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Production Manager - Stock Yards Collective

US Foods · Aurora, IL · $85,000–$135,000 a year · Full time

Posted Oct 2, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a time a USDA inspector raised a concern on your floor. What happened and what did you change afterward?

What they are checking: How they handle regulators in real time and whether a finding turns into a lasting fix rather than a one-day cleanup.

Tell me about a continuous improvement project you led in a plant. How did you measure that it worked?

What they are checking: Whether they actually run a data-driven culture or just use the phrase, shown by a real baseline and result.

Tell me about a time you had to get something done through people in a matrix organization who didn't report to you.

What they are checking: Whether they can move procurement, quality and sales partners by building relationships rather than leaning on authority.

How have you developed a supervisor who was strong technically but struggled to lead people?

What they are checking: Whether they invest in growing leaders, which decides if the operation can run when the manager is not there.

What would you do

How do you keep sanitation, production and shipping from fighting over the same hours of the day?

What they are checking: Whether they see sanitation as part of the production plan instead of a step that gets squeezed when the line runs late.

A supervisor wants to skip a lockout step to clear a jam and hit the truck time. You're on the floor. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether safety holds when it costs them a deadline, which tells the employer what the floor will copy.

A customer complaint comes in about a foreign object in product from your plant. Walk me through your first day.

What they are checking: Whether they can contain, trace and investigate under food safety rules while keeping the customer and leadership informed.

About the work

Walk me through how you build a production and labor schedule for a week when orders swing a lot from day to day.

What they are checking: Whether they can match labor to demand without burning overtime or missing ship deadlines, the core of lowest unit cost.

Your yield on a cutting line has dropped two points this month. How do you find out why?

What they are checking: Whether they go to the data first and know the usual drivers of meat yield loss, such as trim specs, training and equipment.

How do you decide when to flex your team across departments versus calling in temp labor or overtime?

What they are checking: Their grasp of the cost and quality tradeoffs in building a team that can flex with the business.

What does a solid inventory control process look like in a meat processing operation, from receiving to shipping?

What they are checking: Whether they understand lot tracking, rotation and cycle counts well enough to support recalls and accurate costing.

Practice this interview out loud.

Offer builds a real interview for this exact role at US Foods from your resume and this job description, asks the questions one at a time, and tells you what landed. The first one is free.

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The full job description

As published by US Foods.

ARE YOU A CURRENT US FOODS EMPLOYEE? PLEASE APPLY DIRECTLY THROUGH OUR INTERNAL WORKDAY CAREER SITE Join Our Community of Food People! Develops and implements strategies to direct the manufacturing and warehousing teams in achieving efficiency, quality, and safety as well as, productivity through maintaining a data driven culture of continuous improvement. Ensures production of quality products at the lowest unit cost and manages staff to ensure the integrity, USDA / FDA regulatory compliance, sanitation, shipping receiving and inventory control. TResponsibilities: Effective Production: • Develops manufacturing strategies consistent with overall business plans to ensure ability to deliver planned business results • Develops a team and structure that can flex to meet the demands of the business • Aligns priorities with the direction of the broader organization to meet the demands of needs of the customer • Manages production and labor scheduling to ensure deadlines and quality specifications are met in accordance with internal and regulatory guidelines • Establishes and maintains cross functional relationships in a matrix, functionalized organization Compliance: • Ensures compliance with internal and external guidelines, including, but not limited to USDA, FDA, OSHA, and Food Safety regulations • Maintains an environment and culture focused on the safety of the team members. • Manages an operation that meets or exceeds certification levels of external audit standards (GFSI) Sustainable Operation Improvement: • Establishes and manages metrics used to define performance • Guides production and warehousing teams through in-depth analysis and resolution of strategic issues • Solid understanding of key drivers of operational performance (Six Sigma, lean continuous improvement, etc) and their use in developing strategies for driving efficiency SUPERVISION • Production Supervisor and Production Employees • Warehouse Supervisors and Warehouse Employees Education & Work Experience • High school graduate or equivalent, college degree preferred • Five years of operations/production management experience required, preferably in a food processing environment. • General business knowledge in manufacturing, operations, or food processing • Experience working in a JIT (Just in Time) production environment, is a plus • Experience using continuous improvement tools, such as Six Sigma or Lean Manufacturing Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities • Ability to communicate effectively (oral and written) to all levels of the organization • Strong leadership skills and the ability to facilitate and manage change • Strong quantitative and qualitative assessment skills, critical thinking skills and the ability to constructively challenge ideas and assumptions • Must possess strong interpersonal relationship skills • Strong computer skills and experience applying these techniques to analyze and measure productivity This role will also receive an annual incentive plan bonus. ​Benefits for this role may include health insurance, pre-tax spending accounts, retirement benefits, paid time off, short-term and long-term disability, employee stock purchase plan, and life insurance. To review available benefits, please click here: https://www.usfoods.com/careers/benefits.html. #LI-EG1 Compensation depends on relevant experience and/or education, specific skills, function, geographic location, and other factors as applicable by law (for example: state or local minimum wage thresholds). The expected base rate for this role is between $85,000 - $135,000 ***EOE – Race/Color/Religion/Sex/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/National Origin/ Age/Genetic Information /Protected Veteran/Disability Status***

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