Production Manager – (Food Manufacturing, Multi-Shift Operations & LEAN Leadership)

Up to $130,000 · Greater Madison, WI · A specialty food contract manufacturer in the middle of a major facility expansion — 1st, 2nd, and 3rd shift openings available for a people-first floor leader ready to scale with a fast-growing operation.

• Experience 5+ years of food manufacturing or high-speed industrial production leadership required
• Comp Up to $130,000 — commensurate with experience | Full benefits
• Shifts 1st, 2nd, and 3rd shift openings available
• Scope Direct oversight of shift supervisors + up to 90 indirect reports
• Location Greater Madison, WI — onsite | Must reside within 45 minutes
• Auth U.S. citizen or Green Card holder required — no sponsorship

This is a full-time, permanent Production Manager opportunity with a rapidly expanding specialty food contract manufacturer that supplies some of America's largest food brands. The company is currently doubling its footprint — adding secondary buildings and investing heavily in automation — which means this is not a role where you are walking into a stable, fully built operation. It is a high-growth environment where your decisions matter, your performance is visible, and the opportunity to grow with the organization is real.

The culture here rewards leaders who are on the floor, not in an office. The facility recently scored a 96/100 on a critical food safety audit — a direct reflection of a team that takes quality seriously and holds itself to a high standard. For a production leader who has been capped out at their current organization or is looking to join something with genuine momentum, this is the right conversation to have.

What you will be doing

• Managing all shift activities across multiple production lines — safety, quality, output, and continuous manufacturing flow
• Serving as the facility's food safety champion — preparing teams for SQF, USDA, FDA, and organic audits
• Partnering with the Plant Manager to develop weekly performance plans and close production metric gaps through Root Cause Analysis and corrective actions
• Owning shift-level spending, aligning with budget targets, and identifying opportunities for cost reduction and equipment maintenance
• Mentoring and developing shift supervisors through skip-level meetings, coaching, and a high-engagement leadership approach