Production Supervisor

PB Leiner is one of the world’s leading producers of high-quality gelatins and collagen peptides, supplying the food, pharma, health nutrition, and technical applications markets. With a global presence and approximately 1,100 collaborators worldwide, PB Leiner is part of Tessenderlo Group.

About the role

Leads and owns all production activities on an assigned shift to ensure the safe, efficient, and compliant manufacture of gelatin and related byproducts. This role sets the tone for the shift by leading by example, reinforcing expectations, and driving accountability across a team of 15–20 union production operators. The position operates with a high level of autonomy, making timely decisions and resolving issues in real time while ensuring effective communication with day shift and key stakeholders (Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, EHS, and Operations Leadership).

Responsibilities

• Lead the shift with a visible, hands-on presence, setting clear expectations and holding team members accountable for performance and behaviors.
• Establish the tone for safety, quality, teamwork, and operational discipline through consistent leadership actions.
• Lead, coach, and develop union employees to build capability, ownership, and engagement.
• Make timely, sound decisions to address production, people, and equipment challenges with limited on-site support.
• Lead structured shift kickoff meetings covering safety topics, KPI performance indicators, production priorities, sanitation expectations, deviation review, and critical maintenance items.
• Ensure clear, timely communication across shifts to drive continuity of operations and alignment on plant priorities.
• Partner and escalate issues when necessary with cross-functional teams including Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, EHS, and Warehousing to resolve issues and execute plans.
• Provide detailed and actionable shift handoff updates outlining plant status, risks, and support needs for the next shift/day.
• Supervise and coordinate gelatin production activities to meet or exceed safety, quality, yield, and throughput targets.
• Monitor KPIs and take proactive action to address gaps in performance.
• Identify, escalate, and resolve process deviations to minimize impact to production and quality.
• Drive adherence to standard work, operating procedures, and process controls.
• Promote and maintain a strong safety culture; ensure compliance with all safety policies and proactively address hazards.
• Actively participate in behavioral-based safety visits, behavioral near-miss reporting, and encourage the use of risk assessments for increased safety awareness.
• Ensure adherence to GMP, food safety, and regulatory requirements at all times.
• Own product quality on shift, ensuring specifications, documentation, and traceability requirements are met.
• Reinforce sanitation standards and ensure execution aligns with expectations.
• Check routinely with on-shift maintenance technicians to troubleshoot equipment issues and prioritize corrective actions.
• Support basic troubleshooting and facilitate rapid response to equipment failures.
• Communicate clearly to Maintenance leadership regarding unresolved issues, priorities, and required follow-up actions.
• Coordinate and prioritize preventative and corrective maintenance activities to minimize downtime.
• Manage labor resources including overtime scheduling, staffing coverage, and work assignments, including providing information to support payroll.
• Review inventory levels and coordinate with Purchasing and Warehousing to ensure material availability.
• Support cost control and continuous improvement initiatives within production and environmental areas.
• Identify and implement process improvements to enhance efficiency, reduce waste, and improve performance.
• Plan and execute CIPs with Maintenance for both efficiency and effectiveness.
• Ensure accurate and timely completion of production reports, yield tracking, and operational documentation.
• Review processing documentation for lot cutoffs, traceability, and compliance.
• Maintain clear records of shift performance, issues, and actions taken.

Requirements

• High school diploma or GED; some secondary education is a plus.
• 5–8 years of relevant experience in a similar position.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Proficiency in MS Office.

Schedule

This is a relief Supervisor position covering a 4-on, 4-off schedule (12-hour shifts). Outside of covering other Supervisor shifts, the hours will be Monday to Friday, 8-hour shifts from 5:00 PM to 1:00 AM.

Work Environment

Exposure to a manufacturing environment with noise, machinery, and varying temperatures.

External applicants must currently be eligible to work in the US. Benefits are available from day one.