Company description

Curio Spice Co. is a certified B Corp(R) dedicated to finding unique, sustainably-produced spices around the world, sourcing them responsibly and bringing them together in artful blends. We operate a brick and mortar store in Cambridge, MA where we sell pure spices, spice blends, and spice accessories, as well as teach classes and hold events. Our spice blending studio, fulfillment center and warehouse is located in Winchester, MA. We aim to create an intense sensory and educational experience for people who visit our website or shop and to bring them closer to the communities of farmers around the world who cultivate these flavors. Our products are sold online, directly to restaurants, and through other retail stores across North America. We are an independent, woman-owned benefit corporation.

Job description

The Production Manager is responsible for the maintenance and management of all staff, processes, systems, equipment and supplies associated with Curio’s blending and spice grinding production and storage. The Production Manager is accountable for quality assurance of Curio’s spices and blends, as well as keeping Curio compliant and in accordance with all food safety protocols and certifications.

Key Responsibilities and Tasks

• Manage Production at Curio
  • Produce Curio’s spice blends
  • Be a key operator of product manufacturing machinery:
  • Troubleshoot and perform basic maintenance, schedule servicing as needed
  • Oversee proper scaling of batches in accordance with order volume
  • Assign and record batch codes, observe lot tracking and traceability protocols
  • Upkeep recipes with accurate notes and adjustments
  • Maintain quality assurance standards
  • Schedule/enter production into ERP
  • Lead weekly production meetings
  • Train/manage production staff including providing regular feedback
  • Develop burn-rate data for popular SKUs
• Manage Bulk Sales Program
  • Respond to incoming bulk inquiries
  • Process and fill bulk orders
  • Handle custom blend requests - work with customers, determine COGS and costing, enter into ERP, price out retail units
  • Develop outreach program to attract chefs and food manufacturers for new bulk accounts

• Manage Food Safety and HACCP
  • Maintain current ServeSafe and Allergen Awareness certifications
  • Develop and implement new allergen control and awareness program at Curio (for sesame 2023)
  • Manage lot tracking system for all ingredients
  • Keep blend BOMs (bill of materials) current to allow for accurate traceability
  • Help Curio maintain HACCP certification
  • Lead staff hygiene and safety trainings, perform mock recalls 2x per year, perform mock crisis exercises, etc.
  • Manage cleanliness of the facility and assign cleaning tasks; develop new cleaning procedures as needed
  • Maintain facility cleaning and hygiene supplies and reorder as needed
  • Manage facility laundry service

• Assist Ops Director with Maintaining Inventory
  • Assist with onboarding and setup of new ERP system
  • Maintain inventory and make adjustments in ERP system as needed
  • Communicate low stock
  • Assist with manual inventory counts and entry 2x per year
  • Observe FIFO and rotate/age-out stock as needed

Sensory Education and Quality Assurance Trainings

• Assist with staff sensory trainings by setting up bi-weekly sensory exercises
• Assist in leading sensory spice discussions at weekly staff meetings
• Observe and suggest improvements in ingredient sourcing / blend ingredients as needed
• Help develop SOP for quality standards f
• Assist with staff training on SOPs for proper storage of spices and blends
• Work with Marketing Manager to provide content on ingredients and blends, as needed

Skill and Capability Requirements

• At least 3 years in the food industry required
• Experience in specialty food manufacturing preferred but not required
• Experience in operations preferred
• Mechanically savvy, able to take apart, put back together and troubleshoot machines.
• Detail Oriented, organized and efficient.
• Able to work under pressure to meet deadlines.
• Ability to interact with all levels of customers, coworkers and management
• Able to lift 50 lbs
• Able to stand for 8 hrs.
• Proof of Covid-vaccine + booster, must be comfortable wearing a mask if necessary.

Key Productivity Indicators

1. Blends produced on schedule in accordance with sales and specific order needs, lot #’s and batches recorded.
2. Inventory properly stored and rotated, lot #’s recorded in ERP system and data entered regularly to keep system up to date.
3. Health inspections and 3rd party audits up to date.
4. Team trainings documented with follow-ups recorded.
5. Workspace, including machinery associated with blending/packing, is kept clean and in working condition with repairs made as needed.

Compensation

this position is: salaried, $50,000 - $75,000

Application instructions

Deadline

May 27, 2022