Our Company
At Niche Bakers we are passionate about baking and giving our customers desserts, snacks and confectionary sweet goods. With over 30 years in the baking industry, Niche Bakers is a respected leader in the creative design and development of s`weet goods. We are committed to continuous innovative ideas that to meet the ever-changing demands of our customers. Our talented, dynamic, innovative people have supported us on this success journey, every step of the way. Join our dedicated, hard-working team, come grow with us!
Job Summary
The Manufacturing Performance & Reporting Specialist will help Niche Bakers establish and improve how production information is collected, validated, reported, and used across the business. This individual will consolidate information from various company systems and data sources to identify trends and develop practical, reliable reporting on labour, yield, waste, downtime, line performance, and other key manufacturing measures. These insights will support data-driven decision making related to operational efficiency, production processes, product quality, and manufacturing performance.
This is a hands-on role for someone who understands manufacturing operations and can go beyond preparing reports to explain what the numbers are telling us. The successful candidate will work directly with Production, Finance, Quality, Maintenance, Supply Chain, and plant leadership to identify performance trends, highlight gaps and inconsistencies, and help determine where further investigation or operational improvement is required.
As this is a developing function, the individual must be comfortable working in an environment where information and processes are not always standardized. As this is a standalone role, the successful candidate must be comfortable working independently with full ownership, determining what is required, and building out the function with little guidance. You will be expected to define reporting requirements, establish consistent data collection practices, develop meaningful KPIs, and progressively build a practical manufacturing performance reporting function.
Key Responsibilities
- Take ownership of developing and managing the Company’s manufacturing performance reporting function.
- Collect, validate, and analyze production data from various sources including company systems, Excel files, and other operational databases.
- Develop and maintain practical Excel-based reports and dashboards for plant and senior management.
- Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), including production yield, downtime, waste and scrap, labor efficiency, line performance, and product quality.
- Review production results to identify inconsistencies, bottlenecks and areas requiring further investigation, and report on trends.
- Collaborate with production supervisors and plant management to investigate production issues and recommend corrective actions.
- Translate production data into clear, meaningful information through use of dashboards, reports, and data visualization using Excel and other reports that helps management understand performance and make operational decisions.
- Work with Production, Finance, Quality, Maintenance, and Supply Chain to validate information and understand performance results.
- Analyze root causes of production losses, quality deviations, and equipment downtime.
- Ensure the accuracy and integrity of production data through regular audits and validation checks.
- Support investigations into production losses, waste, downtime, quality issues, and other operational variances.
- Identify gaps in available information and recommend practical improvements to data collection and reporting.
- Generate daily, weekly, and monthly production performance reports for management.
- Support production capacity planning, forecasting, and resource utilization.
- Work with Quality Assurance to analyze product quality data and support food safety compliance.
- Maintain documentation of reporting processes, data definitions, and standard operating procedures.
- Participate in cross-functional projects that support continuous improvement and operational excellence.
Required Qualifications
- Post-secondary education in Commerce, Data Analytics, Operations Management, Statistics, or a related field.
- Previous experience working with operational or production data in a manufacturing environment is strongly preferred.
- Strong understanding of manufacturing operations and key performance measures (including yield, waste, downtime, labour efficiency, and line performance).
- Food manufacturing experience and knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practices is a definite asset.
- Experience working with ERP/MRP systems (e.g., SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Oracle, Infor).
- Advanced Microsoft Excel (Pivot tables, Power Query, Power Pivot, formulas)
- Experience with ERP and manufacturing systems
- Knowledge of statistical analysis techniques
- Understanding of manufacturing KPIs and production reporting
Core Competencies
- Ability to work independently and autonomously, take full ownership of the function, and determine how to move the work forward with minimal direction.
- Strong analytical, critical-thinking and problem-solving skills
- Excellent attention to detail, with a strong focus on and data accuracy & integrity
- Ability to identify trends and translate data into meaningful operational insights
- Resourceful and comfortable developing solutions that are not yet established
- Data analysis and trend identification
- Continuous improvement mindset
- Strong organizational and time management skills
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
- Effective communication and presentation skills
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively with cross-functional teams
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Accuracy and timeliness of production reports
- Data quality and reporting accuracy
- Improvement in production efficiency
- Reduction in production waste and scrap
- Reduction in equipment downtime
- Cost savings identified through data analysis
- Dashboard adoption and stakeholder satisfaction
- Support for continuous improvement initiatives
Working Conditions
- Primarily office-based with regular visits to the production floor.
- Must be comfortable working in a food manufacturing environment, including exposure to refrigerated areas, noise, and production equipment.
- Occasional flexibility in work hours may be required to support production schedules or month-end reporting.
This position is ideal for a data-driven professional who enjoys using manufacturing data to generate actionable insights that improve productivity, product quality, and operational performance in a food manufacturing environment.
Niche Bakers Corp. embraces diversity in the workplace and is committed to achieving employment equity. Our goal is to attract, develop and retain exceptionally talented employees from diverse backgrounds, allowing us to benefit from a wide variety of experiences and perspectives. We ensure that our recruitment practices are supportive of this commitment and do not infringe on any characteristics protected by law.
In accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, and the Ontario Human Rights Code, Niche Bakers Corp. will provide accommodation throughout the recruitment and selection process to applicants with disabilities. If selected to participate in the recruitment and selection process, please inform Human Resources of the nature of accommodation(s) that you may require in respect of any materials or processes used to ensure your equal participation.
