Title: Packaging and Warehouse Supervisor Location: Fort Morgan, CO Position Overview The Western Sugar Cooperative is seeking a results-driven Packaging and Warehouse Supervisor to lead shift operations within our packaging and warehouse facility in Fort Morgan, CO. Reporting to the Packaging and Warehouse Manager, this role is central to driving a culture of continuous improvement, operational excellence, and lean manufacturing principles across all packaging and warehousing activities. The ideal candidate is a hands-on leader who understands value stream thinking, champions waste elimination, and empowers frontline teams to identify and solve problems at the source. Essential Functions
- Model and champion a zero-injury safety culture by embedding safety into daily standard work, participating in gemba walks, and reinforcing safe behaviors through consistent, visible leadership aligned with the site safety plan.
- Sustain a clean, organized, and hazard-free production environment through rigorous 5S discipline and regular workplace audits.
- Lead and develop packaging shift leads using lean leadership principles - setting clear expectations, supporting daily accountability, and coaching teams to drive measurable improvements in safety, quality, delivery, and cost (SQDC).
- Foster a culture of employee engagement and continuous improvement by actively listening to frontline ideas, facilitating problem-solving, and recognizing contributions at all levels.
- Develop, standardize, and sustain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) using documented best practices; train personnel to standard and hold teams accountable to consistent execution.
- Ensure seamless shift-to-shift transitions through structured shift handoff processes, visual management tools, and optimized scheduling to eliminate gaps in communication and performance.
- Apply structured root cause analysis methodologies (5-Why, fishbone/Ishikawa, A3 thinking) to drive permanent corrective actions and prevent problem recurrence.
- Partner with Procurement to maintain reliable packaging material flow, applying pull-system and inventory management principles to minimize shortages and excess.
- Collaborate closely with the Maintenance team to execute and continuously improve a robust Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) program, reducing unplanned downtime and improving overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
- Lead by example in demonstrating the Cooperative's Core Values: Safety, Integrity, Openness & Trust, Teamwork, Entrepreneurship, and Social Responsibility.
- Ensure compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and Third-Party Audit standards; treat audit readiness as a daily operating standard, not a periodic event.
- Partner with the Quality Manager and Process Operations staff to sustain product quality, using data-driven decision making and defect prevention over detection.
- Drive a customer-first mindset across the team, using customer complaint data as an input to continuous improvement priorities and root cause investigations.
- Spend the majority of time (80%+) on the floor conducting gemba walks, engaging with employees, removing barriers, and coaching in the moment - leading from where the work happens.
- Demonstrate the commitment and flexibility required to support operations beyond standard hours when business needs demand it.
Skill & Experience Requirements
- Associate or bachelor’s degree preferred; equivalent hands-on experience in a lean manufacturing environment will be considered.
- Minimum 2 years of proven supervisory leadership in packaging, food manufacturing, or a comparable production environment.
- Demonstrated track record of leading continuous improvement initiatives with measurable results in safety, quality, productivity, and waste reduction.
- Working knowledge of lean manufacturing tools and methodologies including 5S, standard work, visual management, TPM, root cause analysis, and kaizen facilitation.
- Strong communicator across all levels of the organization - equally effective coaching hourly team members and presenting to plant leadership.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and ERP systems (SAP preferred).
- Data-driven mindset with the ability to interpret operational metrics and translate them into actionable improvement plans.
- High energy, collaborative, and results-oriented with a genuine passion for developing people and improving processes.
Travel Requirements: None
