Production Specialist

Job Summary

Manage other supervisors or teams of employees using machinery or equipment to assist with manufacturing, packaging, and other steps along a production line.

IFF is a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients and health & biosciences. We deliver sustainable innovations that elevate everyday products.

Food Ingredients: Innovating improved nutritional profiles, better taste and texture, and greater cost efficiency to meet the needs of global food and beverage manufacturers.

The Production Specialist role is based in Memphis, Tennessee (onsite role).

Be part of a collaborative, solution-oriented, resilient, and growth-focused team where together we can achieve greatness and make a real impact.

Your potential is our inspiration.

Where You'll Make a Difference

• Provide daily production floor support by monitoring process performance, analyzing operating data, troubleshooting issues, and helping achieve production objectives across assigned manufacturing units.
• Coordinate, communicate, and support execution of daily operating plans to ensure safe, efficient, and reliable production.
• Monitor key manufacturing processes, including Clean-in-Place activities and product changeovers, to ensure compliance with established procedures and identify improvement opportunities.
• Lead and participate in incident investigations using Root Cause Failure Analysis and other structured problem-solving methodologies to identify corrective actions and prevent recurrence.
• Support planned and unplanned unit startup and shutdown activities while maintaining safety, quality, and operational standards.
• Collaborate with Production Engineers, Operations teams, and site leadership to develop plans that meet future production demands and business objectives.
• Analyze current operating conditions and historical performance data to identify opportunities for continuous improvement and enhanced unit performance.
• Provide guidance, coaching, and day-to-day support to hourly manufacturing employees in alignment with site goals and operational expectations.
• Promote a culture of safety, food safety, quality, teamwork, and accountability through effective communication and engagement across the manufacturing organization.

What Makes You the Right Fit

• Minimum of five years of manufacturing or process operations experience; or a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related discipline with one to two years of relevant experience, including internships or cooperative education programs.
• Demonstrated ability to collect, analyze, and interpret operational data to identify solutions, evaluate risks, and support sound business decisions.
• Experience troubleshooting manufacturing processes and resolving production-related issues in a fast-paced industrial environment.
• Strong understanding of operational excellence principles, including safety, quality, efficiency, and continuous improvement.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills with the ability to collaborate across multiple levels of the organization.
• Proven ability to influence the adoption of desired safety, quality, and performance standards through positive leadership and example.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, and other computer-based systems and databases.
• Ability to prioritize multiple activities, manage changing business needs, and support operational objectives in a dynamic manufacturing environment.

How Would You Stand Out?

• Experience in food manufacturing, including exposure to centrifugation, pumping systems, spray drying, and process control operations.
• Knowledge of maintenance and work management processes, including Computerized Maintenance Management Systems such as SAP.
• Six Sigma certification, Lean Manufacturing experience, or demonstrated knowledge of continuous improvement methodologies.

Why Choose Us?

• Opportunity to lead a critical manufacturing operation within IFF's global Food Ingredients business.
• Exposure to complex manufacturing processes and cross-functional leadership opportunities.
• Ability to shape site culture, develop future leaders, and drive meaningful operational improvements.
• Competitive Benefits (US): Our benefit package includes medical, dental, vision, 401(k), vacation, holidays, 16 weeks paid parental leave (maternity and paternity), and an annual bonus plan. IFF was also recognized by Newsweek as one of America's Greatest Workplaces for Perks & Benefits.
• Career development opportunities within a global company focused on innovation and sustainability.
• Inclusive and collaborative environments where safety, development, and employee success are prioritized.

For your awareness, IFF has announced its intention to sell its Food Ingredients Business to CVC Capital Partners. The sale is currently expected to close in the first half of 2027, pending regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

The Food Ingredients business unit will remain part of IFF until close and, at such time, will transition to CVC Capital Partners. By applying for this position, candidates acknowledge awareness that the role is part of the Food Ingredient business unit and has been identified to transition to CVC Capital Partners.

We are a global leader in taste, scent, and nutrition, offering our customers a broader range of natural solutions and accelerating our growth strategy. At IFF, we believe that your uniqueness unleashes our potential. We value the diverse mosaic of the ethnicity, national origin, race, age, sex, or veteran status. We strive for an inclusive workplace that allows each of our colleagues to bring their authentic self to work regardless of their religion, gender identity & expression, sexual orientation, or disability.

Visit IFF.com/careers/workplace-diversity-and-inclusion to learn more