Production Manager
IFF · Memphis
Job Summary
IFF is a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients, and health & biosciences. We deliver sustainable innovations that elevate everyday products.
Food Ingredients: Innovating improved nutritional profiles, better taste and texture, and greater cost efficiency to meet the needs of global food and beverage manufacturers.
The Production Manager role is based in Memphis, Tennessee (onsite role). Be part of a collaborative, growth-oriented, resilient, and solution-focused team where together we can achieve greatness and make a real impact. Your potential is our inspiration.
The Production Manager is a key member of the Site Leadership Team responsible for leading manufacturing operations to achieve excellence in safety, food safety, quality, service, cost performance, employee engagement, and continuous improvement. This role provides strategic direction, operational leadership, and talent development while fostering a culture of accountability, ownership, teamwork, and operational excellence.
The successful candidate will maintain a visible presence within the operation, engage employees at all levels, develop future leaders, and empower teams to consistently deliver business results.
Where You'll Make a Difference
- Lead all aspects of daily manufacturing operations to achieve production, packaging, quality, customer service, and cost objectives.
- Coach, mentor, and develop supervisors, unit leaders, and production teams to strengthen capabilities, engagement, accountability, and succession readiness.
- Establish clear performance expectations and drive accountability through effective performance management, coaching, recognition, development planning, and corrective action when appropriate.
- Champion a culture where safety, food safety, quality, and compliance are fundamental to every operational decision and are embraced daily by all employees.
- Ensure compliance with Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, Good Manufacturing Practices, Process Safety Management requirements, environmental regulations, sanitation standards, Management of Change processes, and company policies.
- Lead incident investigations, root cause analyses, and corrective action implementation to improve operational reliability, reduce risk, and strengthen site performance.
- Drive operational excellence initiatives utilizing Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement methodologies to improve productivity, yield, throughput, efficiency, and overall operational performance.
- Monitor and improve key performance indicators including Overall Equipment Effectiveness, downtime, capacity utilization, labor productivity, manufacturing costs, and service performance.
- Partner with Supply Chain, Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, Environmental Health and Safety, and other stakeholders to achieve site objectives, solve operational challenges, and support continuous improvement.
What Makes You the Right Fit
- Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Food Science, Operations Management, Manufacturing, or a related technical discipline.
- Minimum of 10 years of progressive manufacturing experience, preferably within food, ingredients, chemical, or other regulated manufacturing environments.
- Minimum of 6 years of leadership experience managing production teams in a manufacturing setting.
- Demonstrated experience leading large operational teams, developing supervisors and frontline leaders, and building high-performance, accountable cultures.
- Strong knowledge of food safety, quality systems, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, Good Manufacturing Practices, Process Safety Management, Management of Change, and regulatory compliance requirements.
- Proven success leading Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Root Cause Failure Analysis, or similar continuous improvement initiatives that improve operational and financial performance.
- Experience managing operational budgets, fixed and variable costs, productivity initiatives, and performance metrics to achieve business goals.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, conflict resolution, and decision-making skills.
- Demonstrated ability to lead through influence, hold others accountable with fairness and respect, and effectively collaborate across functions.
How Would You Stand Out?
- Six Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt, or comparable continuous improvement certification.
- Leads by example, develops people, communicates effectively, takes initiative, solves problems proactively, and creates a culture where safety, quality, teamwork, and operational excellence thrive.
- Demonstrated success leading culture transformation initiatives focused on accountability, engagement, ownership, teamwork, and operational excellence.
Key Leadership Attributes
The successful candidate will be a visible and engaged leader who:
- Leads with accountability, ownership, and integrity.
- Demonstrates the courage to have candid conversations, address performance gaps, and recognize achievements.
- Develops and coaches future leaders while fostering employee engagement.
- Communicates effectively across all levels of the organization.
- Demonstrates emotional intelligence and sound judgment when resolving challenges and conflicts.
- Delegates effectively, follows through on commitments, and drives execution.
- Creates an environment where safety, quality, teamwork, trust, and continuous improvement thrive.
Why Choose Us?
- Opportunity to lead a critical manufacturing operation within IFF's global Food Ingredients business.
- Exposure to complex manufacturing processes and cross-functional leadership opportunities.
- Ability to shape site culture, develop future leaders, and drive meaningful operational improvements.
- Competitive Benefits (US): Our benefit package includes medical, dental, vision, 401(k), vacation, holidays, 16 weeks paid parental leave (maternity and paternity), and an annual bonus plan. IFF was also recognized by Newsweek as one of America's Greatest Workplaces for Perks & Benefits.
- Career development opportunities within a global company focused on innovation and sustainability.
- Inclusive and collaborative environments where safety, development, and employee success are prioritized.
For your awareness, IFF has announced its intention to sell its Food Ingredients Business to CVC Capital Partners. The sale is currently expected to close in the first half of 2027, pending regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.
The Food Ingredients business unit will remain part of IFF until close and, at such time, will transition to CVC Capital Partners. By applying for this position, candidates acknowledge awareness that the role is part of the Food Ingredients business unit and has been identified to transition to CVC Capital Partners.
We are a global leader in taste, scent, and nutrition, offering our customers a broader range of natural solutions and accelerating our growth strategy. At IFF, we believe that your uniqueness unleashes our potential. We value the diverse mosaic of the ethnicity, national origin, race, age, sex, or veteran status. We strive for an inclusive workplace that allows each of our colleagues to bring their authentic self to work regardless of their religion, gender identity & expression, sexual orientation, or disability.
Visit IFF.com/careers/workplace-diversity-and-inclusion to learn more