Position: Production Manager - Food Manufacturing
Shift: Primarily Monday–Friday day shift, with responsibility for all three shifts (24/6 operation)
Compensation: $120-132k plus 15% bonus
Location: Rossville, TN
Our client, a family-owned food manufacturer expanding into the U.S., is looking for a Production Manager to join the operations team at their new Rossville, TN facility. This is an established plant now being converted into a modern, automated production site, and the company is in an active startup phase building out the team, the processes, and the culture from the ground up.
This is a hands-on leadership role reporting directly to the Plant Director. You'll oversee a growing team of salaried supervisors and the hourly production workforce, with responsibility for high-speed manufacturing lines, including processing and packaging. The company is moving fast and changing constantly as it ramps from roughly 90 employees today toward a projected 400 within 4-5 years, so this role will be heavily involved in building the systems and standards as the plant scales.
Key requirements:
· 3-5 years of production management experience in food manufacturing
· Proven track record in a high-change, entrepreneurial, startup-style environment
· Prior experience in a non-corporate, family-owned business, startup, or plant expansion is a strong plus
· Strong people leadership skills: ability to coach, develop, and hold an hourly workforce accountable for production targets
· Proven ability to multi-task and manage shifting priorities in a fast-paced environment
· Strong planning, analytical, and problem-solving skills
· Degree or diploma in a related field is a plus but not required
· Must be authorized to work in the United States for any employer; sponsorship is not available
Our client offers a base salary of $120-132k plus a 15% performance bonus, competitive benefits package, 401k match, and very strong PTO plan. Relocation assistance is also available. This is a ground-floor opportunity to grow with the company as it scales its first U.S. operation.
The Wickline Group is a national recruiting firm, specializing in the placement of professionals from supervisory to executive level within food manufacturers, foodservice distributors, wholesale grocers, supermarket operators, big box retailers and third-party logistics organizations.
By specializing almost exclusively within the food industry, we are able to stay abreast of industry trends that impact the positions and skill sets that are in the most demand, and most importantly, forge long-term relationships with the industry’s most sought-after employers.
Within the industry, we serve three main sectors:
We have long-standing relationships with key decision-makers within Fortune 500 food manufacturers as well as strong local and regional independents and co-packers.
Job opportunities are typically available in these areas:
Production
Quality
Maintenance
Sanitation
Plant Management
Engineering
Logistics / Supply Chain
Support – HR, Accounting, etc.
We have a proven track record of success with the country’s leading foodservice distributors, wholesale grocers and third-party logistics (3PL) providers.
Job opportunities typically available in these areas:
Warehousing
Operations Management
Sales & Marketing
Accounting & Finance
General Management
Transportation
Facilities & Fleet Maintenance
Purchasing / Merchandising
Human Resources
Corporate / Executive Leadership
We maintain strong relationships within well-respected supermarket chains and strong independents throughout the US as well as internationally.
Our typical searches include:
Store Managers
Department Managers
Merchandisers / Specialists
Corporate-Level Directors
Co-Managers
District / Regional Managers
Category Managers / Buyers
HR / Accounting / Support