Brine System Operator - 2nd Shift Antigo, WI

Sartori Company•Antigo, WI

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Brine System Operator oversees brine and hauling processes in cheese production, ensuring compliance with safety, sanitation, and quality standards and maintaining a clean, sanitary work environment. The role is on-site at the Antigo Creamery and works from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. on a 2/2/3 rotation. No travel is required, and the position has no direct reports. The operator monitors and documents brine solution parameters and cheese inventory, handles cheese wheels and brine tanks, and uses forklifts and overhead cranes to move products and equipment. The role also includes heat-treating brine and cleaning and sanitizing tanks, racks, the brine room, associated equipment, and other plant areas. Required internal certifications must be completed for forklift and overhead-crane operation.

Requirements

Must be at least 18 years old.
Basic math skills, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, particularly for weight measurements and product counts.
Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
Ability to read and understand work-related documents and follow written or oral instructions.
Ability to work independently and as part of a team, with good communication and collaboration skills.
Attention to detail, strong organizational skills, and good judgment.
Must complete internal forklift-operation training and certification within the designated training period.
Must complete internal overhead-crane operation training and certification.
Ability to meet the physical demands of frequent standing, walking, stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, and regularly lifting up to 50 pounds.
Good vision, including the ability to distinguish colors and focus on close and distant objects.

Nice To Haves

High school diploma or equivalent.
Food manufacturing experience.

Responsibilities

Follow company safety policies, HACCP guidelines, and GMP standards.
Immediately report food safety or quality concerns to management or authorized personnel.
Monitor, maintain, and record brine solution temperature, salinity, sorbate levels, solution depth, and pH.
Accurately document cheese wheel weights, counts, and vat locations in brine tanks.
Remove cheese wheels from hoops, assign them to appropriate brine tanks, and document assignments.
Operate overhead cranes and brine cages to load and unload cheese wheels in and out of brine tanks.
Coordinate product rotation and storage to optimize vat space and maintain inventory.
Use a forklift to transport cheese wheels to production areas and place wheels on racks.
Heat-treat brine to control microbial activity while following safety protocols.
Clean and sanitize brine tanks, racks, the brine room, and associated equipment.
Perform routine plant cleaning, including rinsing and scrubbing, and follow Master Sanitation Schedule protocols.