Training Manager

Looking for a Training Manager who plays a critical role in driving the success of the manufacturing training and development at Amy’s Kitchen in the Medford plant. This individual must bring a strong foundation in learning & development and the ability to effectively balance a wide range of programs, including onboarding, food and workplace safety, job-specific training, and leadership development.

A central focus of this role is to strengthen leadership capabilities across the organization through impactful training, individualized coaching, and targeted development plans that support ongoing growth. The ideal candidate is dynamic, highly motivated, and an engaging facilitator who can build strong relationships across diverse stakeholder groups.

This leader must be an excellent communicator and a strategic partner to department leaders, ensuring training initiatives are seamlessly integrated into daily operations. They will play a key role in advancing leadership competencies, driving departmental training priorities, and continuously assessing and addressing evolving training needs.

In addition, this role leads, coaches, and develops a team of training specialists across three shifts. The Training Manager is responsible for designing, implementing, and managing comprehensive learning and development programs while fostering a culture of continuous learning that drives operational excellence.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES may include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

Manage and grow Training programs

New Employee Onboarding

• Follow a standardized onboarding program to ensure new hires gain the skills needed for success and have a positive experience.
• Adhere to general onboarding plans and role-specific training guides; document all training and ensure Scheduler is updated on new hire training progress
• Maintain communication with People team and Recruiting to stay informed on incoming hires to ensure proper onboarding and report out on New Hire Status.
• Track the buddy system, new hire progress and provide reports as needed.

Compliance and Regulatory Training Programs

• Ensure all compliance and regulatory and record keeping is up to date and the plant is audit ready at all times:
• All MFG Monthly Food Safety & Workplace training requirements
• Role specific food & workplace safety requirements
• Maintains Compliance Reporting, ensuring plant leaders know the status of requirements. Communicates status proactively in MOS Process.
• Partner with plant leaders to efficiently incorporate new food and workplace safety changes into operations.
• Ensure the LOTO program is followed according to established guidelines
• Ensure the PIT program is followed according to established guidelines.
• Create / update training materials (as needed)

New People Leader Onboarding

• Ensure new people leaders have strong onboarding experience, learn the skills necessary to be successful in their job and introduce them to Amy’s Competencies.
• Maintain line of communication with People & Recruiting teams to receive timely information of any new or promoted people leaders to ensure they are trained adequately and have a positive onboarding experience.

Job Specific Cross-Training & Continued Job Development

• Drive a Safety Always culture
• Identify and assess training needs, creating/updating tailored learning plans by department to ensure employees' skills continue to grow during their Amy’s journey.
• Ensures there is a process in place for cross training and continued skill development across all departments.
• Partner with department managers and supervisors to advise and provide guidance on updates needed for role specific department training programs. This includes role specific learning plans, training checklists, training observations (work instructions) and job aids.
• Partner with Engineering to ensure smooth transition and training plan for new equipment.
• Partner with Plant leaders to ensure smooth transition and training plan for new processes and products being launched.

Leadership Development

• Responsible for actively embedding Amy’s Leadership competencies into all development activities.
• Responsible for developing, coaching and growing the leadership skills of all manufacturing leaders.
• Coaches and mentors Supervisors and Team Leaders to inspire exceptional leadership.

Develop Strong Business Partnerships

• Actively participate in plant MOS process, proactively getting involved
• Build strong relationships with all departments. Utilizes these relationships to help support improvement in processes, conditions, and equipment on the plant floor.
• Champions Amy’s Food and Workplace Safety Programs within the plant by raising issues and working closely with Safety & QFS to ensure effective training programs are in place.
• Collaborate with Training Leadership Team to ensure training program consistency across plants and leverage overlapping work where possible.
• Collaborate with the plant management team to establish effective Key Performance Indicators KPIs and operational objectives that drive improvement year after year in the training programs.

Continuous Improvement mindset

• Evaluate and measure current training processes/programs to continue to optimize and grow training and development programs, sharing ideas and strategizing with fellow training managers at other plants.
• Identify areas that still need training developed or where training needs to be updated or evolve. Work with appropriate teams to identify program improvements.

Represent the plant in audits

• Understand all training related audit requirements and participate in internal and external plant audits.
• Ensure the plant is audit ready at all times

Productivity and Performance

• Lead and participate in Root Cause Analyses, update training materials as needed.
• Be an active participant in daily Tier board activities.
• Responsible for providing training data that is timely and accurate, and update Tier boards with appropriate weekly updates.
• Proactively bring up training issues and work to resolve issues with leaders.

Team Management & Development Responsibilities

Directly manages Training Team across all 3 shifts.  Supports team members in their work across all business units.  Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization’s policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include:

• Monitors training team’s effectiveness assuming overall responsibility for the performance of the plant training.
• Interviewing, hiring, and training new team members.
• Manages the team’s time: Ensures all timekeeping, attendance, paid time off (PTO) and payroll records are accurate, approved and submitted on time.
• Create a culture of continuous improvement, problem solving and teamwork among team members.
• Support a culture based on engaged team members actively promoting ideas to improve the team and the training we do.
• Plans, assigns, and directs work.
• Manages the team’s performance and provides timely feedback.
• Timely Addresses complaints and resolves problems with team and stakeholders.
• Actively develops all team members.
• Effectively utilize the capabilities of Training Lead to ensure shift performance.
• Effectively communicates, manages and leads the training team.
• Maintains a positive work environment. Promotes a high level of teamwork by maintaining a cohesive group and by managing in a positive work environment that is inclusive and with an open-door policy at all levels.

Key Communications & Behaviors

• Detail oriented, results focused and highly organized.
• Positive and professional attitude
• Models the Amy’s core values. (Acts as an ambassador for Amy’s. Provides a warm welcome to new employees and is patient, helpful and supportive as they learn their new role.)
• Demonstrates long-term thinking; inspires others; listens and communicates effectively; stays organized; solves problems; and collaborates well.
• Demonstrates the ability to partner with all plant leaders so that they can achieve plant KPI’s.
• Attends daily Tier Meetings; actively helps the plant solve problems.
• Attends critical plant meetings (production scheduling meetings, recruiting meetings, RCAs)
• Effectively Communicates proactively with training team, entire Plant Management team and Training Leadership Team

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 3 years of experience in a food manufacturing environment
• 5 years of experience in a training role
• 5 years of experience in a supervisory role 

SKILLS

• Strong communication skills
• Constructively and expeditiously confronts and resolves employee conflicts.
• Ability to build training presentations.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers and teams.

TECHNOLOGY SKILLS

• Strong Skills in Microsoft Office: Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams
• Data Analysis: Trends, Risks, Data Significance
• Familiarity with learning management systems (LMS)

TRAINING SKILLS

• Willing to learn and grow within a development and coaching role
• Able to motivate, lead, and coach employees
• Able to effectively support and listen to employees
• Able to give timely feedback in a constructive manner
• Able to effectively facilitate classroom and on the job training

LANGUAGE SKILLS

• Bilingual (preferred) - Proficient in written and spoken English and Spanish.
• Ability to speak effectively before groups of employees.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

• Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.

REASONING ABILITY

• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.