Production Manager - Cheese

Dairy Farmers of America - Zumbrota, MN

Full-time - Mid Level

Zumbrota, MN

Food Manufacturing

About the position

The Production Manager for the Cheese Department at Dairy Farmers of America will provide leadership and direction to employees and teams across various functions including administration, production, processing, scheduling, sanitation, quality, purchasing, safety, and environmental compliance. This role is pivotal in ensuring effective communication and coordination of performance to meet the plant's goals. The Production Manager will be responsible for overseeing production performance with a focus on cost, quality, safety, and employee environment. This includes developing, troubleshooting, and improving manufacturing processes and equipment in collaboration with plant leadership and support teams. In addition to monitoring and overseeing the quality of the finished product, the Production Manager will maintain the equipment and facility in a sanitary condition. They will work closely with Maintenance and Engineering to coordinate and implement capital projects and maintenance activities. Leadership is a key component of this role, as the Production Manager will provide guidance to production and supervisory staff, ensuring that customer needs are met in terms of product performance, quality, cost, and timely shipment of orders. The role also involves developing a yearly budget in conjunction with the Plant Manager and monitoring departmental costs against budgetary objectives. The Production Manager will promote and enforce safety programs and policies to minimize employee accidents and injuries, as well as ensure compliance with GMPs, HACCP, quality, and sanitation standards. They will lead problem-solving initiatives and facilitate team meetings to drive continuous improvement. Daily and weekly production schedules will be managed by the Production Manager, who will also be responsible for completing necessary paperwork including production/quality records and accident reports. Overall, this position requires a proactive approach to managing the manufacturing facility's operations to ensure customer orders are fulfilled efficiently while maintaining safety and quality standards.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and direction to employees and teams within the Cheese Department.
• Monitor and oversee the quality of the finished product by maintaining sanitary conditions.
• Work with Maintenance and Engineering to coordinate capital projects and maintenance activities.
• Develop supervisors to support the plant and ensure customer needs are met.
• Develop a yearly budget with the Plant Manager and monitor departmental costs.
• Promote and enforce safety programs and policies to reduce accidents and injuries.
• Ensure compliance with GMPs, HACCP, quality, and sanitation standards.
• Lead problem-solving initiatives and facilitate team meetings.
• Manage daily and weekly production schedules and complete necessary paperwork.
• Direct overall activities of the manufacturing facility to meet customer requirements.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in an applicable discipline preferred or High School Diploma/Equivalent with applicable experience in Plant Operations in Manufacturing.
• 3+ years managerial experience, preferably in a food processing facility.
• Knowledge of packaging/processing technology.
• Expertise in lean manufacturing principles (Kaizen, work balancing, 5S, TPM, Six Sigma, etc.).
• High level of working knowledge in Food Manufacturing including Food Safety, Food Security, and Food Quality.
• Knowledge of and skill with Microsoft Office Suite and company computer systems, specifically Excel, Word, Microsoft Project, PowerPoint, Minitab.
• Ability to utilize root cause analysis techniques (fishbone diagram, Pareto charts, 5 Whys, etc.).
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong time management and organizational skills.
• Ability to adapt to changing organizational and operational needs.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with food safety regulations and compliance standards.
• Familiarity with budget management and cost containment principles.