Production Manager

JOB DESCRIPTION

A fish and seafood primary processor is responsible for cleaning, checking and preparing fish and seafoods.

As a primary processor, you’ll gain a steady hand and build exceptional coordination deboning fish and separating crustaceans with ease. The repetition of this job allows you to really hone your skills, and you’ll learn all the tips and tricks to quickly prepare seafood!

You can count on a low stress environment working as part of a larger team to collectively meet daily targets. Seafood plants are renowned for their family- like environments that are welcoming to all.

THE WORK ENVIRONMENT

To know what’s truly happening at the plant, you’ve got to be “on the floor” working with the team. A Production Manager will make their way around the entire operation daily, meaning that they are frequently on their feet, moving around, lifting, twisting, reaching, climbing and crawling. They really have a good sense for what is happening in every inch of the plant!

It’s not uncommon for a Production Manager to work long 12-16 hour shifts and have extremely busy days, especially in peak seasons. A certain amount of endurance and physical fitness is required to fulfill your duties.

Seafood plants tend to run on the cold side to keep the products at a certain temperature which reduces spoilage, but you also might encounter some hot areas and freezers throughout the day. As with all manufacturing plants, you can expect a higher noise level with the machinery running constantly, as well as exposure to dust, fumes, humidity, darkness and more.

PPE is required when in the production facility, including gloves, hair/ beard nets, steel toe boots and shoes, aprons, and possibly masks or hard hats depending on the area. As a manager, you may also be working at a desk or travelling from time to time.

As a manager, you may also be working at a desk or travelling from time to time.

FACT: A “Production Manager” is a core career in the industry, all Food and Beverage manufacturing facilities have a product manager on staff. Meaning that this career is transferable to any manufacturing industry!

PRODUCTION MANAGER SALARY

Low Range

$48k+ annually
$25 per hour

Average

$100k+ annually
$51 per hour

High Range

$138k+ annually
$71+ per hour

*Annual salary calculated by 37.5 hr work week, and by a 52 weeks per year

A Production Manager is a big job requiring a formal education and years of experience overseeing business operations and managing people. It’s a tough, but rewarding job, with a significant amount of responsibility and ultimate accountability for the final product. As such, Production Managers earn a comparable salary to their level of responsibility.

Compensation will vary based on your level of experience and a proven track record of effectiveness and efficiency. Employers are seeking to remain competitive and they rely on their management team to optimize the plant’s efficiency with good judgment, and critical thinking and analysis.

Some nice perks that can come with the job include full health and wellness benefits, dental, vision care, RRSP contributions, paid vacation and bonus pay. Occasionally employers will pay signing bonuses and provide allowances towards moving & relocations, or alternately room and board when working remote. In this role there’s a lot of autonomy allowing for more flexible scheduling to better suit your work-life balance. While the peak seasons are crazy busy (aka you may have no life during that period of time), on the flip side, the off seasons are quite relaxed and give you a greater chance to take a break.

PRODUCTION MANAGER JOB DUTIES

Some of the job duties of a fish and seafood primary processor are:

Plan, organize, direct, control and evaluate the operations of a fish or seafood processing plant.
Work with Plant Manager and leadership team to develop a production plan and set measurable objectives. Implement strategies that provide a clear sense of direction and focus and help achieve the goals.
Manage a team of production supervisors, team leads, HACCP & QA, and frontline staff. Ensuring full and proper training of all employees.
Collaborate with the HR department to manage employee performance, using various strategies to successfully engage and motivate your team.
Determine what labour resources are required to achieve production and business goals, and set performance metrics for each department to track and monitor productivity
Develop systems and processes that track and optimize productivity and standards
Analyze processing operations, spending and budgets to identify areas of waste or low productivity and allocate resources appropriately using good judgement and strong decision-making skills.
Develop and monitor annual budgets
Develop and manage equipment maintenance schedules and recommend the replacement of machines, tools or equipment.
Manage inventory of raw materials, finished products, and production supplies
Plan and implement changes to machinery and equipment, production systems and methods of work
Make worker health and safety a top priority, ensuring that PPE is always worn, safety procedures are being observed and other occupational hazards are addressed.
Observe all food safety regulations and ensure the plant is actively taking steps to comply with all requirements.
Ensure overall quality of the final product
Identify areas for continuous improvement

BECOMING A PRODUCTION MANAGER

Competitiveness & Availability

This is a hands-on industry, so employers are looking for candidates who have 10 + years of experience in a manufacturing setting–even better if that experience is directly in the food or seafood processing industry. Employers are also seeking a formal education in a business management related field. With this combination of skills and expertise, we’re talking about a pretty narrow groups of candidates!

It’s always important to remember, that any type of management position is limited by the number of positions available, as organizations typically only need 1 or 2 people to fill each of the roles; meaning that there’s a lower availability than other positions such as a supervisory roles. However, even though there are a limited number of positions, companies sometimes struggle to find the right person to fill the role, and ultimately may end up accepting a candidate with lesser experience-which may be a great opportunity for you to step up into the role and grow with it!

Advancement Opportunities

A Production Manager is part of the high-level organizational leadership, and as such, there aren’t as many opportunities for advancement. With enough experience, you could graduate into the Plant or General Manager, increasing to an overall accountability for the business as a whole, including the products.

It’s also possible to advance into a senior leadership position, such as a CEO. If you advance into a CEO position, it’s likely that you’ll hold an office job, not working in the production facility anymore. It’s important to consider that changing from the production life to office work is a drastic scenery switch and may not suit your personality, so you may choose to stay hands-on within the plant. Advancement opportunities can also come from switching employers where you could have the opportunity to oversee larger operations and make a bigger impact!

Education

Employers are ideally seeking individuals with a degree or diploma in a business related field, such an MBA, business management, organizational management, Project Management, etc. They need someone who has sound knowledge of business operations and management principles – and it’s a bonus if you have any experience in an HR related field.

There’s no question about it, when you’re overseeing the whole production line, managing client accounts, vendors, and communicating with auditors, you need to be good at working and communicating with people. It’s the “bread and butter” of what you do – so, if your team isn’t “on your side” and working with you, your success may be limited. Strong interpersonal and leadership skills are required. Consider leadership, change management and other emotional intelligence courses to add to your arsenal of skills.

Qualifications

Ability to manage large and complex projects
Computer literate–familiar with food safety and traceability softwares and MS office suite
Strong team building, decision-making and people management skills
Familiarity with HACCP and relevant industry regulations