Production Manager

Red River Commodities is a leading processor of sunflower seeds and specialty grains, specializing in high-quality, nutritious food products. We pride ourselves on our sustainable practices, innovation, and commitment to delivering superior products to our customers. Our team shares core values focused on quality, innovation, responsibility, and community. We work hard, play harder, embrace authenticity, and always support one another to achieve our goals.

Location: 4040 7th Ave N, Fargo, ND 58102

Job Summary:

SunButter LLC is seeking a Production Manager with experience in food manufacturing, agriculture, consumer packaged goods, or a related production environment. The Production Manager serves as a key leader within the operation and is responsible for creating a safe, engaged, and high-performing workplace while overseeing production, packaging, sanitation, and warehouse operations through frontline leadership teams.

The Production Manager provides servant leadership to operational teams by leading, coaching, and developing supervisors and employees across production, roasting, and warehouse functions. This role ensures operational goals are achieved while fostering a culture of accountability, employee engagement, safety, food safety, quality, and continuous improvement. The Production Manager partners cross-functionally to optimize processes, improve efficiencies, manage costs, and ensure adherence to company policies, food safety programs, and regulatory requirements. The Production Manager is expected to maintain a strong employee-focused mindset, develop leadership capability throughout the organization, and drive operational excellence through continuous improvement, safety, quality, and production performance initiatives.

Key Responsibilities:

Production Operations Leadership

• Lead daily manufacturing operations through supervisors and team leaders to achieve safety, quality, production, cost, and employee engagement goals.
• Establish, implement, and maintain processes and procedures that support safe, efficient, and consistent operations.
• Monitor production performance, material usage, yields, and operational metrics to identify opportunities for improvement and cost savings.
• Ensure standard operating procedures and work instructions remain current, effective, and aligned with business needs.
• Partner with operations leadership to develop staffing plans and allocate labor resources to support business needs and production schedules.
• Support budget objectives by managing labor, material usage, waste reduction, and operational costs while maintaining performance expectations.
• Provide operational leadership coverage as needed to ensure continuity of operations and achievement of departmental goals.

Team Leadership & Development

• Coach, develop, and support supervisors and team members through training, performance management, employee development plans, recognition, and constructive feedback.
• Establish clear performance expectations and hold team members accountable to operational and behavioral standards.
• Ensure all employees are properly trained in safety procedures, food safety requirements, process controls, and operational expectations.
• Oversee timekeeping processes through ADP, ensuring timely review and approval of employee timecards as well as PTO requests and other programs ran through ADP while partnering with supervisors to address attendance issues, exceptions, and payroll discrepancies.
• Foster positive employee relations by addressing concerns, resolving conflicts, supporting employee engagement initiatives, and partnering with Human Resources when appropriate.
• Inspire and motivate employees through consistent leadership, effective communication, accountability, recognition, and alignment with our Core Values.
• Lead by example by demonstrating SunButter's commitment to safety, quality, teamwork, continuous improvement, and servant leadership.
• Identify and develop future leaders within the production organization.

Food Safety & Quality Assurance

• Ensure compliance with all food safety programs, including HACCP, GMPs, allergen controls, sanitation requirements, and regulatory standards.
• Partner closely with Quality Assurance to maintain product quality and food safety expectations.
• Investigate quality concerns and implement corrective and preventive actions.
• Promote a culture of quality ownership throughout the production team.

Safety & Regulatory Compliance

• Champion workplace safety and ergonomic initiatives by identifying hazards, ensuring compliance with safety standards, and driving injury prevention efforts.
• Conduct regular safety observations, audits, and incident reviews.
• Support efforts to reduce workplace injuries and improve overall safety performance.
• Ensure all employees receive required safety training and follow established safety protocols.

Continuous Improvement

• Develop, recommend, and implement continuous improvement initiatives that enhance production efficiency, food safety, quality, employee performance, and overall operational effectiveness.
• Utilize Lean Manufacturing, Root Cause Analysis, and Continuous Improvement methodologies to drive operational performance.
• Support implementation of new equipment, technologies, and process enhancements.

Performance Management & Reporting

• Monitor and report key performance indicators (KPIs) including safety, quality, production output, downtime, labor utilization, waste, and efficiency.
• Investigate operational challenges and quality concerns, determine root causes, and implement sustainable corrective actions.
• Prepare operational reports and provide updates to plant leadership.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Maintenance to maximize equipment reliability and minimize downtime.
• Partner with Supply Chain, Planning, and Warehouse teams to ensure material availability and inventory accuracy.
• Collaborate with Quality Assurance and Food Safety teams to ensure compliance and continuous improvement.
• Support customer audits, regulatory inspections, and certification activities as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications & Requirements:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

• Relatable degree or 3+ years of leadership experience in manufacturing, food processing, agriculture, or a related production environment preferred.

• Strong leadership skills with a demonstrated commitment to servant leadership principles.
• Ability to build, develop, and lead diverse teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong employee relations, coaching, conflict resolution, and performance management skills.
• Knowledge of manufacturing operations, continuous improvement methodologies, and production performance metrics.
• Experience working within food safety and quality systems, including HACCP, GMPs, and sanitation programs preferred.
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret safety procedures, operating instructions, technical documents, and workplace policies.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to effectively communicate with employees at all levels of the organization.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze problems, identify root causes, and implement practical solutions.
• Strong organizational, planning, and decision-making abilities.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and manufacturing-related software systems.
• Demonstrates accuracy, accountability, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Company Benefits:

At Red River Commodities, we value our employees and are committed to providing a supportive and rewarding work environment. As a member of our team, you will enjoy a competitive salary, comprehensive health benefits, and opportunities for career growth and development. Below are some additional benefits that we offer.

• On-demand pay available through Tapcheck
• Paid time off
• Paid Holidays
• 401k & company match
• Profit Sharing
• Employee Assistance Program

Red River Commodities and its subsidiaries are an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws. This applies to all employment practices within our organization. Red River Commodities makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.

We are committed to maintaining a legal and compliant workplace. As part of our hiring process, Red River Commodities participates in the E-Verify program.