Production Shift Manager

At Hilmar Cheese Company we improve lives around the world through wholesome dairy products. Since our founding in 1984, Hilmar Cheese Company has been committed to innovation and sustainability. Our state-of-the art production facilities convert an abundance of locally sourced high-quality milk into a variety of nutritious cheeses, whey protein and lactose. The Cheese and Ingredients that we produce create a wide variety of retail and food service products from sliced and shredded cheeses, to protein supplements and infant formula. We are a trusted partner to premier food and beverage brands in for than fifty countries helping bring their vision into reality.

Throughout our decades of success and growth we have remained committed to our mission and values and these principles unite our people and guide all that we do.

A Typical Day

The Superintendent oversees management of all designated areas of operations to assure products are manufactured on schedule and within quality standards and cost objectives, ensuring the highest possible level of customer satisfaction.

Job Responsibilities

• Develop and implement plans to meet or exceed the plant's yearly business objectives, initiatives, and productivity, quality, and delivery goals.
• Lead and manage teams while promoting a positive work environment focused on achieving business goals. Develop and execute staffing plan and allocate resources accordingly. Responsible for hiring, disciplinary and termination decisions, as well as cross-training to ensure adequate succession, coverage, and future development.
• Lead, mentor, and coach supervisors to identify enrichment/developmental opportunities and recommend training to correct deficiencies.
• Manage an effective flow of communication between day shift and night shift to all levels of the organization, to ensure all leaders and personnel know strategic goals, expectations, and performance expectations.
• Demonstrate an active role in the plant safety program. Conduct audits and ensure that supervisors are monitoring all personnel for desired safety behaviors. Evaluate assigned work area for safety best practices and enhance procedures to make each job safer.
• Identify and implement projects or processes to drive process improvement, throughout the plant, which focuses on results and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
• Develop strong working relationships and a regular cadence of communication with cross functional leaders at the plant, to ensure operational and strategic alignment.

What You Will Need

• Bachelor’s degree plus 7 years related experience or equivalent experience, OR Master’s degree plus 3 years related experience or equivalent experience.
• Able to demonstrate leadership, critical thinking, interpersonal, and organizational skills.
• Demonstrated strong reasoning, analytical and problem solving skills.
• Performance management skills/ability to collaborate and coordinate team members and projects.
• Strategic knowledge of production operations management for quality, yield, and cost.
• Knowledge of financial and budgetary process
• Demonstrated ability to formulate operations policies and programs.

What Will Put You Ahead

• Bachelor’s degree in related field plus 8 years related experience, OR Master’s degree plus 5 years related experience or equivalent.
• Demonstrate keen attention to detail, initiative and proactivity.
• Ability to multitask and have great communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish

Physical Demands & Work Environment

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee will be required to:
• Stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle or feel and reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl and talk or hear.
• Stand and walk almost the entire workday.
• Employees must be physically capable of working in any of the job tasks within the cheese plant.
• Required to work at heights and in fairly small areas.
• Pushing, pulling, reaching, bending, stooping, squatting, kneeling, handling and grasping, twisting/turning, repetitive bending.
• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently exposed to the following:
• Exposure to dust, fumes, smoke, gases, or other irritating substances.
• Exposure to solvents or chemicals.
• Exposure to slippery walking surfaces: water.
• Exposure to marked changes in temperature and humidity depending on time of year.
• Working surface is primarily concrete. Where standing is required, there are rubber mats which are one-half inch thick.