods of achieving plant performance and efficiency to meet plant and corporate goals.

• Analyzes and assesses line level performance, drives process improvements, and identifies and reduces waste.

• Manages material usage and waste, including film waste, on assigned lines to support cost initiatives.

• Monitors and analyzes RedZone for packaging and fryer efficiencies, quality checks, and downtime, and ensures root causes of losses are addressed

• Ensures work orders and preventative maintenance tasks are entered and tracked in EAM, and coordinates with Maintenance and Sanitation to minimize downtime.

• Ensures data integrity and accuracy in the ERP data system through execution and monitoring of production transactions.

• Works with production planning, quality, maintenance, warehouse, and other departments to ensure production attainment and schedule adherence goals are achieved.

• Communicates shift performance, issues, and priorities through shift handoffs and regular updates with the Production Manager and other shift leaders.

• Supports and sustains Integrated Work Systems in the plant to include maintaining and communicating line level KPIs and performance standards.

• Assists with month end inventory counting and ensures inventory accuracy for the assigned shift.

• Responsible for the safety performance of the assigned shift while supporting the culture of safety and health through active engagement with employees and the maintenance of a safe work environment.

• Follows and enforces all GMP and food safety practices and all applicable requirements of the SQF system.

• Follows instructions and training for reporting and escalating food safety problems to appropriate personnel.

• Flexible to work additional shifts and extended hours as needed based on business demand.

• Performs other duties as assigned that impact and support the overall outcome of the company and department objectives.

Requirements:

• High School Diploma or GED required; Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Operations Management, Food Science, Business, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience preferred.

• Prior leadership experience in a production or food manufacturing environment, including experience leading supervisors or multiple production lines.

o Packaging and processing operations

o Fryer machines and packaging machinery

o Sanitation procedures in a food production setting

External Recruitment Process:

• Easy Application (5 mins): Introduce yourself and answer a few key questions to get started. 

• Engaging Chat Interview (20-25 mins): Share your experiences in an online chat, highlighting how your values align with ours. 

• Live Interview: Selected candidates will meet with the hiring manager to explore their alignment with the team and overall Utz company culture. 

Continuously Pursuing Excellence! 

Here at Utz, we have a passion for exciting and delighting consumers with delicious snack foods made from high quality ingredients.  After over a century with a strong family heritage, our diverse portfolio of brands includes Utz, Zapp’s, Boulder Canyon, and On the Border. Our associates are the reason for the success of this company, so it is important we provide a supportive, caring and inclusive environment that offers opportunities for career growth and advancement.  We also help take care of our associates by providing benefits, resources, and programs that ensure they live their healthiest lives.  Our full-time benefit package includes medical, dental, and vision plans, an employer match 401k, profit sharing plan, employee stock purchase plan and much more.  Join our world class team and help us become the fastest growing pure-play U.S. snacking company of scale! 

Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. 

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