Manufacturing Lead - Pet Food

We are seeking a results-driven Manufacturing Lead with a background in Mechanical Engineering and hands-on experience in animal feed, pet food, or continuous food processing. In this role, you will oversee day-to-day production operations, drive process reliability, and lead a shift team in producing high-quality pet food products safely and efficiently.
Leveraging your engineering background, you will bridge the gap between production operations, maintenance, and quality assurance-optimizing equipment efficiency (OEE), troubleshooting mechanical/process bottlenecks, and maintaining strict food safety standards (FSMA/HACCP).

Key Responsibilities

• Lead daily shift operations, ensuring output targets, labor efficiency, and schedule adherence are consistently met.
• Direct line operators, technicians, and material handlers to ensure smooth material flow from raw ingredients to final packaged goods.
• Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) including Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), throughput, yield loss, and scrap rates.

• Perform root-cause analysis (RCA) on mechanical downtime, line bottlenecks, and process variability.
• Collaborate with maintenance teams to implement Preventive Maintenance (PM) schedules and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) practices across core equipment.
• Oversee key processing systems: grinding/milling, raw ingredient batching/mixing, twin-screw extruders, dryers, coating systems, and high-speed packaging equipment.
• Drive continuous improvement (Lean/Six Sigma) projects to increase line velocity, minimize changeover times, and reduce energy consumption.

• Enforce strict adherence to FSMA, HACCP, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), and internal quality specifications.
• Ensure full compliance with OSHA safety regulations, Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) protocols, and machine safeguarding.
• Lead sanitation handoffs and verify effective cleaning protocols (CIP/COP) between product runs to prevent cross-contamination and allergen risks.

• Directly supervise, train, and mentor production operators and shift leads.
• Foster a high-accountability culture focused on safety, quality, and technical problem-solving.
• Conduct shift handoffs, performance evaluations, and skill matrix assessments.

Candidate Qualifications

• Education: B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) or related technical engineering discipline.
• Experience: 3-6+ years in a manufacturing environment, with direct experience in pet food, animal feed, grain processing, or continuous food processing.
• Technical Expertise: Solid understanding of thermal processing, extrusion, bulk solids handling, pneumatic conveying, and automated packaging lines.
• Leadership: Proven experience managing shift teams or leading cross-functional manufacturing projects.
• Systems & Safety: Strong knowledge of HACCP, FSMA, OSHA, and PLC-driven automated systems (SCADA/Allen-Bradley).