Operations Supervisor | Food Manufacturing
Job Description
Location: St. Charles, IL
Hire Type: Direct Hire
Target Compensation: $80,000–100,000/year + up to 10% bonus
Benefits: Relocation assistance, Medical, dental, vision, PTO, paid holidays, retirement plan
- 5+ years of supervisory experience in food manufacturing
- Experience leading cross-functional plant teams (Production, Quality, Maintenance, Sanitation)
- Strong knowledge of GMPs, food safety systems, and quality standards (HACCP/SQF/USDA/FDA as applicable)
- Experience managing teams of 40+ employees
- Strong leadership, accountability, and performance management skills
- Ability to operate in a fast-paced, high-volume production environment
- Supervise and coordinate daily operations across all plant functions
- Lead a team of approximately 40–55 employees across Production, Quality, Maintenance, and Sanitation
- Ensure production schedules are met while maintaining safety, quality, and efficiency standards
- Monitor and enforce GMPs, food safety, and regulatory compliance requirements
- Track and manage operational KPIs including labor, productivity, and throughput
- Partner with Maintenance to minimize downtime and ensure equipment reliability
- Collaborate with Quality to resolve issues and maintain product integrity
- Oversee sanitation readiness and audit compliance
- Lead employee training, coaching, performance management, and corrective action processes
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, cost, and operational performance
- High school diploma or GED required; additional education preferred
- 5+ years of leadership experience in food or beverage manufacturing required
- Strong experience managing large hourly teams in a production environment
- Deep understanding of food safety systems and GMP compliance
- Bilingual English/Spanish strongly preferred
- Experience in high-volume, fast-paced manufacturing environments preferred
- Lean manufacturing or continuous improvement experience is a plus
- Strong tenure and stable employment history preferred
Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information.
Meet Your Recruiter
Alicia Alexander
Technical Recruiter & Team Mentor
Alicia Alexander is a Technical Recruiter and Team Mentor at Sterling Engineering with four years of recruiting experience and nearly three years with Sterling. She specializes in engineering, manufacturing, and technical recruiting, supporting roles across maintenance, reliability, operations, engineering, and industrial environments, including food and life sciences.
Alicia is passionate about helping people find careers where they feel genuinely happy, supported, and positioned for long-term growth. She enjoys building meaningful relationships with candidates, helping them take the next step in their careers, and supporting companies as they build strong, high-performing teams.
With a background in psychology and human resources from North Central College, Alicia brings a people-focused approach to recruiting. Her understanding of relationship building, communication, and candidate motivation helps her create successful matches between talent and opportunity.
Alicia is known for developing strong partnerships with both candidates and hiring managers, with a focus on creating long-term placements that benefit both the individual and the organization.