Production Operator Lead

Description Company Overview: At Gold Star, we offer feed and nutrition services and commodity trading in the northeastern U.S., primarily to dairies. As feed and commodity specialists, our customers count on us to originate feed for the mills, manufacture it according to their unique specifications and handle logistics for a safe and smooth delivery every time.

Job Summary The Production Operator Lead is responsible for coordinating and overseeing feed manufacturing activities from the control room to ensure safe, accurate, efficient, and timely production. This position serves as the lead point of coordination between the control room, production floor, ingredient receiving, loadout, maintenance, and other operational functions.

The Production Operator Lead operates and monitors computerized feed manufacturing systems, manages production sequencing and workflow, verifies formulas and ingredient usage, identifies and responds to production issues, and helps ensure finished feed meets company quality and customer expectations.

As a lead position, this role also provides day-to-day direction and support to control room and production employees, helps train team members, reinforces operating procedures, and escalates production, quality, safety, or equipment concerns when necessary.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Coordinate daily feed production activities to meet production schedules, customer requirements, and delivery timelines.
• Operate and monitor computerized batching, mixing, grinding, pelleting, ingredient handling, and related feed manufacturing systems.
• Review production schedules and determine efficient sequencing of formulas to maximize throughput while minimizing downtime, flushes, cross-contamination risk, and unnecessary product changeovers.
• Verify formulas, ingredient selections, bin assignments, sequencing requirements, and production instructions before and during manufacturing.
• Monitor batching tolerances, ingredient weights, production rates, equipment status, alarms, and other control-system information to identify potential problems.
• Stop or hold production when conditions could compromise employee safety, feed quality, regulatory compliance, or equipment integrity.
• Coordinate closely with production employees to maintain proper product flow throughout the facility.
• Communicate production priorities, changes, delays, equipment issues, and special manufacturing requirements to appropriate employees.
• Work closely with loadout and dispatch to ensure feed is produced in the proper sequence to support scheduled deliveries.
• Coordinate with maintenance when equipment problems occur and assist with troubleshooting operational issues.
• Monitor ingredient inventories and bin levels and communicate potential shortages, discrepancies, or production constraints.
• Ensure proper sequencing and handling procedures are followed for medicated feeds, restricted ingredients, carryover-sensitive products, and other products requiring special controls.
• Complete and review required production documentation and electronic records for accuracy and completeness.
• Assist with investigating production discrepancies, formula errors, ingredient variances, quality concerns, and customer complaints when applicable.
• Provide day-to-day leadership, guidance, and work direction to control room and production personnel.
• Assist with training and development of new and existing control room operators.
• Help establish consistent operating practices and hold employees accountable for following established procedures.
• Participate in continuous-improvement efforts focused on production efficiency, accuracy, housekeeping, equipment reliability, and waste reduction.
• Maintain a clean, organized, and professional control-room environment.
• Provide shift handoff information to ensure production issues, maintenance concerns, inventory constraints, and other important information are communicated between shifts.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.
• The Control Room Lead is expected to be a visible and consistent leader of the company’s safety culture. This position is responsible for reinforcing safe work practices, addressing unsafe behaviors or conditions immediately, and helping create an environment where employees understand that safety is a shared responsibility and an expectation of every shift.

Requirements Qualifications:

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Previous experience in feed milling, agriculture, food production, or manufacturing required
• Ability to operate forklifts, loaders, and other mill equipment (certification a plus).
• Basic mechanical aptitude and willingness to learn equipment operation.
• Strong attention to detail and safety awareness.
• Comfortable with shift work, weekends, or overtime as needed.

Physical Demands

• Indoor/outdoor mill setting with exposure to dust, noise, and temperature changes.
• Fast-paced team environment with a strong focus on safety, cleanliness, and quality.
• Employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 60 pounds, climb 75 feet of ladder, and be able to balance, stoop, kneel, crouch and crawl.
• May require working on a rotating shift or weekends depending on production needs.
• Regular and predictable attendance in office or site location.