Cheese Manufacturing Intern
About The Position
The Cheese Manufacturing Summer Intern will support operational improvement projects at Tillamook County Creamery Association’s Boardman, Oregon plant. The 10- to 12-week summer internship is for undergraduate or graduate students and includes hands-on exposure to cheese manufacturing, from milk intake through packaging and warehouse operations. The intern will collaborate with operators, production supervisors, quality assurance, maintenance, and inventory teams, learning plant processes and identifying improvement opportunities. Project work focuses on operational efficiency, asset utilization, waste reduction, yield, data accuracy, and decision-making. Projects include optimizing tower recipe sequences and operating parameters by cheese type; evaluating how curd rinse flow and rinse-water temperature affect moisture, pH, and salt absorption; analyzing pound variances between MES and Dynamics 365; and investigating milk shrink throughout production, storage, and packaging. The intern will collect and analyze production data, conduct floor observations, assist with inventory reconciliation, participate in production meetings and improvement initiatives, troubleshoot process issues, validate data accuracy, and communicate findings and recommendations to plant leadership. The program also offers experiences such as farmer-owner farm visits, cheese and ice cream tastings, a cooking class with the executive chef, a resume and interview workshop, and sales market tours. The role is based at the Boardman, Oregon plant.
Requirements
- Currently enrolled in a bachelor’s or master’s program and not due to graduate the semester prior to the internship.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to evaluate production data, identify process inefficiencies, and recommend practical improvements.
- Effective communication skills for collaborating across teams and presenting project findings clearly and professionally.
- Detail-oriented and comfortable working with data in systems such as MES and D365.
- Willingness to spend time on the production floor learning processes firsthand.
- Adaptability, initiative, and commitment to safety.
- Ability to balance multiple priorities while maintaining high standards for food safety and product quality.
Nice To Haves
- Dairy Science or Engineering field of study.
Responsibilities
- Optimize tower recipe sequences for different cheese types, including press time, pressure, and guillotine delay, to increase capacity and improve block shape while reducing trim.
- Quantify the effects of curd rinse flow and cheddar cheese rinse-water temperature on moisture, pH, and salt absorption.
- Analyze pound variances between MES and Dynamics 365 by comparing production reporting, material consumption, and inventory transactions; identify root causes and recommend ways to improve accuracy and reduce discrepancies.
- Investigate sources of milk shrink across production, storage, and packaging by analyzing yield losses, inventory variances, and operational practices.
- Implement and monitor improvement opportunities to reduce product loss and improve production efficiency and inventory accuracy.
- Learn cheese-making operations on the production floor, from milk intake through packaging and warehouse operations.
- Collaborate with operators, production supervisors, quality assurance, maintenance, and inventory teams to understand challenges and identify improvement opportunities.
- Collect and analyze production data, conduct floor observations, assist with inventory reconciliation, and attend production meetings.
- Support continuous improvement efforts related to safety, quality, yield, and operational efficiency.
- Troubleshoot process issues, validate data accuracy, and communicate findings and recommendations to plant leadership.
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What This Job Offers
Career Level
Intern
