Home Chef

Subscription-based meal kit delivery service

RTH Production Lead

Machine & Process OperationPosted on Nov 10

Full-timeSan Bernardino, CA, USA$23.75

About the Job

Requirements

A general high school degree or equivalent is required.
A strong attendance and performance record as a Home Chef performance associate is required.
The employee must be able to work in a fast-paced environment and meet the daily goals assigned by the supervisor.
The employee must be detail-oriented and maintain a clean workspace.
The employee must follow Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and personal protective equipment (PPE) standards in the ready-to-eat (RTE) and ready-to-heat (RTH) areas, including wearing safety goggles, blue aprons, white plastic sleeves, and captive footwear.
The employee must follow recipes and instructions to create compound ingredients in correct proportions.
The employee must have working knowledge of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for portioning, meal bagging/kitting, and shipping.
The employee must have working knowledge of shipping lines, including similar, hybrid, unique, and pick-and-pack lines.
The employee must understand the Boxing Call Out Sheet and how to use it to set up and verify the line.
The employee must understand and follow procedures for transitioning between similar shipping runs, including similar sign-off procedures for Chicago and use of red trays to cover meals not included in a California run.
The employee must understand and follow Home Chef inventory management procedures, including first-in, first-out (FIFO) processes.
The employee must understand the complete scope of GMPs, including changing gloves after touching floor mats, leaving the production area, or before portioning a new item; washing hands at the designated station; and changing hairnets after returning from the restroom.
The employee must use proper lifting techniques when moving and picking up items.
The employee must attend safety training to maintain safety compliance.

Responsibilities

Guide, direct, and train assigned production employees during ready-to-heat preparation and assembly, portioning, meal bagging/kitting, and shipping.
Begin the shift before production starts, obtain the daily production plan and targets from the supervisor, and set up portioning tables, meal bagging tables, and/or shipping lines.
Work toward the daily goals assigned by the supervisor, maintain a clean workspace, follow recipes and instructions, and report damages, missing parts, or foreign materials immediately to Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA) or leadership.
Bring improvement ideas to RTH leadership and continuously work to improve production processes.
Direct the team in normal production functions or other assigned tasks when not performing RTH-specific work.
Collaborate with the supervisor to obtain daily production plans and targets, and follow production schedules to complete orders within allotted timeframes.
Communicate production targets and expectations to production associates, inform them of their performance against targets, and escalate concerns about adherence to company policies and procedures to the production supervisor.
Plan for potential product shortages during production and shipping, and communicate exact product and quantity needs to warehouse runners to prevent downtime.
Check ingredients for quality, accuracy, and shelf life before starting the line and while it is running.
Set up portioning tables, meal bagging tables, and shipping lines according to SOPs, considering production targets, the production plan, and the number of associates needed to operate a line.
Recommend SOP improvements to the supervisor; ensure tables or pods have required labels, packaging, and product at the beginning of the shift and each new activity; and communicate production targets and expected hourly rates to associates.
Prevent overproduction of portions or meal bags and avoid food waste and yield issues; oversee associates to prevent unnecessary food or packaging waste and escalate production-quality concerns to FSQA and a supervisor.
Oversee portioning and meal bagging/kitting for the assigned table or pod; complete all sections of production sheets; work with FSQA to verify ingredients and complete meal bag sign-off before starting the line; and ensure hourly meal bag checks are conducted.
Retrieve additional labels when needed, perform hourly checks to verify packaging and labels, and report shortages of labeled packaging to the supervisor.
Conduct hourly checks of portions and meal bags to reduce errors; ensure SOPs are followed throughout the shift; monitor line pace; and adjust the line as necessary to meet targets.
Assist the production supervisor in running shipping lines; use the Boxing Call Out Sheet to set up and verify the line; follow procedures for transitions between similar runs; coordinate with the warehouse to ensure required product is available; and ensure box packing, shipping, and pick-and-pack SOPs are followed.
Manage shipping-line pace and make adjustments as necessary.
Collect production counts hourly in Chicago or every two hours in California, provide counts to the supervisor, and deliver meal bag and work-in-process (WIP) totals at the end of each workday.
Ensure red, grey, and green crates have clear, legible labels; remove old labels from red trays; tag completed portion and meal bag towers according to SOP; and move towers to the proper storage location, ordered by date according to FIFO procedures.
Enforce and execute Home Chef food safety policies on the production floor; ensure FSQA conducts GMP checks on associates at the start of the shift and after lunch; and correct GMP violations when they occur.
Ensure associates use proper lifting techniques, account for the team at its designated evacuation location, escalate safety risks to the safety supervisor, and attend required safety training.
Maintain clean work areas, sanitize tables, keep floors free of spills and debris, maintain plant cleanliness and 5S compliance, and ensure coolers are cleaned and ready for the next shift.
Supervise production associates on the assigned table or line, ensure teams meet production targets, and model the expected work pace.
Identify and escalate disruptive behavior to a supervisor and move associates as needed to improve line output.
Resolve conflicts between associates promptly and calmly, and escalate issues to the production supervisor or manager when needed.
Follow facility GMPs, help enforce them throughout the facility, ensure safe working conditions, correct or escalate safety risks, and support the company’s food safety system and quality programs.

This role follows a 1st shift schedule, working from 6:30 AM to 3:30 PM, with designated days off on Saturday and Sunday.

Responsible for guiding a line or table of production associates during RTH prep, RTH assembly, portioning, meal bagging/kitting, and shipping. The Production Lead (RTH) will guide, direct, and train assigned production employees. The Production Lead (RTH) is scheduled to begin their shift prior to the start of production and is responsible for obtaining his or her production plan and targets for the day from the supervisor and setting up the portioning tables, meal bagging tables, and/or shipping line

Detailed Responsibilities

RTH Lead Responsibilities:

Must be able to work in a fast paced work environment and reach daily goals given to by Supervisor.
Must be detail oriented and maintain a clean workspace.
Must follow GMP and PPE standards as required in the RTE and RTH area such as; safety goggles, blue aprons and white plastic sleeves, captive footwear.
Must report any damages, missing parts or foreign materials immediately to FSQA / Leadership.
Must follow all recipes and instructions to create compound ingredients in correct proportions.
Bring up improvement ideas to RTH leadership and continuously work to improve!
When not assisting with RTH specific tasks, the RTH Lead will direct their team as required in normal production functions / tasks or as assigned.

Production Targets:

Collaborates with the Supervisor to get the production plans and targets for the day
Follows production schedules to ensure order completion during allotted timeframes
Effectively communicates the targets and production expectations to the production associates as well as their performance against the target
Ensures associates are following HC policies/procedures and escalates any concerns to the Production Supervisor

Coordination with Warehouse:

Prioritizes and plans for potential product shortages during production and shipping and effectively communicates exact product and quantity needs to the warehouse runners to avoid any unnecessary downtime while waiting on replenishment.
Conducts checks on ingredients for quality, accuracy, and shelf life before starting the line and while the line is running.

SOPs:

Has a working knowledge of all Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for portioning, meal bagging/kitting, and shipping
Sets up portioning tables, meal bagging tables, and shipping lines according to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Gives consideration to the production targets and the established production plan when setting up portioning tables and based on number of production associates needed to run a line
Shares recommendations for improvements to the SOPs with supervisor
Ensures the table/pods has the labels, packaging, and product needed to get started at the beginning of the shift and start of new activity
Communicates the production targets and expected rates per hour to the production associates

Managing waste:

Ensures line does not overproduce portions or meal bags and therefore cause food waste and yield issues (i.e. only producing what is required)
Oversees associates to ensure they are not creating unnecessary waste of food or packaging (i.e. bags, bottles, jars) while portioning and meal bagging and escalates concerns with production quality to FSQA and a supervisor.

Portioning and Meal Bagging/Kitting

The Production Lead is responsible for overseeing all portioning and meal bagging/kitting for his/her assigned table/pod. This includes:

Utilizing Production Sheets:

Identifies and completes all sections listed on the production sheet
Works with FSQA to verify all ingredients on the meal bagging/kitting line and complete the meal bag sign off on the production sheet prior to starting the line
Works with FSQA to ensure meal bag checks are conducted every hour to minimize errors

Packaging and Labels:

Retrieves more labels from the label office when needed
Conducts hourly checks to ensure packaging and labels are correct for the ingredients being portioned or meal bagged
Communicates shortages of labeled packaging to supervisor

Portion and Meal Bag Quality:

Conducts an hourly check of the portions and meal bags to reduce the potential for errors

SOPs and Targets:

Ensures the SOPs for portioning and meal bagging are being followed throughout the shift
Monitors the pace of the portioning and meal bagging line and ensures the team is on track to meet the target. If targets are not being met, the lead makes appropriate adjustments to the line.

Shipping

A Production Lead is responsible for assisting the Production Supervisor when running a shipping line. A Production Lead should have a working knowledge of all shipping lines (similar, hybrid, unique, and pick and pack)

Standard Tools and Forms:

Understands the Boxing Call out Sheet and how to use it to set up and verify the line
Knows and follows the SOP for transitioning between similar runs (i.e. similar sign off for CHI, use of red trays to cover all meals not included in run for CA)
Coordination across departments:
Works with warehouse to ensure the line has all required product and does not experience downtime as a result of product shortages

SOPs and Production Targets:

Makes sure the SOPs for box packing, shipping, and/or Pick & Pack is being followed throughout the entire shift
Manages the pace of the shipping line and makes adjustments as necessary.

Output Tracking and Inventory Management

The Production Lead is responsible for delivering counts to the Supervisor and following Home Chef’s inventory management procedures. Specifically, a Production Lead is responsible for:

Counting output:

Collects counts every hour (CHI) or two hours (CA) to deliver to Supervisor
Delivers numbers of meal bags and WIP produced at the end of each workday

Inventory management procedures

Makes sure that the red, grey and green crates all have clear and legible labels
Ensures all old labels have been removed from red trays
Ensures all completed portion and meal bag towers are tagged according to SOP (i.e. plastic wrap w/ meal name, count, and date for CHI and masking tape for CA)
Ensures the meal bag towers are moved to the proper storage location and ordered by date. The older meals should be in the front and the newer meals should be in the back. FIFO (First In First Out) processes should be followed.

Promoting and Upholding Employee Safety and Food Safety Procedures:

A Production Lead is responsible for enforcing and executing Home Chef Food Safety Policies on the production floor. Specifically, Production Leads are responsible for:

GMP Enforcement and Education:

Ensures FSQA is conducting a GMP check on all his or her associates at the start of the shift and after lunch
Calls out and corrects GMP violations when they occur
Understands the complete scope of GMPs. This includes but is not limited to:
Changing gloves after touching floor mats, leaving the production area, or before portioning a new item
Washing hands at the designated handwashing station
Changing hairnet when returning from the restroom

Employee Safety:

Ensure associates are utilizing proper Lifting Techniques when moving and picking up items.
Attends all safety trainings to maintain safety compliance
Escalates any employee safety risks to the Safety Supervisor
Ensures team is accounted for (roll call) and at the designated spot in the event of an evacuation

Pre and Post-Operative Sanitation

Ensures work area (portioning table or meal bagging line) is clean (i.e. tables have been sanitized and floors are free of spills and debris)
Ensures plant cleanliness, 5S compliance and GMP practices at all times
Ensures coolers have been cleaned and swept and are ready for the next shift

Supervising Production Associates

A Production Lead is responsible for supervising production associates working on his or her table/line. This includes but is not limited to:

Production Pace:

Makes sure team is hitting production targets for portioning, meal bagging, shipping and any other assigned activities
Sets example of expected work pace for the entire line

Line Integrity:

Identifies and escalates any disruptive behavior (e.g. excessive talking or slow work pace) on the line to a Supervisor and moves associates as needed to improve the line’s output

Conflict Resolution:

Works to quickly and calmly resolve conflicts between associates on the line
Escalates issues between production associates to production supervisor / manager when needed

General Responsibilities:

Follows the facility GMPs and helps enforce them throughout the facility
Ensures safe working conditions for all team members and corrects and/or escalates safety risks when identified
Supports the efforts of the company to maintain our food safety system (SQF) and quality programs

Qualifications

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability needed for this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities.

General High School degree or equivalent
Strong attendance and performance record as a Home Chef performance associate is required for this position.

More About Us

Perks and benefits

Candidates can experience Home Chef as a customer - enter promo code PEOPLE30 for $30 off your first order!
Medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance available
Paid holidays, sick time and vacation time
401k program
Flexible spending accounts for qualified medical, dependent care, parking, or transit expenses

How We Work Together

We are humble team players.
We are warm and gracious with team members and customers. We seek feedback to improve ourselves - and respectfully listen to and accept input.

We are pragmatic next-level thinkers.
We come up with novel and unique ideas. We explore new strategies to avoid being constrained by conventional thinking.

We take ownership.
We approach ambiguous problems, prepared to dive in, get curious, and learn more. We are results-driven, always challenging ourselves to exceed goals.

Be at Home at Home Chef

We all show up authentically at Home Chef. Our team includes individuals with a variety of identities, backgrounds, and perspectives. You can trust that you’ll be able to bring your whole self to an inclusive and enjoyable workplace.

We welcome people of all races, colors, religions, national origin or ancestry, sex (including sexual identity), age, physical or mental disabilities, pregnancy, veteran or military status, unfavorable discharge from military service, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital status, order of protection status, citizenship status, arrest record or expunged/sealed convictions, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state, or local law.

Home Chef is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, Home Chef will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact our People team at [email protected].

Home Chef offers the base salary range as posted below, with the exact offer depending on factors such as geographic location, experience, skills, and internal equity. While compensation is within the provided range, it is not typical for offers to be made at the upper end. In addition to base salary, Home Chef provides a comprehensive benefits package, including healthcare coverage, 401k match, and paid time off.

California Pay Range

$23.75—$23.75 USD

To view the California Applicant Notice click here

California Pay Range 23.75 - 23.75 USD

About the Company

Home Chef

Subscription-based meal kit delivery service

Home Chef provides meal kits with pre-portioned ingredients and step-by-step recipes delivered to customers, saving time for busy households. Subscribers choose a meal plan and receive weekly or monthly boxes, with flexible options like one-time purchases and gift cards, plus grocery retailer partnerships. It differentiates itself through a broad, diverse menu that accommodates various dietary needs and multiple purchasing channels beyond direct delivery. The goal is to help families enjoy home-cooked meals with fresh ingredients without the planning and grocery-shopping burden.

Company size: 1,001-5,000
Company stage: Acquired
Total funding: $57M
Headquarters: Chicago, IL
Founded: 2013

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