Manufacturing Operations Team Lead

A day in the life

When you step onto the plant floor, you’re the conductor—keeping materials, people, and processes in sync. You’ll kick off by checking silo and raw material levels, confirming we have the bulks needed for the day. You’ll review the production schedule, align with the Planner on any risks or changes, and make a purposeful walk-through of each line to ensure teams have the right tools, work orders, and PPE in place. (Floor Supervision – 35%)

What you’ll drive

• Housekeeping (5%) – Champion a clean, safe workplace: sweeping, vacuuming, clearing packaging debris, and ensuring equipment is cleaned. Confirm dust collector drums are emptied on cadence.
• Staging & Shift Handoff (5%) – Lead the shift meeting, stage materials for the next team to minimize downtime, and deliver a shift summary (productivity, downtime, quality concerns). Close the day by emailing the summary report.
• Quality Control (5%) – Verify materials are in date and formulas are followed. Pull samples for QC, adjust batches based on results, and confirm finished goods meet specifications.
• Equipment & Materials (5%) – Escalate maintenance needs, part shortages, failures, and required repairs promptly.

How you’ll lead (25%)

• Represent Production in cross-functional meetings.
• Review and approve timecards and time-off requests.
• Prioritize and allocate work to match demand and skills.
• Build trust with the team; recruit, manage, and develop plant staff.
• Partner with the Production Manager to maximize team productivity.
• Assess and reward performance.
• Build team culture.
• Communicate and motivate effectively.

Skills you’ll use

• 5+ years of plant experience.
• Comfort with math for basic formula weights.
• Ability to read and interpret directions and order details.
• Clear written and verbal communication.
• Proficiency across plant equipment or equivalent experience.
• Microsoft Office proficiency.
• ERP experience (JD Edwards preferred).
• Track record of learning new software/tools quickly.

** REQUIRED SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and experience

• Associate degree or equivalent work experience.

Physical requirements

• Must pass pre-employment physical.
• Lift: Must be able to lift and/or carry a minimum of pounds.
• Push/Pull: Must be able to push/pull 50 pounds.
• Stand: Must be able to stand % of the day.
• Sitting: Must be able to sit % of the day.
• Twisting/Bending: Must be able to twist/bend % of the day.
• Squatting, Climbing and/or Crawling: Must be able to squat/climb/crawl % of the day.

What you’re great at

• Leadership / People Management
• Continuous Improvement
• Equipment Troubleshooting
• Troubleshooting Skills
• Production Optimization
• Lean Manufacturing Principles
• Coaching and Mentoring Experience
• ISO 9001 Certification Experience
• Scheduling Experience

Tools & technologies

• ERP Software
• Forklifts