Assistant Production Manager

Echo Lake Foods is a leading manufacturer of ready-to-eat egg products and breakfast foods, including waffles, pancakes, French toast, scrambled eggs, omelets, and egg patties, serving major retail, foodservice, and national restaurant customers across the United States. Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Burlington, Wisconsin, the company operates multiple production facilities throughout the Midwest and has built a strong reputation for quality, innovation, and customer partnerships.

In 2025, Echo Lake Foods was acquired by Cal-Maine Foods, Inc., the largest producer and distributor of fresh shell eggs in the United States, marking an exciting new chapter of growth. This partnership strengthens our resources, expands our capabilities, and supports continued investment in our people, facilities, and products.

Creating new opportunities for employees to grow their careers within a stable and expanding organization.

Position Summary

The Assistant Production Manager supports the Production Manager in overseeing daily production operations to ensure safe, efficient, and compliant manufacturing of food products. This role provides hands-on leadership for Supervisors, Leads, and line teams on assigned shifts, helping enforce GMPs, HACCP, food safety programs, customer specifications, and productivity standards.

The Assistant Production Manager helps drive continuous improvement, resolves day-to-day operational issues, and steps in for the Production Manager as needed to keep the shift running toward its goals for safety, quality, service, and cost.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Execution & Shift Leadership Oversee assigned production lines and shifts to meet schedule requirements, output targets, labor plans, and customer expectations. Support the Production Manager in implementing production strategies that drive efficiency, minimize downtime, and improve productivity. Assist with proper line staffing, cross-training, and labor utilization in coordination with HR and Supervisors.

Lead daily shift meetings and participate in production planning and cross-functional meetings as assigned. Monitor KPIs (Efficiency, OEE, Throughput, Waste, Yield, Labor Utilization) for assigned lines and escalate variances to the Production Manager. Serve as the point of contact for production issues in the Production Manager's absence.

Quality, Food Safety & Specification Adherence Help ensure finished products meet customer and internal specifications for quality, appearance, weight, coding, packaging, labeling, and palletization. Support compliance with HACCP, CCP/CP monitoring, allergen control, SQF/FSMA requirements, and internal audit standards.

Assist with product hold/release processes and support root cause analysis for deviations or non-conformances. Work with QA to help enforce corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) and maintain continuous compliance readiness. Reinforce operator and Supervisor adherence to quality control procedures, documentation standards, and verification steps.

GMP, Safety & Regulatory Compliance Support a culture of safety and GMP excellence across assigned production areas. Help ensure employees follow GMPs, proper gowning, sanitation rules, and hygiene procedures. Conduct routine floor walkthroughs focused on safety, GMPs, housekeeping, and equipment conditions. Partner with EH&S to support compliance with OSHA, LOTO, machine guarding, ergonomics, and accident prevention programs.

Help ensure assigned production areas meet or exceed audit expectations for SQF, regulatory, customer, and internal compliance. People Leadership, Coaching & Development Supervise, mentor, and develop Leads and line teams on assigned shifts. Support performance evaluations, goal setting, and ongoing coaching and accountability, in partnership with the Production Manager.

Support positive employee relations, addressing concerns respectfully and promptly and escalating as needed. Help deliver training so employees understand SOPs, GMPs, safety practices, and job-specific competencies. Partner with HR and the Production Manager on hiring, onboarding, disciplinary actions, and workforce planning.

Continuous Improvement & Problem Solving Support CI initiatives (Lean, Six Sigma, 5S, Kaizen) to eliminate waste, reduce downtime, and improve throughput. Use data to help identify trends, root causes, and improvement opportunities on assigned lines. Support improvements in equipment reliability, changeover reduction, workflow efficiency, and material utilization .

Assist with capital projects, equipment installations, and layout optimization as assigned. Documentation, Reporting & Communication Maintain accurate production documentation, including logs, reports, and KPI tracking for assigned shifts. Track production metrics daily and report deviations, corrective actions, and performance summaries to the Production Manager.

Communicate effectively with QA, Maintenance, Warehouse, Sanitation, Scheduling, and Procurement to support seamless operations. Ensure thorough and accurate shift handoff documentation.

Qualifications

Required 2+ years of experience in food manufacturing, including some experience in a lead or supervisory capacity. Working knowledge of GMPs, HACCP, SQF/FSMA, CCP/CP monitoring, and food safety regulations. Demonstrated ability to lead or support a team on the production floor. Strong communication , leadership, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

Ability to interpret specifications, SOPs, operational data, and regulatory requirements. Preferred Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Food Science , Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience). Exposure to Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, 5S, or OEE improvement programs. Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred.

Familiarity with ERP or manufacturing execution systems (MES). Physical Requirements Ability to work on the production floor, including walking, standing, and climbing stairs for extended periods. Ability to work in temperature-controlled or variable environments (cold, hot, humid, noisy). Capability to lift up to 50 lbs occasionally if needed.

Work Environment Fast-paced food manufacturing environment with constant activity, moving equipment, packaging machinery, wet floors, and forklift traffic. May require off-shift or weekend support based on production needs. We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability, military service, protected veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.