Production Lead at Cam Dairy Foods Limited

Role Summary
This is a great opportunity to lead and drive Câm’s production team members and activities. You will be responsible for supervising all production and process activities from raw material reception to finished product release. You will supervise and ensure the consistent production, quality and storage of products that at minimum meet customer and regulatory requirements on time and to specification, in a safe and efficient manner to the company’s specified service and cost objectives. You are responsible for making sure employees are safely and properly performing their duties to ensure food safety and quality of products manufactured at the facility.
Responsibilities include:

• Coordinate processing and production activities 
• Know and understand all equipment in the factory from staging, consuming and processing materials to packaging and storage.
• Understand product and process specifications and be able to identify, execute and communicate all aspects where required
• Create and implement daily production plans by scheduling and assigning personnel and resources; accomplishing work results; establishing priorities; monitoring progress; revising schedules; resolving problems; reporting results of the processing flow on production documentation and shift production summaries
• Maintain workflow by monitoring steps of the process; setting processing variables; observing control points and equipment; monitoring personnel and resources; studying methods; implementing cost reductions; developing standard operating and reporting procedures and systems; facilitating corrections to malfunctions within process control points
• Perform all work in accordance with company standards and established safety procedures
• Involvement in the hiring and training of new employees and referring employees for promotions
• Resolving personnel problems by analyzing data; investigating issues; coaching, counseling and disciplining employees; initiating, coordinating, and enforcing systems, policies and procedures
• Identify training opportunities and needs within the production operations team. 
• Participate in the development of training programs and curriculum with relevant cross-functional teams.
• Ensure employees are following GMPs, keeping their area clean at all times
• Train team members in their various jobs in a way that promotes safety, a “zero harm” work environment, quality, and productivity
• Ensure that the production team is engaged, motivated and has regular welfare, mentoring and performance evaluations
• Enforce GMPs, champion HACCP, and support compliance with food safety programs and regulatory requirements.
• Isolate any products that do not meet the established quality standards or may cause a food safety hazard
• Ensure the safe receipt, storage, retrieval, warehouse control, and timely processing of raw materials, products and orders
• Create and revise systems and procedures by analyzing operating practices, record-keeping systems, forms of control, and budgetary and personnel requirements; implementing changes and identify solutions; recommend courses of action
• Lead team meetings and cross functional workshops
• Provide manufacturing information by compiling, initiating, sorting, and analyzing production performance records and data; answer questions and respond to requests
• Have an understanding of basic maintenance and downtime causes
• Act in partnership with cross-functional teams, with the ability to identify personnel and teams to effectively address issues
• Ensure key performance indicators are met 
• Monitor excess wastage and make sure this is controlled and reduced
• Improve the process and production operations through detailed data collection and analysis, root cause analysis, continuous performance reviews and implementation of ideas to save costs
• Lead root cause analysis of all issues and incidents that happen on shift, report on cause of deviation and indicating and/or take corrective actions
• Audit the use of SOP’s on a continuous basis
• Promote and maintain effective communication within the team
• Report near miss incidents/accidents
• Promote a culture of health and safety as well as continuous improvement 
• Initiate and foster a spirit of collaboration within and between teams

Skills and Attributes:

• Passion for food development
• Excellent planning, organisational and communication skills
• High degree of integrity 
• Strong attention to detail
• Ability to work as part of a diverse team
• Excellent people management skills
• Superb problem solving skills - ability to anticipate problems and be proactive with regards to solving them
• Ability to work under pressure in a dynamic, fast-paced environment
• Ability to perform with a high level of professionalism
• Flexible and able to adapt to change
• Motivated and energised by challenges and opportunities to address them
• Strong listening skills 
• Self-motivated
• Ability to prioritise and delegate tasks efficiently 

Role requirements:

• 5+ years experience working in a manufacturing environment (previous experience in a food, drink or pharmaceutical production/processing facility preferred)
• 3+ years managing teams of people in a production environment
• Bachelor’s degree in related field 
• Experience in process development
• Experience in equipment maintenance
• Knowledge of GMPs, HACCP, and other food safety and prerequisite programs including allergen control, food defense, product release, preventative maintenance, approved supplier, environmental sampling, cleaning and sanitation and pest control
• Food safety certification is a plus (e.g. HACCP, GMPs, SQF, ISO 22000)
• Basic proficiency in Microsoft Office tools e.g. Word, Excel, Outlook, and Navision.
• Fluent in English 

Reporting lines: The Production Lead reports to the Factory Manager and the CEO.