FOOD PRODUCTION MANAGER
Full-Time | On-Site | Food Manufacturing | Operations
ABOUT THE ROLE
The Food Production Manager serves as the critical link between the COO and the Floor Supervisor, translating strategic operational directives into structured, executable daily plans. This role is designed to own production floor outcomes end-to-end — handling decision-making, performance monitoring, and cross-functional coordination — so the COO can step back from day-to-day operations with full confidence in continuity and efficiency.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. OPERATIONAL PLANNING & EXECUTION
- Independently prepare the daily production plan based on the active sales order list, available raw material inventory, and in-house processing capacity.
- Map out the full production sequence, accounting for sub-assembly requirements and in-house processing stages that must be completed before final product assembly can begin.
- Build buffer time and contingency logic into the plan for common variables such as processing delays, material shortfalls, or equipment downtime.
- Proactively identify bottlenecks and risks before execution begins — resolving what can be resolved, escalating only what genuinely requires COO-level input.
- Make real-time adjustments to the plan during the shift as conditions change, keeping the Floor Supervisor aligned at every step.
- Escalate to the COO only in situations with significant financial, safety, or compliance implications — arriving with a recommendation already prepared.
- Ensure all planning decisions and adjustments are made strictly in accordance with established SOPs.
2. OPERATIONAL OVERSIGHT
- Directly supervise the Floor Supervisor, reviewing task assignments, workflow structuring, workforce deployment, and adherence to the day plan.
- Monitor the full operational chain — from raw material intake and in-house processing through sub-assembly and final production — ensuring each stage flows without avoidable delays.
- Audit and validate decisions made by the Floor Supervisor, providing corrective guidance before issues escalate.
- Coordinate across all floor functions (production, hygiene, equipment, inventory) to ensure operational continuity and efficiency throughout the shift.
- Coach the Floor Supervisor on critical thinking, escalation judgment, and team management to build long-term capability.
- Conduct structured check-ins throughout the shift to track progress against plan and intervene early when deviations occur.
- Serve as the primary decision-making authority on the floor, reducing the need for COO intervention.
3. INVENTORY OVERSIGHT
- Review and validate periodic inventory checks conducted by the Floor Supervisor or floor team.
- Analyse consumption trends and flag discrepancies or inefficiencies in raw material, packaging, or consumables usage.
- Own the decision to trigger procurement notifications, ensuring reordering happens at the right thresholds — not just when stock runs low.
- Hold full accountability for inventory accuracy, with the Floor Supervisor responsible for execution of counts and updates.
- Maintain inventory records aligned with documented SOPs and flag any gaps in inventory management procedures.
4. WORKFORCE & PRODUCTIVITY MANAGEMENT
- Monitor overall workforce productivity and deployment across the floor through the Floor Supervisor.
- Identify skill gaps, underperformance, or misallocations and take corrective action swiftly.
- Approve or revise shift-level task assignments when efficiency or output targets are at risk.
- Lead performance reviews for the Floor Supervisor and provide structured feedback loops to floor workers where necessary.
- Design and oversee training programmes in coordination with HR to address skill development needs.
- Foster a culture of discipline, accountability, and continuous improvement across all floor teams.
5. HYGIENE, SAFETY & COMPLIANCE
- Own compliance outcomes for hygiene, sanitation, and food safety standards on the floor.
- Conduct unannounced spot checks and scheduled audits, holding the Floor Supervisor accountable for maintaining standards between audits.
- Make authoritative calls on production stoppages, equipment quarantines, or corrective actions when safety or contamination risks are identified.
- Ensure all regulatory documentation is accurate, current, and audit-ready at all times.
- Enforce adherence to GMP, HACCP, and applicable food safety regulations across all floor operations.
- Ensure all safety and hygiene procedures are executed per SOPs — and report any missing or outdated SOPs immediately.
6. EQUIPMENT & MAINTENANCE COORDINATION
- Own the equipment maintenance schedule — ensuring all machinery is serviced on time as per SOP. This is a direct Manager responsibility, not delegated to the Floor Supervisor.
- Receive breakdown and fault reports from the Floor Supervisor and take immediate ownership of resolution — coordinating with the maintenance team, triaging severity, and deciding whether to reroute production or halt a line.
- Ensure the Floor Supervisor and floor workers understand their responsibility to promptly report all faults, abnormalities, or equipment issues up the chain without delay.
- Maintain complete maintenance logs and ensure all corrective and preventive actions are documented and closed out per SOP.
- Proactively track recurring equipment issues and escalate patterns that may indicate deeper maintenance or replacement needs.
7. SOP ADHERENCE & GAP REPORTING
- Ensure all actions taken on the floor — across production, hygiene, equipment, inventory, and workforce management — are executed strictly in accordance with established SOPs.
- Continuously identify procedures being carried out without a documented SOP and formally report these gaps to the COO, so that processes can be defined and institutionalised before they cause operational risk.
- Maintain a running SOP gap log and follow up to ensure newly created SOPs are communicated, trained, and adopted on the floor in a timely manner.
- Act as the guardian of process maturity on the floor — not just enforcing what exists, but actively driving the documentation of what doesn't yet.
8. REPORTING & COO COMMUNICATION
- Provide the COO with a concise daily production report covering output vs. plan, exceptions, decisions made, and next-day risks.
- Surface only those issues that genuinely require COO-level input, with a recommendation already prepared.
- Maintain a decision log so the COO has full visibility into what was handled at this level and why.
- Proactively flag trends, risks, or emerging issues before they become critical — keeping the COO informed without pulling them into daily operations.
WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE IN THIS ROLE
- The COO is no longer required to intervene directly on the floor or bypass the Floor Supervisor.
- Daily plans are executed on time and on target with minimal escalations.
- The Floor Supervisor's performance and decision quality improves over time under structured guidance.
- Production efficiency, compliance scores, and inventory accuracy all show measurable improvement within the first 90 days.
- SOP coverage improves consistently, with zero undocumented critical procedures within 6 months.
IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE
- Experience: 5+ years in food production or FMCG manufacturing operations, with at least 2 years in a supervisory or managerial role.
- Leadership: Demonstrated ability to manage supervisors and hold them accountable to outcomes.
- Critical Thinking: Strong analytical skills — comfortable making independent calls under pressure without defaulting to escalation.
- Compliance: Solid understanding of food safety regulations, GMP, and HACCP principles.
- Communication: Clear, structured communicator who can translate complexity into simple direction for the floor and concise summaries for leadership.
- Process Mindset: Naturally inclined to document, systematise, and improve — not just execute.
To apply, please share your CV along with a brief note on a production challenge you owned and resolved independently.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: ₹35,000.00 - ₹45,000.00 per month
Benefits:
- Cell phone reimbursement
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Noida Sector 62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Required)
Application Question(s):
- What is your current monthly salary?
- What is your expected monthly salary?
Education:
Work Location: In person
