Production Team Lead

Established in 1973, Roots is a proudly Canadian lifestyle brand that celebrates authenticity, quality, and community. Inspired by the great outdoors, we create timeless, sustainable apparel and leather goods designed for comfort and everyday adventure. At Roots, we believe in fostering a culture of inclusivity, creativity, and teamwork – where every team member plays a role in shaping our brand’s legacy. If you bring passion to everything you do, lead with integrity, and believe in the power of collaboration to drive growth, we’d love to have you on our journey!

Key Responsibilities

• Execution and Team Leadership
• Lead a team of operators to execute the daily production schedule as defined by the Production Coordinator and Supervisor.
• Assign tasks, monitor progress, and ensure that work is performed according to standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Ensure that all operators understand their daily goals, quality standards, and safety requirements.
• Foster a positive and collaborative work environment, promoting teamwork, communication, and accountability.
• Performance and Problem Solving
• Monitor performance indicators for the team such as output, scrap rate, cycle time, and rework.
• Identify and address minor issues (equipment, material, or method-related) immediately, escalating to the Coordinator or Supervisor when necessary.
• Support root-cause problem solving and continuous improvement activities (e.g., 5S, Kaizen, Standard Work adherence).
• Participate actively in shift meetings and improvement discussions.
• Quality and Compliance
• Ensure operators follow quality procedures and that products meet specifications at every step.
• Conduct first-piece and in-process inspections to prevent defects from moving forward.
• Report quality deviations immediately and assist in implementing corrective actions.
• Maintain organized, clean, and compliant work areas in accordance with 5S and safety standards.
• Safety and Housekeeping
• Promote and enforce safe work practices among all team members.
• Conduct pre-shift checks of tools, equipment, and workstations.
• Immediately address unsafe conditions or behaviors and report incidents or near misses.
• Ensure compliance with plant safety and environmental procedures.
• Communication and Coordination
• Act as the communication link between operators and the Production Coordinator/Supervisor.
• Report production progress, issues, or delays in real time.
• Communicate any material shortages, equipment problems, or process deviations to ensure timely resolution.
• Support smooth handovers between shifts by maintaining accurate logbooks or production reports.
• Training and Development
• Assist in onboarding and training new operators, ensuring they understand safety, quality, and production standards.
• Cross-train team members to build flexibility and resilience within the team.
• Provide daily coaching, feedback, and encouragement to support operator growth and motivation.

At Roots we appreciate that skills and expertise are cultivated through a range of experiences. We are committed to reflecting Canada's diverse landscape in our products, team, and workplace culture. We value your unique perspective and encourage you to apply, even if you don't meet every listed requirement. Accommodations are available for applicants throughout the recruitment process. Please note: Roots uses technology-assisted tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), to support parts of the recruitment process. These tools may be used to help review applications, assess qualifications, and support interview documentation. All hiring decisions are reviewed and made by our Talent team and key leaders involved in the recruitment process. The posted salary range is intended to reflect the competitive market value of this role and is provided to support transparency in our hiring process. Final compensation will be determined based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to internal equity, relevant skills, demonstrated knowledge, experience, and overall fit for the position.