Our client is a growing dietary supplements company that is introducing new products in various formats (pure powders, capsules, liquid blends, and future gummy production). The company is in a pleasant corporate park environment located in the Chicago area.
Reporting to the Director of Operations, the Production Manager will lead Production and ensure the operational efficiency and cGMP/SOP compliance, consistent with an excellent a dietary supplements manufacturing operation. Maintaining the production and quality of output is paramount. This is a hands-on management position, in which the duties involve demand planning, scheduling, light maintenance, and supervision of employees.
Aided by a production Team Lead, it will be the responsibility of the Production Manager to manage all aspects of the production floor from Employee interaction to required finish goods output, to maintenance schedules and outside mechanics. Some light machine maintenance may be required. Employees in the production room could consist of as many as 10 + technicians and 1 to 4 machine operators.
Close collaboration and regular communication with R&D/Quality staff is required, as well as the accurate completion of required paperwork. In addition, the incumbent needs the ability to work with the Inventory management system and Product/Process database (cGMP) to ensure accurate tracking of the inventory and production as well as assuring compliance with the product and processing requirements and quality data.
Occasional participation in the R&D department may be required. This could input based on the Production Manager’s prior knowledge of supplement, food science, or technical experience.
A proven track record of leadership, excellent communication skills, and supervisory experience in GMP manufacturing environment are essential requirements for the position.
- In collaboration with the Director of Operations, prepare weekly production schedule and manage daily production assignments to meet demand.
- Set productivity targets for technicians and machine operators
- Supervise and coach team members to ensure productivity targets are met
- Ensure all company policy and procedures are observed by the Production Team
- Create work orders and maintain proper inventory records
- Comply with CGMP requirements in day-to-day operations; Maintain a safe and clean work environment
- Develop and revise SOPs in collaboration with QA manager as needed
- Schedule and ensure that facility and equipment maintenance is performed
Required Qualifications:
- A BS college degree with 2-5 years of experience in GMP manufacturing environment
- 1+ year Supervisory experience Preferred Qualifications:
- Advance degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry or engineering
- 2-3 years or more of prior experience as a production management or equivalent leading a small to mid-size production or manufacturing team in a related industry.
- Experience with inventory management
- Experience with demand planning
- 5 years or more of working in SOP based cGMP, SQF or HAACP compliant manufacturing
- Experience preparing SOPs and ensuring they are followed by the full Required Skills / Knowledge / Competencies
- Organizational Skills
- Analytical & Problem-Solving Skills
- Time Management
- Communication Proficiency
- Technical Capacity
- Teamwork
- Attention to Detail
- Safety Complianceposition.
- The candidate filling this position will work directly with the founding partner who is highly passionate about product research and development.
- The individual filling this position will play a critical role in influencing the future direction of the company and the development of the future product portfolio and new process platforms.
- The position is located at our company HQ, currently located in Lincolnshire, IL, a pleasant northern suburb of Chicago.
Key Responsibilities:
- Conduct online research to inspire and spearhead development of new products / formulations; selection of and internal development of key novel ingredients.
- Develop new innovative nutraceutical formats / form factors to reach new markets.
- Carry out and manage lab technicians to assist with benchtop R&D, while maintaining detailed documentation of research including methods and results.
- Verify and validate newly developed formulas and formats including defining their QC specifications and the associated analytical procedures.
- Prototype new product; obtain lead consumer feedback; eventually manage clinical validation.
- Define and document manufacturing steps for test production, scaleup, and ongoing full scale production of existing and new formulations and formats.
- Select analytical equipment, plan and manage build out of in-house R&D/QC lab.
- Manage 3rd party analytical testing sample submissions for ingredients and finished products.
- Review and present analytical testing results for ingredients and finished products to the approving Partner(s).
- Define document formats for QC Analysis, Safety Data Sheets and other product quality and certifications; manage technical writers to prepare above analytical, quality and safety documentation for each ingredient / compound lot, blend, and finished product batch.
- Develop formats for, manage technical writers to prepare, and present descriptive Product Information / Benefits Summaries, Use Instructions, Cautions, and Supplement Facts Panels
- Interface with Marketing to prepare Write-Ups which outline key product information.
- Investigate and resolve QC issues with raw ingredients and finished products to establish and consistently achieve desired raw material and finished product specifications.
- Train Production room team members and QC team on product / process requirements for their contributions on tasks relating to QC and product development.
- Communicate with all partners, Directors of Operations and Creative director on the product research and development steps and results.
- Select cGMP consulting firm, define and write comprehensive SOPs for cGMP, train Production Manager on cGMP practices, train production staff on cGMP procedures in conjunction with Production Manager, achieve third party cGMP certification.
Experience and Qualifications:
- Formal tertiary education in chemistry; preferably biochemistry, natural product chemistry, analytical chemistry, phytochemical extraction, organic synthetic chemistry chemical engineering, and/or related fields is required.
- Advanced MS / PhD. degree and/or prior experience in supplement QC / R&D and Product Development, or biopharma QC / R&D and product development is highly desired.
- Thorough knowledge of analytical chemistry techniques, including instrumentation and selection of analytical methods that are most appropriate to employ for an ingredient or compound to cost effectively ensure identity, purity and absence of undesirable contaminants, is highly desired.
Key Characteristics:
- Intensely curious, passionate about discovery, scientific research and bring innovation from the lab to the marketplace where it can benefit numerous real people in the real world.
- A self-starter, able to set goals, manage projects, find creative solutions, and work systematically to meet targets without requiring frequent close supervision.
- Motivated to complete milestones and take initiative to help others do likewise.
- A problem solver; enjoys challenges, acquiring new skills and growing in responsibility,
- A good communicator and team player. Thrives on achieving goals in a dynamic team environment.
Perks
- Working closely with a supportive, receptive and tight-knit team in a unique and innovation-centered work environment.
- A great opportunity to grow with the company and help define its future course.
- Possibility of gaining equity ownership in the company in case of exceptional performance.
- Competitive Health Care, Paid Time Off and Retirement benefits.
All Candidates must be able to work in the U.S. without sponsorship.
For more information, please contact Moira McGrath at OPUS International, Inc. at (954) 428-3888 or moira@foodscience.com