Production Operations Manager - Dairy
Our client, a leading manufacturing and retailer in the food and beverage manufacturing space, is seeking an experienced Production Operations Manager to lead high‑volume production in a dairy manufacturing environment. This role focuses on driving operational excellence, developing strong leadership teams, and ensuring the highest levels of safety, quality, and reliability across the plant. The successful candidate brings a strong background in TPM, Operational Excellence, and Lean Manufacturing, with the ability to drive performance in safety, quality, reliability, and continuous improvement.
Key Responsibilities:
- Oversee daily production operations to ensure safe, efficient, high‑quality output across all dairy processes.
- Implement and sustain TPM, Lean, and OpEx tools to improve throughput, reduce waste, and strengthen reliability.
- Collaborate with maintenance, quality, sanitation, and supply chain teams to maintain seamless plant operations.
- Develop, coach, and mentor supervisors and frontline teams to meet safety, quality, and performance targets.
- Monitor production metrics, budgets, staffing needs, and process performance; recommend operational improvements.
- Stay current on dairy processing trends, technologies, and regulatory requirements.
- Ensure full compliance with food safety, allergen controls, and all regulatory and internal quality standards.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Food Science, or related field (Master's preferred).
- 7+ years of manufacturing operations management experience, including REQUIRED experience in dairy production (fluid milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, or similar).
- Demonstrated application of TPM, Lean, OpEx, or similar continuous improvement methodologies (REQUIRED).
- Strong leadership abilities with experience managing supervisors and production teams in a fast-paced environment.
- Highly organized with strong attention to detail and the ability to interpret complex instructions and procedures.
- Thorough understanding of plant operations, food safety regulations, and manufacturing best practices.
- Strong knowledge of food safety regulations (FDA, USDA, SQF/BRC, GMPs).
- Strong understanding of automation and modern manufacturing technologies.
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