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This role provides overall leadership and operational direction for cheese production and associated processing areas, including intake, concentration, and downstream operations. The position is accountable for delivering safe, high-quality dairy products while optimizing yield, efficiency, cost, and workforce performance. The manager builds a disciplined manufacturing environment capable of meeting current production demands and supporting future improvements through process optimization, people development, and cross-functional collaboration. The role emphasizes technical ownership of cheesemaking processes, operational execution, and continuous improvement while maintaining strong alignment with safety, quality, and customer requirements.

Manufacturing & Operational Leadership 

• Direct day-to-day production activities across cheese and related processing areas, ensuring performance targets for safety, quality, cost, delivery, and employee engagement are achieved.
• Oversee production planning and execution, including daily and weekly scheduling to meet customer and business requirements.
• Ensure manufacturing operations are executed efficiently while maintaining compliance with food safety, quality, and sanitation standards.
• Analyze operational metrics and trends to identify risks, opportunities, and improvement priorities.

Process Control & Product Quality 

• Provide technical oversight of cheesemaking processes, formulations, and processing parameters to ensure consistent product performance and yield optimization.
• Lead troubleshooting efforts for process deviations, equipment challenges, and quality issues, utilizing structured problem-solving methodologies.
• Partner with quality leadership to determine appropriate disposition of product based on specifications and customer requirements.
• Ensure equipment, utilities, and facilities are maintained in sanitary and production-ready condition.

Continuous Improvement & Systems Development

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on productivity, waste reduction, labor efficiency, and process reliability.
• Apply lean manufacturing principles and structured improvement tools to enhance operational performance.
• Ensure standard operating procedures are developed, documented, maintained, and effectively deployed across manufacturing activities.
• Lead change management efforts related to new processes, trials, recipes, and operational updates.

Cross-Functional Collaboration 

• Work closely with maintenance and engineering teams to plan and execute capital projects, equipment upgrades, and preventative maintenance activities.
• Coordinate with supply chain, purchasing, and logistics partners to ensure material availability and timely order fulfillment.
• Act as a collaborative partner across departments to align operational priorities and support enterprise initiatives.

People Leadership & Development 

• Provide leadership, coaching, and direction to supervisors, team leads, and operators.
• Develop leadership capability within the supervisory team to strengthen execution and accountability.
• Support effective staffing, training, performance management, and succession planning.
• Ensure consistent application of company policies, including corrective action processes, in partnership with human resources.

Safety, Compliance & Administration 

• Promote and enforce safety programs and safe work practices to reduce incidents and improve overall workplace safety.
• Ensure compliance with GMPs, HACCP, sanitation, and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain accurate production, quality, safety, and sanitation records.
• Develop and manage departmental budgets, monitoring labor, materials, overhead, and shrink to meet financial objectives.

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline preferred, or equivalent combination of education and manufacturing experience.
• Prior management experience in food manufacturing operations required.
• Technical background in cheese or cultured dairy processing strongly preferred
• Strong understanding of food manufacturing operations, including safety, quality, and regulatory expectations.

• Demonstrated knowledge of cheesemaking processes, processing technologies, and packaging systems.
• Experience applying lean manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Proficiency with standard business and manufacturing software tools for data analysis and reporting.
• Ability to lead structured problem-solving using root cause analysis techniques.
• Strong communication, organization, and prioritization skills.
• Proven ability to lead teams through change and manage competing operational priorities.
• Financial acumen related to cost control, budgeting, and operational efficiency.
• Capable of developing, motivating, and retaining high-performing teams.