Production Manager

About the role

At Dole Packaged Foods, the Production Manager role is responsible for leading, directing, and driving manufacturing operations to deliver results in safety, quality, productivity, customer service, labor utilization, and cost management. This position partners closely with Maintenance, Quality, Supply Chain, Engineering, Human Resources, and Plant Leadership to achieve business objectives while fostering a culture of continuous improvement, employee engagement, and operational excellence.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage all production operations to meet established goals for safety, food safety, quality, productivity, labor efficiency, service, and cost control.
• Provide leadership, coaching, and development for Production Supervisors, Leads, and production associates.
• Establish clear performance expectations and hold leaders accountable for operational results and employee development.
• Promote a safety-first culture and ensure compliance with environmental, health, safety, food safety, GMP, regulatory, and company requirements.
• Develop and execute strategies to improve operational performance, capacity utilization, productivity, and manufacturing efficiency.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives using Lean Manufacturing, root cause analysis, problem-solving methodologies, and waste reduction programs.
• Monitor and analyze production performance metrics, including productivity, labor efficiency, downtime, yield, recovery, throughput, and customer service levels.
• Partner with Maintenance and Engineering teams to improve equipment reliability, production efficiency, and operational uptime.
• Collaborate with Quality and Food Safety teams to ensure compliance with all quality standards and regulatory requirements.
• Manage departmental budgets and labor costs while identifying opportunities to improve operational effectiveness and reduce manufacturing costs.
• Develop staffing plans and workforce strategies to support operational requirements and future growth.
• Lead employee engagement, succession planning, talent development, and performance management activities within the production organization.
• Oversee training programs to ensure employees are properly trained and qualified to perform assigned responsibilities.
• Lead investigations and corrective actions related to safety, quality, employee relations, productivity, and operational incidents.
• Ensure effective communication of business priorities, operational goals, and performance expectations throughout the organization.
• Support capital projects, operational expansion efforts, process improvements, and implementation of new technologies.
• Maintain positive working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5–8 years of manufacturing experience, preferably within food manufacturing, consumer packaged goods, beverage, pharmaceutical, or other high-volume production environments.
• Minimum 3 years of progressive leadership experience managing supervisors and manufacturing teams.
• Strong experience leading multi-shift manufacturing operations.
• Demonstrated success managing production performance, labor efficiency, quality, safety, and operational KPIs.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, continuous improvement, root cause analysis, and operational excellence methodologies.
• Strong understanding of GMPs, food safety requirements, quality systems, and regulatory compliance.
• Experience managing labor planning, workforce utilization, scheduling, and staffing needs.
• Proven ability to develop supervisors, build high-performing teams, and drive employee engagement.
• Strong analytical and decision-making skills with the ability to interpret operational data and identify improvement opportunities.
• Excellent organizational, planning, and project management capabilities.
• Effective communication and relationship-building skills with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.
• SAP experience preferred.
• Fluent English required; bilingual Spanish preferred.

Education & Certification

• Bachelor’s degree in Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing, Business Administration, Food Science, or a related field required.
• If no degree, equivalent combination of education and relevant manufacturing leadership experience may be considered.
• Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or other operational excellence certifications are a plus.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to lift up to 15 pounds.
• Ability to climb stairs and access production areas.
• Requires standing, walking, stooping, bending, reaching, twisting, and other physical movements throughout the workday.
• Ability to work safely in a manufacturing environment with exposure to production equipment, noise, varying temperatures, and moving machinery.

Work Environment

• Cold, refrigerated, and freezer environments.
• Fast-paced, high-volume food manufacturing setting.
• Industrial production environment with associated noise levels.
• Availability to support off-shift operations, weekends, and business-critical production needs as required.

Travel Requirements

• Limited travel is expected (less than 10%).