Production Superintendent

Title: 2nd Shift Production Superintendent, 2pm-9pm

Location: Lafayette, IN area
* Full Relocation assistance provided!*

A large food‑processing facility is seeking a 2nd Shift Production Superintendent to oversee deboning operations. This role provides strategic and day‑to‑day leadership for production teams, ensuring safe, compliant, and efficient workflow across the department. The superintendent directs front‑line supervisors, drives continuous improvement initiatives, and ensures operational targets for safety, quality, throughput, training, and cost performance are consistently achieved.

• Plan, manage, and prioritize departmental production activities to meet goals for safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
• Provide direction to Supervisors and teams, ensuring strong communication, accountability, and consistent execution of production plans.
• Lead daily review of production performance and drive corrective actions where needed.
• Champion Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement efforts focused on waste reduction, efficiency gains, standard work, and employee engagement.
• Review production KPIs such as yields, downtime, rework, labor utilization, and safety trends; identify issues and implement root‑cause‑based solutions.

• Partner with safety leadership to maintain and enforce department safety programs and PPE requirements.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory standards, food safety and quality programs, and customer specifications, including USDA, HACCP, GMP, SQF, and internal policies.

• Work closely with Maintenance, Quality Assurance, Food Safety, and Sanitation to optimize throughput and ensure seamless production.
• Adjust schedules and priorities as needed due to equipment downtime, staffing issues, or production demands.
• Lead, coach, and mentor Production Supervisors, ensuring strong leadership development, cross‑training, and succession planning.
• Set expectations, review individual and team performance, and approve performance evaluations for both direct and indirect reports.
• Create a positive, respectful working environment built on fairness, communication, and high ethical standards.

• Monitor and manage departmental labor, material use, and operating costs to maintain budget alignment.
• Utilize structured problem‑solving tools, process control strategies, and cross‑functional teamwork to exceed production targets.
• Partner with HR to address employee relations matters, support talent selection, and contribute to workforce retention strategies.

• High school diploma or GED required; bachelor’s degree strongly preferred.
• At least 5 years of progressive leadership experience in a high‑volume protein or manufacturing environment.
• Strong background in Lean/Continuous Improvement methodologies.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams with a focus on safety, quality, training, and performance development.
• Ability to thrive under pressure in a fast‑paced, high‑throughput manufacturing setting.
• Excellent communication skills—both written and verbal.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and decision‑making abilities.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook, Word) and production reporting systems.
• Willingness to work varied shifts, extended hours, weekends, and overtime as needed.
• Commitment to food safety, ethical business practices, and compliance with all safety requirements.
• Openness to ongoing training and professional development.