Production Shift Manager

Job: Production Shift Manager - Nights

Shift: (6:00 PM – 6:30 AM) – 2/2/3 Schedule

Location: Royal Canin, Fremont, NE

Are you a natural leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment and excels at coaching others to succeed? Royal Canin is seeking an operational Shift Coordinator to lead our night-shift operations team in Fremont, Nebraska.

In this front-line leadership role, you will be responsible for delivering on operational targets and leading a high-performing team of approximately 25 shift associates. You will drive safety, quality, continuous improvement, performance management, and team engagement. Partnering with the 24-hour Area Managership Team, you will coordinate short-term activities on the floor while helping implement the Mars Supply Excellence (MSE) program.

Job Purpose / Overview

The Production Shift Manager is a shift-based, front-line operations people manager who efficiently improves Quality, Human Safety, and Product Cost Conversion while engaging and developing talent. The Shift Manager is responsible for delivering operational targets and leading a shift team of approximately 17–25 direct associates at our Royal Canin plant in Fremont, NE. This role drives safety, quality, continuous improvement, performance management, associate development, team engagement, and operating results for the night shift through hands-on leadership of our production process.

The Shift Manager coordinates short-term activities within established guidelines and standards to produce the highest quality pet food most safely and efficiently. You will partner with other members of the 24-hour Area Leadership Team to deliver area continuous improvement and drive the implementation of the Mars Supply Excellence (MSE) program.

Key Responsibilities

• Conversion & Operations Management: Manage the efforts of multi-line, area, or technology operating teams on the night shift to efficiently convert raw materials into high-quality pet food in a safe, secure, and sanitary manner within product specifications.

• Change Agent: Implement changes in methods, equipment, systems, and organization using a continuous improvement mindset to ensure area objectives are met.

• Mars Supply Excellence (MSE): Lead or participate in one or more MSE Pillars. Lead and support the implementation of Autonomous Maintenance (AM) and Integrated Work Teams (IWTs) in your area of responsibility, and own reliability data collection accuracy.

• Area Ownership: Collaborate with the Area Leadership Team (Area Manager, Continuous Improvement Engineer/Specialist, and Maintenance Coordinator) to create and execute the area reliability strategy.

• Coaching & Development: Coach operators to build their functional and managerial capabilities while driving accountability in safety, Quality & Food Safety, Autonomous Maintenance (AM), and team engagement.

• Line Operations & Troubleshooting: Coordinate materials, staffing, and technical resources to support line operations, changeovers, preventive maintenance, repair, and equipment troubleshooting.

• Standards Adherence: Ensure rigorous operational standards are implemented and maintained on shift through communication, change management, consistent reinforcement, and accountability measures.

• Associate Safety: Ensure safe working conditions, behaviors, and mindsets by directly implementing Mars Safety programs and driving a zero-accident culture.

• Food Safety & Product Quality: Ensure the ongoing delivery of safe, defect-free products. Champion quality goals and HACCP standards, owning ongoing training and quality improvements at the shift level.

• Associate Advocacy & Engagement: Manage associate relations, facilitate a high-engagement environment, and guide the hiring, training, development, and motivation of operations associates.

• Goal Setting & Performance: Establish line and individual performance standards/goals, measure results, take corrective actions, and report key performance indicators (KPIs).

• Escalation & Resolution: Proactively identify risks and reactively lead on-shift incident resolution, prioritizing and assigning resources to resolve escalated issues.

Job Specifications & Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• High School Diploma or GED.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work the Night Shift (6:00 PM – 6:30 AM) on a rotating 2/2/3 schedule.
• Ability to occasionally flex schedules to support business needs.
• Physical ability to climb stairs, ladders, and lift up to 50 pounds.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Associate or Bachelor’s degree (Advanced Degree is a plus).
• Minimum 2 years of experience in a supervisory or managerial role leading teams.
• Minimum 1 year of experience in a food production or high-speed manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated experience working with Quality & HACCP concepts, plant sanitation practices, and procedures.
• Strong knowledge of industrial safety standards and OSHA requirements (certification preferred).
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Systems (specifically Word and Excel), internet software, and email.
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Key Mars Leadership Competencies

• Command Skills

• Motivating Others

• Developing Direct Reports

• Building Effective Teams

• Drive for Results

• Communicates Effectively

Military Crosswalk

We welcome and value the leadership, discipline, and operational expertise of our nation's veterans. Below is a crosswalk showing how military occupational specialties (MOS) and leadership roles translate to the duties of a Production Shift Manager:BranchEquivalent Codes / Specialty Areas

• Army11A (Infantry Officer), 90A (Logistics Officer), 91A (Materiel Maintenance Officer), 92A (Quartermaster Officer), 11B/11Z (Infantry NCO), 91B/91Z (Maintenance NCO), 92Y (Unit Supply NCO)
• NavySurface Warfare Officer (SWO), Supply Corps Officer, Limited Duty Officer (LDO - Operations/Maintenance), LS (Logistics Specialist), MM (Machinist's Mate), GSM (Gas Turbine Systems Technician)
• Air Force21A (Logistics Readiness Officer), 21M (Munitions/Maintenance Officer), 2R0X1 (Maintenance Management), 2G0X1 (Logistics Plans), 3D1X2 (Cyber Transport / Systems Maintenance NCO)
• Marines0402 (Logistics Officer), 3002 (Ground Supply Officer), 0431 (Logistics/Embarkation Specialist), 1302 (Combat Engineer Officer), 3537 (Motor Transport Operations Chief)

Why Veterans Succeed in This Role:

• Direct Leadership: Managing 17+ direct reports on a rotating night shift aligns perfectly with the squad, platoon, or division leadership experience of NCOs and Commissioned Officers.
• Operational Readiness: Your experience tracking equipment readiness, troubleshooting, and executing structured mission plans maps directly to our Mars Supply Excellence (MSE) and Autonomous Maintenance (AM) methodologies.
• Safety & Accountability: A military-grade commitment to safety, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and peer accountability makes veterans an exceptional fit for Royal Canin's safety-first culture.

As part of our overall total compensation package, Royal Canin offers a competitive benefits package to all associates: Medical, Dental, Vision & Life Insurance, Short- & Long-Term Disability, and 401k match. Associates are also immediately eligible (based on hire date) for up to three weeks of vacation, 12 Paid Holidays per year, Sick Pay, Maternity & Parental Leave, and annual bonus earning potential, plus many other ancillary benefits not listed here.

Mars is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized because of such a request.