Job Title: Production Manager
Department: Operations
Reports To: Director of Operations
Site: US Waffle - Hazelwood
FLSA Status: Exempt
Updated: January 2026


SUMMARY
Cérélia's newly established Frozen Breakfast Business Unit is driving an ambitious growth strategy, backed by two manufacturing facilities: US Waffle in Liberty, SC, and in Hazelwood, MO. To effectively support the rapid scaling of operations at our state-of-the-art Hazelwood facility, Cérélia is seeking a dynamic and skilled Production Manager to join our team in Hazelwood, MO

We are looking for a Production Manager that provides manufacturing leadership to deliver superb products that meet customers’ and quality standards and ensure excellence in team performance including achieving safety, quality, sanitation, and productivity targets. Create and sustain a nurturing environment that empowers, supports, and develops our employees. This diverse and unique position will expose the ideal candidate to manufacturing and quality processes and plant upkeep.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Leadership & Culture

• Inspires continually to seeks opportunities to learn and share the learned knowledge with direct reports and team.
• Shows composure, responding consistently, openly, and courageously in all situations.
• Demonstrates humility when leading others. Takes a stand for what is right and admits their mistakes.
• Assures compliance to all procedures and policies concerning all areas of quality, regulatory, safety and human resources.
• Exhibits strong leadership skills, mentoring staff, evaluating employee performance, dealing with performance & behavioral issues, and hiring.
• Works with HR to ensure shifts are staffed appropriately.
• Works closely with safety, training, quality, maintenance, and R&D departments to drive a culture of continuous improvement.
• Drives accountabilities and responsibilities by effectively communicating expectations and changes to production and sanitation teams.

Production Team/ KPI

• Ensures that finished products are consistently manufactured meeting customers’ and quality standards and expectations.
• Plans, assigns, and directs production activities and establishes production priorities for products in keeping with effective operations and cost factors.
• Coordinate’s production activities with purchasing, scheduling, engineering, quality and maintenance to obtain maximum production and utilization of personnel, machines, and equipment.
• Supervises and coordinates activities of production employees directly or through supervisors.
• Oversees/coordinates on-going training and compliance of team members.
• Oversees and reports weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual metrics. Identifies trends and assess opportunities to improve processes and execution.
• Approves production schedules to ensure that goals are met, and finished goods inventories and shipments are maintained at the proper level.
• Work extensively with continuous improvement on cost reduction and performance improvement opportunities.

Quality Assurance

• Partner with Quality Assurance in implementing and maintaining the effectiveness of the quality system.
• Actively participates on food safety committee and lead assigned quality initiative issued by the committee.
• Follows established programs, policies, and practices to produce safe, quality foods that meet SQF, regulatory, company, and customer requirements and ensure team compliance to these policies and procedure.
• Ensures daily GMPs audits are conducted by production supervisors and corrective action are documented and conduct RCA on reoccurrences.
• Ensures customer complaints and product/ process deviations are analyzed to the root cause and address any people related actions.
• Ensures production team meets sanitation requirements during production and disassembly.
• Interim sanitation manager providing direction and objectives for the sanitation supervisor and ensuring sanitation program is complaint to regulatory guidelines. Follow established programs, policies, and practices to produce safe, quality foods that meet SQF, regulatory, company, and customer requirements.
• Perform quality control tests and ensure dough meet quality standards and customers’ specifications.
• Reports to the production supervisor any issues or suggestions to improve quality performance or the working environment.

Health & Safety

• Follow company safety policies and practices fostering a safe workplace and environment for ourselves and our co-workers.
• Makes SAFETY a priority, while carrying out his /her daily activities.
• Maintains a safe, clean and sanitary working environment always.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s Degree in related field (Business, Engineering, Food Science, or technical field) or equivalent experience required.
• Bilingual (Spanish) preferred by not required.
• Experience with continuous improvement methods such as Six Sigma (DMAIC methodology), Lean (Kaizen events, Value Stream Mapping, 5S, etc.) preferred
• 3+ years in a management or leadership role.
• 5 or more years of experience in an industrial environment, preferably in food manufacturing.
• Extensive knowledge of bakery operations/processing/formulations preferred but not required.
• Proficiency in MS Office and SAP systems

Communication and Analytical Skills:

• Ability to effectively communicate with all levels of team members in a manufacturing environment.
• Active listening skills.
• Effectively use key performance indicators and data analysis to drive results.
• Demonstrated cost reduction, problem solving, analytical and decision-making skills.
• Attentive to details to be able to identify issues, trends, and drive solutions.

Other Skills and Abilities:

• Demonstrates expertise in handling multiple projects and meeting deadlines in a complex manufacturing environment.
• Flexibility to work off-shifts, including days or nights, weekends, or holidays.
• Excellent follow up skills.
• Great people skills, maintaining a positive attitude, and the ability to motivate people.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

• Ability to read and interpret quality documents, safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities, with a proactive and solutions-oriented mindset.

DIRECT REPORTS
The Production Manager will have direct responsibility for managing the following roles:

• This position has a team of 1-2 Production Supervisor, continuous Improvement, providing guidance, training, and support.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; sit; use hands, handle, or feel; and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to moving mechanical parts, outside weather conditions, and energized equipment. The noise level in the work environment varies depending on tasks.

OTHER DUTIES

• Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

POSITION TYPE/EXPECTED HOURS OF WORK

• This is a Full Time, permanent position
• Exempt position 40 hours per week, and it may require working additional hours depending on business need requirements.
• This is an on-site position and not a candidate for remote work.