Senior Production Manager

Company Profile:

At we make it deliciously simple to eat well and feel good every day. We are guided by a Mediterranean heritage that's been perfecting how to eat and live for four thousand years. We prioritize authenticity, curiosity and the pursuit of excellence in everything we do. We are working towards something big, together.

At CAVA Foods we love what we do, and we manufacture every product to be as fulfilling as the last. At our manufacturing center we are looking for fanatics in food who take pride in our products and are ready to ensure every CAVA Restaurant and retail partner receives products that uphold the high-quality standards of our brand.

We foster a culture built on five core values:

• Generosity First, : We lead with kindness. Our best work happens when we act in of others.

• Constant Curiosity: We are eager to learn, grow, and explore beyond the obvious.

• Act with Agility: We welcome change; it's the only constant. We embrace, adjust, adapt.

• Passion for Positivity: We greet each day with warmth and possibility.

• Collective Ambition: We have high aspirations that are achieved when we work together with a shared purpose.

Senior Production Manager

The Senior Production Manager leads and develops the production organization across all departments - Ingredient Preparation, Batching, Packaging, High-Pressure Processing and Casing - ensuring safe, efficient, and high-quality systems that consistently meet daily goals. Acting as the operational bridge between production execution and plant-level strategy, this role demonstrates CAVA Food's core objectives in plant safety, product quality, food safety, and employee culture and development.

Success in this role is defined by consistent achievement of production targets, measurable improvements in yield, labor efficiency, and process uptime, and the successful execution of improvement projects with quantifiable cost savings. The Senior Production Manager fosters strong cross-functional collaboration and cultivates a culture of engagement, ownership, and continuous improvement, empowering and developing a production team that brings Heart, Health and Humanity to Food every day.

What You'll Do:

Lead & Develop Production Operations

• Oversee all production activities from Ingredient Prep, Batching, Packaging, HPP and Casing, ensuring schedule adherence, safety compliance, and product quality.
• Provide direct leadership and guidance to Production Manager and Supervisors across all shifts and departments.
• Partner cross-functionally with FSQA, Maintenance, Supply Chain, Inventory Control, and Warehousing to ensure seamless execution of production plans and alignment with business priorities.
• Translate plant objectives into clear, measurable goals and performance metrics for each operational area.

Drive Continuous Improvement & Project Execution

• Lead site-level initiatives to improve operational performance, eliminate waste, and strengthen process reliability.
• Implement Lean and Six Sigma tools, including but not limited to, 5 Why's, Fishbone, Kaizen, and SMED, to reduce changeover time and optimize line efficiency.
• Manage key production system improvement projects from conception through implementation, coordinating with cross-functional teams to ensure deliverables, timelines, and budgets are met.
• Analyze production and downtime data to identify improvement opportunities and track ROI on implemented changes.
• Collaborate closely with Maintenance, Engineering and People & Cutlure teams to ensure that processes, systems, equipment, and people work together effectively to sustain high automation performance and operational reliability across the facility.

Champion Quality & Food Safety

• Partner with FSQA to ensure compliance with FDA, State and BRC, requirements.
• Model and reinforce Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and maintain audit readiness across all production areas.
• Drive a proactive quality mindset through training, documentation, and accountability systems.
• Ensure corrective actions are implemented and validated for effectiveness.

Develop High-Performing Teams

• Coach and develop Production Managers,supervisors and team members to strengthen leadership capabilities and succession readiness.
• Build a culture of engagement, ownership, and accountability across all teams.
• Promote cross-training and knowledge sharing to increase flexibility and resilience.
• Lead by example, modeling CAVA's mission, values, competencies and safety-first culture.

Operational Planning & Performance

• Oversee resource allocation, labor efficiency, and shift optimization to meet production demand.
• Partner with Supply Chain, Inventory Control, and Warehousing to ensure material readiness and minimize downtime.
• Develop and maintain KPI dashboards to monitor production performance, waste, and automation efficiency.
• Support the Senior Plant Manager with budget development, capital project execution, and strategic initiatives.
• Lead daily and weekly production review meetings to assess progress, align priorities, and close performance gaps.

The Qualifications:

• Experience: 5–10 years of progressive experience in food manufacturing with at least 3–5 years in a production management leadership role.
• Education: Preferred Bachelor's degree in Operations Management, Food Science, Industrial Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• Leadership: Proven ability to lead and develop multiple layers of management and cross-functional production teams.
• Technical Knowledge: Strong understanding of food manufacturing systems, batching, filling, and packaging operations, with hands-on experience in high-automation environments.
• Food Safety Knowledge: Solid understanding of food safety regulations and HACCP standards.
• Continuous Improvement: Skilled in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen, SMED, and root cause analysis. Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional CI initiatives that drive measurable results.
• Project Management: Experienced in managing capital and process improvement projects, including scope development, budgeting, timeline management, and execution tracking.
• Regulatory: Deep understanding of GFSI standards (BRC or SQF), FDA, and VDACS regulations, combined with a proactive approach to compliance and audit readiness.
• Systems Skills: Proficiency in ERP systems, production scheduling, and data analytics (Excel, Power BI, or equivalent).
• Soft Skills: Excellent communication, decision-making, and problem-solving skills with a track record of driving collaboration across departments.
• Bilingual: English/Spanish preferred.

What we offer:

• CAVA Restaurant Meal Benefit: M-F Employee meal covered 100%, Guest 50% off

• Competitive salary, plus bonus and long-term incentives*

• Early Wage Access

• Unlimited PTO, paid parental leave, plus paid opportunities to give back to the community

• Health, Dental, Vision, Telemedicine, Pet Insurance plus more

• 401k enrollment with CAVA contribution

• Company-paid STD, LTD, Life and AD&D coverage for salaried positions*

• Casual work environment

• Please note that visa sponsorship is not available.

• The posting range is an all cash range.

*Indicates qualifying eligible positions only

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