A meat processing facility in Eagle Grove, IA is hiring a Harvest Supervisor responsible for leading daily harvest operations to achieve the highest levels of productivity, quality, food safety, and cost efficiency, while ensuring compliance with customer specifications and USDA regulatory requirements.
Job Type at a Glance
Employment: Full-Time, On-Site, Eagle Grove, IA
Environment: Fast-paced production, cold/refrigerated conditions
Supervisory Scope: Direct supervision of Harvest production employees
About the Role – Harvest Operations Leadership
Core Function: Lead daily harvest operations for productivity, quality, and food safety
Compliance Focus: Ensure USDA inspection readiness and HACCP/SSOP/SQF/GMP compliance
Team Management: Coordinate staffing, job rotations, and employee development
Yield Focus: Reduce product waste by maximizing yields and minimizing inedible product
Career Opportunity & Growth
Leadership Role: Direct supervisory responsibility with real accountability for department results
Regulatory Exposure: Work directly with USDA inspectors and maintain inspection-ready standards
Continuous Improvement: Contribute to initiatives that reduce costs and improve performance
Career Growth: Build a leadership career across all areas of harvest department operations
Position Overview
The Harvest Supervisor is responsible for leading daily harvest operations to achieve the highest levels of productivity, quality, food safety, and cost efficiency while ensuring compliance with customer specifications and regulatory requirements. This position oversees production employees, promotes a safe work environment, ensures USDA inspection readiness, and maintains efficient production flow while supporting company objectives.
Why This Role Matters: As Harvest Supervisor you take on direct leadership of a critical production department, ensuring food safety, quality, and USDA compliance every single shift, coach and develop a production team while managing staffing and performance, apply data-driven decision-making to improve yields and reduce waste, build strong cross-functional relationships with maintenance, USDA inspectors, and other departments, and grow into a well-rounded operations leader across the entire harvest function.
Key Responsibilities
Production & Quality Management
- Supervise daily harvest operations to meet production, quality, yield, and efficiency goals
- Ensure all production procedures follow customer specifications and food safety standards
- Monitor production performance and implement corrective actions to improve productivity and quality
- Monitor product quality throughout the harvest process and implement corrective actions as necessary
- Reduce product waste by maximizing yields and minimizing product sent to inedible
USDA & Regulatory Compliance
- Ensure all workstations pass USDA inspections before production begins
- Maintain compliance with USDA regulations, HACCP, SSOP, SOP, GMP, SQF, and company food safety programs
- Conduct pre-operational inspections of the harvest area
- Ensure accurate product coding, labeling, and shipment preparation
Team & Equipment Management
- Ensure production areas are properly staffed to meet operational requirements
- Coordinate employee assignments, job rotations, and staffing adjustments to minimize downtime and absenteeism
- Coach, train, and develop team members to improve performance and maintain operating standards
- Coordinate maintenance needs by submitting work orders and ensuring equipment operates properly
Safety, Culture & Continuous Improvement
- Enforce company safety policies and promote a culture of workplace safety
- Promote employee engagement, retention, and a positive work environment
- Maintain effective working relationships with production employees, maintenance, USDA inspectors, and other departments
- Assist with continuous improvement initiatives that reduce costs and improve operational performance
- Be knowledgeable in all areas of the Harvest Department and provide supervisory support as needed
Qualifications & Requirements
Educational Requirements
- Associate degree in Agriculture, Business, Food Science, Manufacturing, or a related field preferred
- Equivalent combinations of education and experience may be considered
Experience Requirements
- Minimum 3 years of harvest or meat processing production experience
- Previous supervisory or leadership experience preferred
Required Competencies
- Leadership: leads by example, promotes accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement
- Analytical skills: collects and analyzes production data to identify improvement opportunities
- Problem solving: identifies operational issues and implements effective solutions under pressure
- Job knowledge: strong understanding of harvest operations, food safety, and quality systems
- Teamwork and business acumen: builds cross-departmental relationships and understands cost impact
- Safety: promotes a safe work environment and enforces safety procedures
Additional Skills
- Ability to read and interpret safety rules, operating instructions, and technical documents
- Ability to write routine reports and production documentation
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office, production reporting systems, and scheduling software
Physical Requirements
- Regularly required to stand for extended periods and use hands to handle and manipulate objects
- Frequently lift and/or move up to 50 pounds
- Work in wet, humid, cold, and fast-paced manufacturing conditions with required PPE
Benefits Package
Health: Medical, Dental & Vision Plan
Retirement: 401(k) and IRA options
Insurance: Basic, Voluntary & AD&D Life Insurance
Time Off: Paid Time Off, Family Leave, Short & Long Term Disability
About This Opportunity
This Harvest Supervisor role sits within a USDA-inspected meat processing facility in Eagle Grove, IA, where daily operations demand strict food safety compliance, consistent product quality, and strong team leadership. The position offers direct supervisory responsibility, hands-on exposure to USDA and HACCP compliance processes, and a full benefits package, making it a strong opportunity for experienced production leaders in the meat processing industry.
Career Excellence: Lead USDA-compliant harvest operations with real supervisory responsibility and growth potential.
Who Should Apply?
- Meat Processing Professionals: With 3+ years of harvest or production experience
- USDA-Compliant Supervisors: Comfortable maintaining inspection-ready standards daily
- Team Leaders: Experienced coaching, scheduling, and developing production employees
- Food Safety-Focused Professionals: Familiar with HACCP, SSOP, SQF, and GMP standards
- Continuous Improvement Advocates: Skilled at using data to drive productivity and yield gains
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