Production & Quality ManagerFergus, Ontario

Do you enjoy rolling up your sleeves, improving processes, and creating systems that help a growing food business thrive?

We're partnering with Jewels Under the Kilt, a proudly Canadian artisan food company rooted in creativity, quality, and a genuine passion for great food. Based on a farm in Fergus, Ontario, the business has built a distinctive reputation for its unique roasted nut products, commitment to quality ingredients, and strong relationships with local suppliers.

As the company continues to grow, they are seeking a Production & Quality Manager to play a key role in shaping the future of their operations. This is a unique opportunity for a food manufacturing professional who enjoys balancing strategic thinking with hands-on execution while making a visible impact within a growing entrepreneurial business.

Role Overview - Reporting directly to the Founder, President & Chief Roaster, you will lead production, quality, food safety, compliance, planning, and continuous improvement initiatives across the operation. This is not a role where you'll simply maintain existing systems. You'll be encouraged to challenge the status quo, identify opportunities for improvement, and implement practical solutions that enhance efficiency, quality, and scalability. You'll also provide leadership to a small production team, ensuring products are manufactured safely, efficiently, and to the highest quality standards while helping to build the operational foundation for future growth.

Key Accountabilities

- Lead all quality assurance, food safety, and compliance activities across the operation.
- Maintain and continuously improve HACCP programs, food safety systems, quality procedures, and documentation.
- Ensure complete, accurate, and audit-ready records are maintained.
- Conduct quality inspections and drive corrective and preventive actions where required.
- Monitor food safety and quality compliance throughout production and packaging processes.
- Oversee day-to-day production and packaging activities to ensure customer requirements are met safely and efficiently.
- Improve productivity, labour utilization, workflow efficiency, packaging performance, and waste reduction.




- Identify production bottlenecks and implement practical solutions to improve operational performance.
- Develop, implement, and maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
- Manage production scheduling, forecasting, inventory coordination, and capacity planning.
- Coordinate labour, ingredients, packaging materials, and shipping requirements to support demand.
- Anticipate capacity, labour, and material constraints before they impact production.
- Transition manual and paper-based processes toward practical digital and automated solutions.
- Develop meaningful reporting and performance metrics to improve operational visibility and decision-making.
- Use data and analytics to support continuous improvement initiatives.
- Lead, coach, and support a small production team while fostering a positive and collaborative workplace culture.

People Profile

We're interested in speaking with candidates who bring:

- Experience within a food or beverage manufacturing environment.
- Strong knowledge of HACCP principles, food safety systems, and quality management programs.
- HACCP certification or formal food safety training would be considered a strong asset.
- Experience managing quality inspections, traceability programs, environmental monitoring, swabbing, and compliance documentation.
- Proven success improving production and packaging efficiencies.
- Experience with production planning, scheduling, forecasting, and inventory management.
- Experience developing and implementing SOPs and operational processes.
- Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
- Comfort using technology to improve operational performance and streamline processes.
- A genuine interest in automation, continuous improvement, and digital transformation.




- Experience within a small to mid-sized manufacturing environment would be highly advantageous.
- Strong communication and leadership skills.
- The ability to balance strategic planning with hands-on execution.
- A collaborative, approachable, and accountable leadership style.

Beyond technical expertise, we're looking for someone who leads with empathy, integrity, and curiosity. You'll thrive in an entrepreneurial environment where initiative is valued, decisions move quickly, and your contributions have a direct impact on the success of the business.

What's on Offer?

In return for your expertise and commitment, you'll have the chance to join a growing business where your contributions will be seen, valued, and have a direct impact on future success.

- Competitive salary of $40,000 - $50,000 per year
- 32-hour work week, with flexibility to work either four full days or five shortened days
- Flexible vacation and time-off policy, promoting a healthy work-life balance
- Career development and progression opportunities as the business continues to grow
- The opportunity to work directly alongside the Founder and influence the future direction of the operation
- A collaborative, entrepreneurial environment where ideas are encouraged and improvements can quickly become reality

If you're someone who enjoys rolling up your sleeves, challenging the status quo, and finding better ways of doing things, while helping to shape the future of a growing artisan food company, we'd love to hear from you. Applicants must be legally entitled to work in Canada at the time of application. Unfortunately, visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

To apply, please e-mail in strict confidence, with a comprehensive CV, including salary details, quoting the above reference and for the attention of Megg Markettos, [email protected]

Due to a high volume of responses, we cannot reply to each application individually. If you have not received a response within one week, please assume your application has not been successful on this occasion.

Pay: $40,000.00-$50,000.00 per year

Benefits:

- Casual dress
- Flexible schedule
- On-site parking

Work Location: In person

📌 Production and Quality Manager (Fergus)
🏢 The People
📍 Fergus