ABOUT THE COMPANY

Canada Royal Milk is a member of the Feihe International group of companies, Asia’s number one infant formula brand. Canada Royal Milk is the only producer of infant formula in Canada, manufacturing quality products from Canadian cow and goat milk, ensuring the highest quality and nutritional value for our customers.
We are an international company with a multicultural workforce that is committed to diversity and inclusion. Our team members value and embrace different perspectives and new ideas.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must be legally entitled to work in Canada and have strong English language skills. The ability to read and understand written English and communicate in English both spoken and in writing is a requirement of the job.
Bachelor’s degree in food science, Dairy Science, Engineering, or a related discipline.
Minimum of 10 years of progressive leadership experience in food, dairy, or infant nutrition manufacturing.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Strong leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills with a proven ability to manage diverse teams.
• Deep knowledge of production planning, scheduling, and capacity optimization.
• In-depth understanding of infant nutrition manufacturing, including regulatory requirements CFIA and FDA.
• Experience with new product development, plant trials, and product launches.
• Mastery of GMP, HACCP, food safety management systems, traceability, and food defense programs.
• Ability to troubleshoot process and equipment issues, collaborating with Engineering and Maintenance.
• Strong analytical and decision-making skills, able to interpret complex production data and translate insights into action.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office and ERP/MES systems.
• Demonstrated ability to lead continuous improvement projects (Lean, Six Sigma certification preferred).

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Collaborative leadership style with a focus on employee engagement.
• Ability to manage competing priorities under tight deadlines.
• High degree of integrity, professionalism, and accountability.
• Results-oriented, with a passion for innovation and operational excellence.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Reporting to the Operations Manager, the Production Manager directs, controls, and optimizes all production activities within the infant formula manufacturing facility. This role is accountable for achieving production targets while ensuring compliance with the highest standards of food quality, safety, and regulatory requirements.
The Production Manager fosters a culture of excellence and continuous improvement, creating an environment where employees take pride in their work and remain fully engaged in delivering safe, high-quality infant nutrition products. The incumbent will also lead high-priority projects, including equipment commissioning, process optimization, and new product launches.
A strong people leader, the Production Manager, is responsible for building and sustaining an effective production team through recruitment, training, coaching, and mentoring, with support from Human Resources.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Plan, organize, direct, and evaluate the day-to-day operations of the production department to meet company goals for efficiency, quality, and output.
• Develop and implement strategies to maximize utilization of labour, equipment, and raw materials while meeting production targets.
• Establish and monitor KPIs related to yield, throughput, downtime, and waste reduction.
• Prepare, manage, and control the departmental budget, ensuring cost-effective operations.
• Ensure full compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), HACCP, FSSC 22000, and regulatory standards specific to infant formula production.
• Ensure production processes consistently meet strict infant nutrition safety and quality standards.
• Oversee implementation of robust production tracking and quality control systems; analyze operational data to identify and resolve deviations or inefficiencies.
• Collaborate with QA/QC to investigate and resolve quality issues, conduct root cause analysis and implementing corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).
• Support plant audits (internal, customer, regulatory) by ensuring production team readiness and compliance.
• Champion food defense, allergen control, hygiene standards, and sanitation programs within the production area.
• Hire, train, and develop production personnel, ensuring a skilled and motivated workforce.
• Provide clear work direction, regular performance feedback, coaching, and career development opportunities.
• Promote teamwork and cross-departmental collaboration with Maintenance, Engineering, QA, and Supply Chain.
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous learning, and employee engagement.
• Lead by example in workplace safety, instilling a “safety-first” mindset across all shifts.
• Oversee installation, commissioning, and validation of new equipment or production lines.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency, reduce waste, and improve product quality.
• Drive innovation in manufacturing processes, supporting new product development trials and launches in collaboration with R&D and Operations.
• Implement and sustain MES, ERP and digital production management tools to improve real-time decision-making.
• Review operations and confer with technical or administrative staff to resolve production or processing problems.