Production Manager at North Freeze Dry LLC – Little Falls, Minnesota

Production Manager

Position Summary

The Production Manager owns day-to-day manufacturing execution and frontline people leadership. This role is the operational backbone of the plant—responsible for hitting production targets, running shifts, managing supervisors and operators, and enforcing standards across safety, quality, and performance.

Bottom line: this role takes the production and workforce management weight off the Plant Manager so they can focus on strategic, capital, and cross-functional priorities.

Core Accountabilities

Production Execution

Own daily, weekly, and short-term production execution against the master schedule.Translate production plans into labor, equipment, and material execution on the floor.Ensure throughput, yield, uptime, and efficiency targets are met or exceeded.Identify bottlenecks and drive immediate corrective action—no waiting, no excuses.Escalate risks proactively with solutions, not problems.

People & Shift Leadership

Directly manage production supervisors and indirectly lead all hourly production employees.Own staffing levels, shift coverage, training, and skill development for production teams.Drive accountability through clear expectations, performance management, and consequences.Partner with HR on hiring, onboarding, discipline, and retention strategies.Build a culture of ownership, urgency, and operational discipline.

Safety, Quality & Food Safety

Enforce safety, food safety, and quality standards on the floor—non-negotiable.Ensure production teams follow SOPs, GMPs, SQF, and regulatory requirements at all times.Partner with Quality to resolve deviations, holds, and corrective actions quickly and effectively.Lead by example in audits, inspections, and daily compliance.

Continuous Improvement

Drive continuous improvement initiatives tied to labor efficiency, downtime reduction, scrap, and rework.Lead 5S, standard work, and operational excellence initiatives within production.Implement process improvements that stick—training, follow-up, and accountability included.

Communication & Reporting

Run daily production meetings and shift handoffs with clarity and discipline.Provide accurate, real-time production performance reporting to the Plant Manager.Act as the primary escalation point for production issues across shifts.

Qualifications & Experience

Bachelor’s degree in Operations, Manufacturing, Engineering, or related field or equivalent hands-on manufacturing leadership experience.Minimum of 5 years leading production teams in a manufacturing environment (food or regulated manufacturing strongly preferred).Proven experience managing supervisors and hourly workforces.Working knowledge of food safety, quality systems, and workplace safety requirements.Strong execution mindset—decisive, direct, and comfortable holding people accountable.

Work Environment & Physical Demands

The work environment characteristics and physical demands described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This job operates within a professional office and plant manufacturing environment. While performing the duties of this job inside the office, the employee is frequently exposed to normal working conditions for an office environment with a noise level that is usually quiet to moderate. While performing duties of this job inside and outside the manufacturing plant, the employee is frequently exposed to normal working conditions of a food manufacturing facility with a noise level that is usually moderate to loud. The role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers and filing cabinets, as well as laboratory instrumentation and equipment.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee may be required to stand for long periods of time as well as use hands or fingers to reach or handle, and to reach with hands and arms. The employee is regularly required to stand, walk, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee will occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. All vision abilities are required to encompass close-up work. On occasion, employee must be able to tolerate and endure extended seasonal hours and maintain alertness to meet deadlines.

Occasionally while performing the duties of this job, the employee may be exposed to machinery and moving parts, airborne particles including grain dust and hazardous materials or fumes, which may require the use of PPE. The employee may be exposed to adverse weather conditions, extended seasonal hours, high precarious places, and confined spaces. The noise level in some of the work environments may require the use of hearing protection.

About the Company

North Freeze Dry, LLC headquartered in Fargo, ND, is a U.S.-based co-manufacturer that produces freeze-dried companion animal food and treats. The Company’s freeze-drying facility in Little Falls, MN is one of the industry’s largest and most fully integrated freeze-drying co-manufacturing facilities. North Freeze Dry, LLC is a joint venture between Anchor Ingredients Co., LLC, a leading supplier of premium ingredients for the food and pet food industries, and Barrett Petfood Innovations, a rapidly expanding co-manufacturer of premium pet foods.

Disclaimer

This job description is not a complete description of responsibility, but reflects the general qualifications, duties and/or responsibilities necessary to perform this position. All candidates who receive a written offer of employment will be required to successfully pass a background check. North Freeze Dry reserves the right to revise the job description as circumstances warrant. North Freeze Dry. is an at-will employer, which means that either the employee or the company may terminate the relationship at any time, with or without notice, and with or without cause. We are an equal opportunity employer.