Fresh Cuts Facilities Supervisor

Overview: The Facilities Supervisor Fresh Cuts Production Support is responsible for the day-to-day supervision of facilities maintenance and production equipment reliability within the Fresh Cuts department, a federally inspected, SQF-certified ready-to-eat (RTE) processing facility. This role leads a dedicated team of maintenance technicians Mechanic I, II, and III supporting continuous production operations across temperature-controlled processing rooms and cold storage areas. The position demands strict adherence to SQF, HACCP, and USDA food safety maintenance standards, with direct accountability for equipment uptime, safe work execution, and the maintenance compliance documentation required to sustain RTE production certifications.

Responsibilities:

Lead daily shift maintenance activities across RTE production areas; assign and prioritize work orders, conduct shift briefings, and ensure safe task execution in alignment with active production schedules.

Supervise Mechanic I, II, and III technicians performing preventive and corrective maintenance on processing, packaging, and refrigeration equipment throughout the RTE production facility.

Coordinate planned downtime windows, equipment changeovers, and maintenance interventions with production supervisors and sanitation management to minimize disruption and maintain food-safe conditions.

Enforce HACCP, SQF, and USDA-compliant maintenance practices throughout all work activities, including food-safe lubrication protocols, sanitary design repair standards, pest-exclusion maintenance, and contamination prevention procedures.

Manage preventive maintenance schedules and work order assignments in the CMMS; track completion rates, enforce PM compliance targets, and ensure accurate documentation of repairs, parts usage, and corrective actions.

Lead or support root cause analysis on recurring production equipment failures; implement corrective and preventive actions to reduce unplanned downtime and improve asset reliability.

Serve as the primary facilities liaison with department management on maintenance priorities, production support requirements, and facility conditions affecting food safety, throughput, and regulatory compliance.

Coordinate with third-party contractors and vendors for specialized mechanical repairs, refrigeration service, and capital projects; ensure work quality, food safety compliance, and contract adherence.

Supervise building and infrastructure maintenance within RTE production areas including floors, drains, walls, doors, dock equipment, insulation, and cold room integrity essential for temperature control and food safety.

Enforce lockout/tagout, confined space entry, and all applicable safety procedures; conduct toolbox talks and job safety analysis for high-hazard tasks in cold, wet, and high-moisture operating environments.

Inspect production facility areas regularly to identify equipment deterioration, safety hazards, and deferred maintenance needs; generate work plans and cost estimates for review and approval.

Manage spare parts and consumables inventory for RTE production maintenance work; coordinate with the Parts and Inventory Administrator for stock replenishment and specialty items.

Train, mentor, and develop Mechanic I and II staff on safe work practices, equipment operation, SQF maintenance requirements, and technical skill advancement.

Maintain audit-ready maintenance documentation and actively support SQF, USDA, and customer-driven inspection readiness across all maintained assets and facility areas.

Participate in incident response for production equipment and facility emergencies; coordinate containment, repair, and documentation in accordance with the facilities escalation policy.

Prepare and deliver regular reports on equipment condition, open work orders, PM compliance, recurring failure trends, and recommended capital investments to the Facilities Manager.

Collaboration and Communication:

Partner closely with production supervisors, sanitation management, and quality assurance to schedule and execute maintenance activities without disrupting production flow or compromising Fresh Cuts product safety.

Communicate effectively with all levels of the organization regarding equipment status, maintenance plans, safety concerns, and project progress.

Administrative & Reporting Duties:

Monitor maintenance costs and parts expenditures for the RTE production asset portfolio; assist with departmental budget estimates and capital project justifications.

Prepare reports and updates for leadership regarding equipment reliability, open work orders, project progress, and facilities-related initiatives within the RTE production area.

Ensure compliance with company policies, SQF program requirements, OSHA regulations, and all applicable regulatory and audit obligations.

Required Qualifications: [EH1]

5+ years of hands-on maintenance experience in a food processing, cold storage, or ready-to-eat production environment, including mechanical, electrical, and refrigeration support systems.

Demonstrated ability to lead small maintenance teams, schedule and prioritize work, and manage contractors in a fast-paced, temperature-controlled production environment.

Working knowledge of food processing and packaging equipment maintenance, including industrial slicers, cutters, peelers, conveyors, vacuum packaging systems, and process refrigeration.

Familiarity with SQF, HACCP, and USDA food safety maintenance requirements and the ability to enforce compliant maintenance practices and audit-ready documentation.

Strong organizational, communication, and troubleshooting skills with the ability to make sound maintenance decisions under production time pressure.

Proficiency with a CMMS for work order management, PM scheduling, and maintenance recordkeeping.

Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills; demonstrated ability to collaborate across production, sanitation, and quality assurance functions.

Preferred Qualifications:

OSHA 30, EPA 608 Universal, Certified Maintenance & Reliability Technician (CMRT), SQF Practitioner certification or direct food safety audit support experience, preventive and corrective maintenance experience with high-speed food processing equipment, ability to read basic MEP and equipment drawings, bilingual English and Spanish.

Typical equipment and systems: Industrial produce processing equipment including Urschel slicers, dicer, and TranSlicer systems; mechanical peelers (fruit, potato, onion, and butternut squash lines); cutting and shredding equipment (celery cutter, tomato slicer, leafy greens belt slicer, vertical shredder, scallion cutter, ginger shredder); fruit flume and wash systems; dryers and mixers. Packaging systems including Ultravac vacuum sealers, tray sealers, X-ray machines and bulk chillers.

Quality and safety systems including X-ray inspection machines, metal detection lines, foam sanitizing stations, and doorway auto-sanitizers. Make-up air unit, electrical distribution panels, Pulse instrument and control panels, electric pallet jacks, hoists, floor drains, washdown stations, eyewash stations, and all associated building systems within RTE production areas.

Physical demands and working conditions:

Frequent walking, standing for extended periods, climbing ladders and stairs, working at heights, and lifting up to approximately 50 lbs., with assistance.

Work in cold and wet production environments maintained between 36F and 45F with exposure to moisture, produce, cleaning chemicals, and high-pressure washdown operations.

On call for equipment and facility emergencies; available to support weekend, holiday, or overnight work for critical repairs and planned downtime events.

Ability to work extended hours and rotate between shifts as production schedules and maintenance priorities require.

This job description is intended to provide a general overview of the responsibilities. However, the Company reserves the right to adjust, modify, or reassign work tasks and responsibilities as needed to meet changing business needs, operational requirements, or other factors.