Director of Production

Position Title: Director of Production

Reports to: SVP of Tomato Operations

Department: Tomato Operations

Classification: Full-time, Exempt

Pay: $175,000-$205,000

Stanislaus Mission

To attract quality-oriented restaurateurs with consistently superior tomatoes and olive oil, keep them through legendary service, and invest in talented people who share our dedication to customer success.

The Company

Stanislaus Food Products is a nationally recognized, family-owned company known for crafting the finest Italian-style tomatoes and sauces for top-quality Italian restaurants and pizzerias.

If you take pride in the quality of your work and prefer working on a team of talented individuals who share your passion for excellence, we invite you to apply for this exciting opportunity. This is a full-time position located on-site at our Modesto Tomato Cannery.

Position Summary

The Director of Production provides year-round leadership to prepare production operations for the annual tomato processing season and leads an assigned production shift during the season. Reporting to the SVP of Tomato Operations, this position coordinates production-readiness activities, partners closely with Maintenance and other departments, identifies operational and resource needs, supports supervisor development, and helps ensure the operation is prepared for a safe and effective startup.

During the tomato processing season, the Director owns the performance and execution of an assigned production shift. The Director provides direction and leadership to production line supervisors, ensures execution of approved production schedules and operating plans, monitors results, resolves or escalates operational issues, and reinforces accountability for safety, quality, throughput, labor utilization, yield, cost, and operating standards.

The Director participates in annual Tomato Operations planning and provides recommendations regarding future goals, production priorities, workforce requirements, equipment needs, and improvement opportunities. The Director provides budget and resource recommendations to the SVP of Tomato Operations but does not own the departmental budget.

This position will be primarily responsible to:

Year-Round Production Readiness

• Lead year-round planning and preparation activities for the upcoming tomato processing season.
• Partner closely with Maintenance to identify production equipment needs, recurring operating concerns, repair priorities, reliability risks, and readiness requirements.
• Coordinate with Sanitation, Quality Control, Quality Assurance, People Operations, Supply Chain, Field Operations, Finance, and other departments to support production readiness and seasonal execution.
• Review prior-season performance, lessons learned, and recurring operational issues and recommend improvements for the upcoming season.
• Support the development, review, and implementation of production procedures, operating standards, training plans, startup plans, and readiness activities.
• Assess production staffing, supervisor capability, equipment, materials, and resource needs and provide recommendations to the SVP of Tomato Operations.
• Track assigned production-readiness activities and elevate risks or barriers that could affect seasonal startup or production performance.
• Support off-season operational projects and improvement initiatives assigned by the SVP of Tomato Operations.

Seasonal Shift Leadership and Execution

• Own and lead an assigned production shift during the tomato processing season.
• Provide clear direction, coaching, and operational leadership to production line supervisors and reinforce accountability for shift results.
• Ensure approved production schedules and operating plans are executed safely, effectively, and consistently.
• Monitor shift performance, including safety, quality, throughput, labor utilization, yield, downtime, waste, and operating costs.
• Maintain a visible presence throughout assigned production areas to support supervisors, reinforce operating standards, and promote timely issue resolution.
• Lead the response to production issues and coordinate cross-functional support from Maintenance, Sanitation, Quality, People Operations, Supply Chain, Field Operations, Finance, and other departments as needed.
• Escalate significant operating, equipment, staffing, safety, quality, compliance, or resource concerns to the SVP of Tomato Operations and the appropriate functional leader.
• Conduct or participate in shift reviews, production meetings, operating handoffs, and follow-up on assigned action items.
• Ensure clear communication and effective operational continuity between shifts.

Operational Performance and Continuous Improvement

• Analyze production performance data to identify trends, operating risks, recurring issues, and improvement opportunities.
• Use operational data to support problem-solving and recommend actions that improve safety, quality, throughput, labor efficiency, yield, cost, and operating consistency.
• Support root-cause analysis and corrective-action efforts for recurring production issues.
• Partner with line supervisors and cross-functional departments to implement approved operational improvements.
• Support the consistent application of Production Department standard operating procedures and identify procedures that require clarification or revision.
• Communicate production results, risks, and recommendations to the SVP of Tomato Operations.

Leadership and Supervisor Development

• Provide year-round preparation, coaching, development, and operational support to production line supervisors.
• Prepare supervisors for seasonal responsibilities through readiness planning, training, clear expectations, and ongoing feedback.
• Reinforce accountability, effective communication, sound decision-making, collaboration, and timely problem-solving.
• Support supervisors in resolving production, staffing, employee, and operational concerns.
• Partner with People Operations and the SVP of Tomato Operations on performance management, employee relations, labor relations, workforce planning, succession planning, and leadership-development activities.
• Reinforce consistent application of company policies, collective bargaining agreements, operating procedures, and disciplinary protocols.
• Support employee engagement and a safe, respectful, and accountable working environment.

Safety, Quality, Food Safety, and Compliance

• Reinforce compliance with food safety programs, Good Manufacturing Practices, customer requirements, safety standards, environmental requirements, company policies, collective bargaining agreements, and applicable production procedures within assigned operations.
• Partner with Environmental Health and Safety, Quality Control, Quality Assurance, People Operations, and other subject-matter departments to address production-related compliance concerns.
• Hold production line supervisors accountable for following established safety, quality, operating, and people practices.
• Promptly escalate significant safety, quality, food safety, employee relations, labor relations, or regulatory concerns to the appropriate department and the SVP of Tomato Operations.
• Support corrective actions within Production when compliance gaps are identified.

Department Planning and Financial Input

• Participate in the annual Tomato Operations planning process and provide direction and recommendations regarding future production goals, priorities, and improvement opportunities.
• Provide production data and operational insight to support departmental budgeting, forecasting, workforce planning, and capital planning.
• Advise the SVP of Tomato Operations regarding anticipated staffing, equipment, materials, maintenance, and other production resource needs.
• Monitor production-related labor, waste, utility, and operating-cost performance and recommend opportunities for improvement.
• Operate within approved budgets and established spending authority.
• Support execution of approved annual plans, budgets, and production initiatives.
• Participate in capital planning by identifying and recommending production equipment or infrastructure needs without holding final budget or capital approval authority.

Candidate Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Business Administration, Food Science, or a related field preferred.
• 7+ years of progressive manufacturing or production leadership experience.
• Experience leading production supervisors and hourly teams in a food processing, canning, agricultural processing, or consumer packaged goods environment.
• Strong understanding of food processing operations, manufacturing equipment, production systems, labor management, continuous improvement practices, and operational analytics.
• Demonstrated ability to prepare an operation for seasonal startup and lead production execution in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated ability to motivate teams, coach supervisors, resolve conflicts, and establish accountability.
• Demonstrated ability to quickly address production, quality, staffing, or supply-chain disruptions through structured problem-solving and cross-functional coordination.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate across departments and communicate operational results, risks, and recommendations effectively to senior leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to bring structure, clarity, processes, and accountability to complex, ambiguous, or rapidly changing environments.

Candidate Preferences:

• Union manufacturing experience preferred.
• Tomato manufacturing leadership experience preferred.
• Experience with seasonal production-readiness planning, startup execution, and high-volume food manufacturing preferred.

Physical Requirements:

Occasional lifting, carrying, pushing, and/or pulling;   occasional stooping, kneeling, crouching, and/or crawling; and frequent fine finger dexterity. Generally, the job requires the following percentages of time committed to physical activity:   25% or less sitting,  50% or more walking, and 50% or more standing. The job is performed under  moderate temperature variations and in a cannery environment. Unrestricted visual and audio abilities are required for the safety of all employees. The ability to lift up to 40 lbs. is required. 

The physical requirements and work-environment demands for this position may change based on the validated essential duties of the role and the applicable production work areas.

Core Expectations of a Stanislaus Leader

Lead the Business

Advance the company's Vision, Mission, and Strategy by aligning work to goals, planning, making sound decisions, and driving innovation and improvement.

Key Behaviors

• Aligns team goals with the company's Mission and Strategy.
• Plans ahead, anticipates risks, and balances short- and long-term success.
• Delivers results through accountability, sound judgment, and data-driven decisions.
• Encourages curiosity, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Empowers others to identify and implement better ways of working.

Lead and Develop People

Build strong teams through clear communication, development, support, and feedback. Create a culture of trust, open communication, and ongoing improvement.

Key Behaviors

• Communicates openly, clearly, and listens to understand diverse perspectives.
• Provides candid, constructive, timely feedback and fosters open two-way communication.
• Coaches, develops, and delegates to build capability and support growth.
• Develops future leaders through succession planning and ongoing development.
• Creates a culture of accountability, collaboration, fairness, and mutual respect.

Lead Self

Live SFP's Core Values through integrity, accountability, self-awareness, and adaptability, earning trust and respect through your actions.

Key Behaviors

• Lives SFP's Core Values through decisions and actions.
• Acts with integrity, accountability, and follow-through.
• Maintains adaptability and effectiveness during change and uncertainty.
• Demonstrates self-awareness by seeking feedback and continuous personal growth.
• Treats others with respect and understands that their actions impact others.

Wellbeing:

In addition to our solid track record as a stable, growing employer, we offer a variety of different benefits:

• Physical Wellness - Medical plan options, Dental, Vision.
• Social Wellness - Paid Time Off, Company Holidays, Federal and State Leave of Absences.
• Development Wellness - Recognition, Development Training Programs, Succession Planning, Tuition Reimbursement.
• Emotional Wellness - Employee Assistance Program, People Operations Department Open Door Policy.
• Financial Wellness - Competitive Salary, Performance-based bonus, 401(k) Match Program, Life Insurance.
• Nutrition Wellness - Access to best-in-class tomato sauce and olive oil products.