Production Lead - 1st Shift

At Russell Stover, not only do we love chocolate, but we love our jobs! Every day we go to work exhibiting our values of excellence, innovation, entrepreneurship, responsibility, and collaboration. Working at Russell Stover you'll be part of the leading manufacturer of boxed, seasonal, and sugar-free chocolates. For over 100 years, Russell Stover Chocolates, Whitman's, and Pangburn's have been crafted with the finest ingredients to bring happiness to generations. Today, we produce over 55 million pounds of chocolate annually, and our legacy brands can be found in 13 company-owned stores and over 9,000 wholesale accounts. Join our team and let's continue making chocolate lovers happy!

A day in the life...

As the Production Lead, you will champion the iconic Russell Stover brand by having a direct role in the chocolate production process from beginning to end. You will be responsible for ensuring each piece of candy that comes out of our facility is "Only the Finest" quality that our customer have grown to expect. The key responsibilities include but are not limited to:

What will you be doing?

• Direct, control, monitor, assist and train employees assigned to a specific area, line or team per Supervisor's instructions.
• Must be able to communicate with and delegate tasks to team members.
• Operate machinery, equipment and tools in a safe and proficient manner according to standards, guidelines and instructions.
• Maintain records, deliver, inspect and perform all activities required of other members of the area, line or team.
• Must be able to read and understand rules, tapes, scales and thermometers.
• Must be able to read and understand product specifications established by Russell Stover Candies and recognize deviations from those specifications.
• Performs clean-up activities as assigned.
• May be asked to perform other duties as determined by proper authority.
• Must be able to set up, and mange production line, and off line projects.
• Must be able to modify shift schedule as needed.
• Adhering to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) guidelines to ensure product quality and uphold food safety standards.
• Learning to Identify and address potential food safety hazards, process deviations, or non-conformities, while maintaining proactive communication with supervisors.
• Documenting food safety and quality procedures, maintaining detailed records of monitoring, verification, and corrective actions.

Do you have what it takes?

• 1 year experience working in a manufacturing environment.
• Lead or supervisor experience a plus.
• 18 years of age.
• Ability to follow formula cards.

Do you stand above the rest?

• Preferred candidates will have 5 years of increasing supervisory experience in a food manufacturing setting.
• Working knowledge of SAP & Microsoft Office Products.
• Must have ability to routinely and frequently stand, stoop, bend, climb and lift to meet cleaning requirements.
• Strong analytical abilities
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Ability to prioritize multiple tasks and objectives
• A thorough understanding of management responsibilities with a positive and energetic leadership style.

What it's like at the Russell Stover Plants

• Safety. Your safety is important to us, so we provide protective gear. We also go through an in-depth Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) training on your first day and continue to share safety tips daily
• Surroundings. You'll be working around different machines - Schubert's, forklifts, electric pallet jacks, and chocolate candy banks/steels.
• Activity. Some activities may require standing in one place for long periods, walking around, or climbing stairs/ladders, and routinely lift 50 lbs.
• Temperature. You will be comfortable year-round with our climate-controlled environment. Our temperatures are consistently around 63F but could fluctuate depending on your specific role.
• Smell. You will enjoy a variety of deliciously sweet aromas and you may end your day smelling like chocolate!
• Dress code. Relaxed, with a few rules to follow for food safety, personal safety and in guidance with our good manufacturing practices (GMP). Comfortable, Safety-toe shoes are required. Leather, imitation leather, or rubber boots or shoes must be worn in the kitchen and other areas when working around hot liquid/product or hot water.

At Russell Stover Chocolates, we don't just accept difference - we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products, and our community. Russell Stover Chocolates is proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace.

We provide equal employment opportunities to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, religion, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, protected medical condition, genetic information, military service, veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by law.

Employment by Russell Stover Chocolates is contingent upon I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification, passing the urinalysis drug screen, education verification, and satisfactory reference and background checks.

Make Happy. Work Happy.

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