Food Production Manager Jobs
Food Production Manager jobs are open across food manufacturing, meat and poultry processing, dairy, and packaged goods, from shift supervisor to plant manager level, with specializations in HACCP compliance, production scheduling, and continuous improvement. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Symrise is a global supplier of fragrances, flavors, food, nutrition, and cosmetic ingredients. Its clients include manufacturers of perfumes, cosmetics, food and beverages, pharmaceuticals and producers of nutritional supplements and pet food.
Its sales of € 4.9 billion in the 2025 fiscal year make Symrise a leading global provider. Headquartered in Holzminden, Germany, the Group is represented by more than 100 locations in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the United States and Latin America.
The Columbus facility operates as an innovation-focused manufacturing environment supporting product commercialization, small-scale production, and customer-driven growth initiatives.
Symrise works with its clients to develop new ideas and market-ready concepts for products that form an integral part of everyday life. Economic success and corporate responsibility are inextricably linked as part of this process.
Symrise – always inspiring more…
About the Role
Position Summary
The Production Manager leads all beverage and dry blend operations at the Columbus manufacturing site, driving operational performance, compliance with food safety and regulatory standards, and facility growth. This role establishes systems supporting safety, quality, service, cost efficiency, and employee development, while building future supervisory leadership. Strong cross-functional collaboration is required. Reports to the Plant Manager.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Operational & Production Leadership
- Direct daily production activities for beverage and dry blend operations, ensuring safety, quality, delivery, and productivity targets are met.
- Oversee all manufacturing processes (processing, blending, filling, packaging, sanitation, finished goods), and ensure effective communication, shift handoffs, and escalation routines.
- Collaborate with Planning, Logistics, Quality, Maintenance, and other teams to resolve constraints and meet customer requirements.
- Execute production schedules through effective labor planning and resource allocation.
- People Leadership & Development
- Recruit, train, coach, and develop production staff and future leaders, fostering engagement, accountability, and a culture of continuous improvement.
- Build organizational capability through mentoring, structured expectations, and performance management, supporting succession planning.
- Food Safety, Quality & Compliance
- Ensure compliance with GMP, HACCP, FDA, SQF, and customer/regulatory requirements; maintain audit readiness through documentation, training, and process control.
- Partner with Quality to resolve issues, implement corrective actions, and drive continuous improvement in quality systems.
- Continuous Improvement & Equipment Ownership
- Lead initiatives to improve efficiency, reduce downtime and waste, and enhance productivity, safety, and quality using Lean Manufacturing and performance metrics.
- Support standard work, visual management, KPI tracking, and daily management systems.
- Partner with Maintenance to improve equipment reliability, preventive maintenance, and support new equipment commissioning and process optimization.
- Safety Leadership
- Champion a safety-first culture, ensuring compliance with OSHA, company safety policies, PPE, and safe operating procedures.
- Lead incident investigations, corrective actions, and proactive risk reduction activities.
About You
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Engineering, Manufacturing, Business, Operations Management, or related field preferred.
- Equivalent combination of education and progressive manufacturing leadership experience considered.
- With a Bachelor's degree, must have a minimum 5 years manufacturing experience with at least 2 years of experience in food and/or beverage manufacturing.
- With an Associate's degree, must have a minimum 7 years manufacturing experience with at least 2 years of experience in food and/or beverage manufacturing.
- With a High School Diploma/GED, must have a minimum 10 years manufacturing experience with at least 2 years of experience in food and/or beverage manufacturing.
- Minimum 3 years production leadership experience required. Experience leading supervisors, leads, or multi-functional production teams preferred.
- HACCP certification is required.
- Ability to lead, coach, develop, and hold teams accountable.
- Strong employee engagement and communication skills.
- Ability to develop future leaders.
- Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, production systems, and performance management.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a rapidly changing environment.
- Strong troubleshooting and root cause analysis capability.
Cross-Functional Collaboration - Ability to work effectively with Quality, Maintenance, Supply Chain, Engineering, Commercial, and Product Development partners.
- Ability to balance customer requirements with operational capability.
- Knowledge of food manufacturing equipment, sanitation practices, production processes, and regulatory expectations.
- Ability to learn and support multiple manufacturing technologies.
- Understands production cost drivers, labor utilization, efficiency, yield, waste reduction, and operational KPIs.
Preferred Experience - Candidates with the below additional experience will be prioritized:
- Beverage processing, dry blending, packaging, or ingredient manufacturing.
- SQF, HACCP, GMP, FDA-regulated environments.
- Lean Manufacturing / Continuous Improvement programs.
- New product introduction or commercialization environments.
- Production scheduling and capacity planning.
- Equipment startup, process improvement, and operational scaling.
What We Offer
Become part of our open and transparent culture. It will give you the opportunity to flourish and to develop inspiring experiences that contribute to the health and well-being of consumers in 160 countries around the world. Putting our employees in focus fuels our strong company growth above market rates and makes us an excellent place to develop your career.
Come join us and embark on a fascinating journey with Symrise.
If you feel that you fit the above criteria, then please apply by using our online application system. Your application will be treated confidentially.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.
Job Reference: NA01874
Symrise is a global supplier of fragrances, flavors, food, nutrition, and cosmetic ingredients. Its clients include manufacturers of perfumes, cosmetics, food and beverages, pharmaceuticals and producers of nutritional supplements and pet food.
Its sales of € 4.9 billion in the 2025 fiscal year make Symrise a leading global provider. Headquartered in Holzminden, Germany, the Group is represented by more than 100 locations in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the United States and Latin America.
The Columbus facility operates as an innovation-focused manufacturing environment supporting product commercialization, small-scale production, and customer-driven growth initiatives.
Symrise works with its clients to develop new ideas and market-ready concepts for products that form an integral part of everyday life. Economic success and corporate responsibility are inextricably linked as part of this process.
Symrise – always inspiring more…
About the Role
Position Summary
The Production Manager leads all beverage and dry blend operations at the Columbus manufacturing site, driving operational performance, compliance with food safety and regulatory standards, and facility growth. This role establishes systems supporting safety, quality, service, cost efficiency, and employee development, while building future supervisory leadership. Strong cross-functional collaboration is required. Reports to the Plant Manager.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Operational & Production Leadership
- Direct daily production activities for beverage and dry blend operations, ensuring safety, quality, delivery, and productivity targets are met.
- Oversee all manufacturing processes (processing, blending, filling, packaging, sanitation, finished goods), and ensure effective communication, shift handoffs, and escalation routines.
- Collaborate with Planning, Logistics, Quality, Maintenance, and other teams to resolve constraints and meet customer requirements.
- Execute production schedules through effective labor planning and resource allocation.
- People Leadership & Development
- Recruit, train, coach, and develop production staff and future leaders, fostering engagement, accountability, and a culture of continuous improvement.
- Build organizational capability through mentoring, structured expectations, and performance management, supporting succession planning.
- Food Safety, Quality & Compliance
- Ensure compliance with GMP, HACCP, FDA, SQF, and customer/regulatory requirements; maintain audit readiness through documentation, training, and process control.
- Partner with Quality to resolve issues, implement corrective actions, and drive continuous improvement in quality systems.
- Continuous Improvement & Equipment Ownership
- Lead initiatives to improve efficiency, reduce downtime and waste, and enhance productivity, safety, and quality using Lean Manufacturing and performance metrics.
- Support standard work, visual management, KPI tracking, and daily management systems.
- Partner with Maintenance to improve equipment reliability, preventive maintenance, and support new equipment commissioning and process optimization.
- Safety Leadership
- Champion a safety-first culture, ensuring compliance with OSHA, company safety policies, PPE, and safe operating procedures.
- Lead incident investigations, corrective actions, and proactive risk reduction activities.
About You
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Engineering, Manufacturing, Business, Operations Management, or related field preferred.
- Equivalent combination of education and progressive manufacturing leadership experience considered.
- With a Bachelor's degree, must have a minimum 5 years manufacturing experience with at least 2 years of experience in food and/or beverage manufacturing.
- With an Associate's degree, must have a minimum 7 years manufacturing experience with at least 2 years of experience in food and/or beverage manufacturing.
- With a High School Diploma/GED, must have a minimum 10 years manufacturing experience with at least 2 years of experience in food and/or beverage manufacturing.
- Minimum 3 years production leadership experience required. Experience leading supervisors, leads, or multi-functional production teams preferred.
- HACCP certification is required.
- Ability to lead, coach, develop, and hold teams accountable.
- Strong employee engagement and communication skills.
- Ability to develop future leaders.
- Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, production systems, and performance management.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a rapidly changing environment.
- Strong troubleshooting and root cause analysis capability.
Cross-Functional Collaboration - Ability to work effectively with Quality, Maintenance, Supply Chain, Engineering, Commercial, and Product Development partners.
- Ability to balance customer requirements with operational capability.
- Knowledge of food manufacturing equipment, sanitation practices, production processes, and regulatory expectations.
- Ability to learn and support multiple manufacturing technologies.
- Understands production cost drivers, labor utilization, efficiency, yield, waste reduction, and operational KPIs.
Preferred Experience - Candidates with the below additional experience will be prioritized:
- Beverage processing, dry blending, packaging, or ingredient manufacturing.
- SQF, HACCP, GMP, FDA-regulated environments.
- Lean Manufacturing / Continuous Improvement programs.
- New product introduction or commercialization environments.
- Production scheduling and capacity planning.
- Equipment startup, process improvement, and operational scaling.
What We Offer
Become part of our open and transparent culture. It will give you the opportunity to flourish and to develop inspiring experiences that contribute to the health and well-being of consumers in 160 countries around the world. Putting our employees in focus fuels our strong company growth above market rates and makes us an excellent place to develop your career.
Come join us and embark on a fascinating journey with Symrise.
If you feel that you fit the above criteria, then please apply by using our online application system. Your application will be treated confidentially.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.
Job Reference: NA01874
Food Production Manager Jobs by Experience Level
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Find Food Production Manager JobsFood Production Manager Job Market
Who's Hiring
- The Fresh Market23
- Boar's Head11
- Benchmark Government Solutions11B
- Sodexo6
- Aramark5
Top Industries Hiring
- Distribution & Wholesale
- Food & Beverage
- Healthcare & Medical Services
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in food production manager jobs.
- Three to five years of supervisory experience in a food manufacturing environment
- Working knowledge of HACCP, GMP, and food safety regulatory standards
- Experience managing production schedules and meeting daily output targets
- Familiarity with continuous improvement methodologies such as Lean or Six Sigma
- Bachelor's degree in food science, operations management, or a related field
- Proficiency with ERP or production tracking software systems
Tips for Your Food Production Manager Job Search
Quantify output and yield improvements
Hiring managers want to see numbers, not vague claims. Replace phrases like 'improved efficiency' with specific results: tons processed per shift, waste reduction achieved, or OEE gains you drove. Production-focused employers compare candidates on measurable plant impact.
List your HACCP and food safety certifications
Many applicants bury certifications in a footer or leave them off entirely. Put HACCP, SQF, BRC, or ServSafe credentials in a dedicated section near the top of your resume so screeners see them before reading your work history.
Target openings by production environment type
Job titles vary widely across the industry. Search by environment, not just title: continuous-flow, batch, aseptic, or cold-chain facilities each call for different experience. Matching your background to the right environment type raises your relevance before the first screen call.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists food production manager openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Prepare for scenario questions on downtime
Interviewers for production roles almost always ask how you handled unplanned line stoppages or equipment failures. Prepare two or three specific examples that walk through your diagnosis process, the action you took, and the recovery time you achieved.
Negotiate start date around sanitation or audit cycles
If an offer comes in just before a scheduled audit or a seasonal production peak, your leverage to negotiate terms is lower. Ask about the facility's audit calendar before naming a start date so you can time your entry when the operation has room to onboard you properly.
Food Production Manager Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most food production managers?
The most active employers for food production managers right now are The Fresh Market, Boar's Head, and Benchmark Government Solutions, and the most openings are in California, Illinois, and Virginia, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Large meat processors, dairy producers, and packaged goods manufacturers consistently post the highest volume of openings nationwide.
How many food production manager jobs are remote?
About 2% of food production manager openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting the hands-on nature of most plant-floor roles. The sub-areas most likely to offer remote or hybrid arrangements are production planning, supply chain coordination, and quality systems management rather than direct line supervision.
How do you become a food production manager?
Start by building direct experience on a production floor, ideally in a food or beverage facility, as a line lead or shift supervisor. Pursue food safety certifications like HACCP or SQF to meet baseline employer requirements. From there, demonstrate measurable results in throughput, waste reduction, or compliance, and move into a production manager role as you accumulate team leadership experience.
Can you get a food production manager job with little experience?
Yes, but you'll need to position adjacent experience carefully. Supervisory roles in logistics, manufacturing, or restaurant operations all transfer if you frame them around scheduling, team oversight, and process adherence. Earning a food safety certification before you apply signals commitment to the industry and closes part of the experience gap for employers willing to develop candidates.
What does the food production manager interview process look like?
Most employers run an initial phone screen focused on your production background and certifications, followed by an in-person or video interview with the plant manager or operations director. That second round typically includes scenario questions on downtime, food safety incidents, and labor management. Larger processors often add a facility walkthrough where you're expected to observe and comment on what you see on the floor.
Where can I find and apply to food production manager jobs?
You can find and apply to food production manager jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from employers across the United States. Find roles that fit your background and apply directly to each listing from the job page.
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