Senior Production Manager

Position Summary

The Senior Production Manager oversees daily operations for fresh-cut produce, salad bags, salad bowls, and wet salad manufacturing. This role ensures efficient production, adherence to strict food safety and hygiene standards, optimal staffing, and continuous improvement across the facility. The manager is responsible for delivering high-quality products with very short shelf life, maintaining cold chain integrity, and meeting customer and retail service levels.

Key Responsibilities

1. Production & Fresh-Cut Operations

· Lead daily operations for washing, peeling, chopping, mixing, assembling, and packing fresh salad bags, bowls, and wet salads.

· Maintain strict temperature controls throughout processing to ensure product freshness and safety.

· Manage line set-ups, changeovers, and real-time adjustments to meet fluctuating demand.

· Monitor KPIs: yield loss, throughput, downtime, OEE, and giveaway.

2. Food Safety, Hygiene & Compliance (Fresh-Cut Specific)

· Ensure compliance with fresh produce food safety standards (HACCP, GMP, BRCGS, FSMA, retailer standards).

· Oversee hygiene schedules and sanitation of high-care/high-risk areas.

· Ensure allergen management, cross-contamination controls, and sanitation procedures are consistently executed.

· Partner with QA to manage micro testing programs (Listeria, E. coli, Salmonella).

· Maintain compliance with ready-to-eat (RTE) processing requirements.

3. Cold Chain & Shelf-Life Management

· Ensure all processing, assembly, and packaging occurs within required chilled temperature ranges.

· Monitor cold storage, wash tank temperatures, and product flow to prevent spoilage.

· Minimize time from raw material receipt to finished product dispatch.

· Oversee FIFO, stock rotation, and short shelf-life planning.

4. Raw Material Handling & Supplier Coordination

· Work with procurement and intake teams to ensure daily availability of produce and ingredients (lettuce, leafy greens, vegetables, proteins, dressings).

· Oversee raw material inspection, trimming yields, and waste reduction efforts.

· Manage water use, washing processes, and foreign-body controls for fresh-cut produce.

5. Workforce Leadership

· Manage production supervisors, team leaders, and line staff across multiple chilled departments.

· Ensure team training on hygiene, allergen control, equipment handling, and safety procedures.

· Balance staffing for peak production demand (early morning/night shifts common in fresh produce).

6. Safety & Maintenance Support

· Maintain compliance with facility health and safety policies (OSHA or regional equivalent).

· Support planned preventive maintenance on slicers, dicers, mixers, spin dryers, conveyor systems, MAP (Modified Atmosphere Packaging) equipment, and wash lines.

· Drive safe working practices in wet, chilled, and high-risk production zones.

7. Continuous Improvement & Cost Control

· Lead initiatives to reduce product waste, processing time, and giveaway.

· Implement Lean, Six Sigma, or Kaizen projects relevant to fresh produce operations.

· Optimize line speeds, labor efficiency, and equipment reliability.

· Improve packaging performance and seal integrity for MAP salad bags and bowls.

Experience

· 5+ years managing operations in fresh produce, ready-to-eat foods, or chilled food manufacturing.

· Knowledge of fresh-cut processing, MAP packaging, wash systems, and shelf-life critical control points.

· Strong background in HACCP, GMP, high-care/high-risk food environments.

Skills

· Excellent leadership and communication abilities.

· Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.

· Comfortable working in chilled environments (0–5°C) for extended periods.

· Proficiency with ERP, planning, and production scheduling software.

Working Conditions

· Chilled high-care/high-risk areas with wet environments.

· Early morning or night production schedules may be required.

· Fast-paced, short shelf-life production environment.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

· Production throughput and line efficiency

· Yield performance and raw material waste reduction

· Food safety and quality audit results

· Temperature control compliance

· On-time delivery and service-level achievement

· Employee training and safety performance

Please contact Gary on gbennettts@rutledgergroup.co.uk