Plant Manager

Aurora Dairy Corp.•Columbia, MO

8h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Plant Manager is responsible for all plant operations, including plant safety, product quality, staffing/scheduling of processing/packaging operations, mechanical readiness, capital project oversight, and short and long-term business planning and execution. This role involves ensuring manufacturing reliability, budgeted operating performance, and a positive organizational culture through leadership and management of the plant management team. The Plant Manager will develop a team effective in recruiting, training, and managing plant personnel to achieve effectiveness and efficiency objectives. A key responsibility is ensuring a safe working environment through effective safety programs and developing and implementing fact-based metrics for managing and evaluating operating results. The role also includes identifying capital improvement needs, overseeing capex project budgets and implementation, and developing/executing continuous improvement projects. Providing timely financial and management information to accounting and finance departments, facilitating new ERP/Data System implementation, and contributing to cross-functional teams are also essential. Support and partnership with another plant to meet overall manufacturing performance expectations, and responsibility for the development, training, implementation, and compliance of the SQF program are critical. The Plant Manager is also responsible for establishing and meeting plant cost performance goals and must be available for scheduled and non-scheduled travel as directed by the Vice President of Plant Operations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Dairy/Food Science/Food Engineering.
Minimum 10 years professional experience as a senior member of a plant management team.
Demonstrable experience of creating and working with a high performance team.
Demonstrable management skills and abilities, with experience in managing a team of at least 100 people.
Outstanding communication skills and team building.
Detail oriented, team member, quick problem solver.
Experience with HTST pasteurization.
Thorough knowledge of regulatory requirements for food processing, dairy preferred.
Strong, honest work ethic with ability to handle multiple tasks daily.
Must possess a valid driver’s license, reliable mode of transportation and proof of automobile insurance with required levels of coverage.

Nice To Haves

Preferred UHT/UP processing and ESL filling.
Knowledge of Organic Standards for food processing is helpful.

Responsibilities

Monitor and report any deviations from Food Safety and Food Quality (HACCP & SQF) programs.
Ensure manufacturing reliability, budgeted operating performance, and positive organizational culture through leadership and management of the plant management team.
Develop a plant management team that is effective in recruiting, training & managing plant personnel to realize effectiveness and efficiency objectives.
Ensure that AOD’s plant operations are a safe place to work through effective safety programs.
Develop and implement fact based metrics that are timely and accurate to manage and evaluate operating results on an on-going basis.
Identification of needed capital improvements and oversight of capex project budgets and implementation.
Development and execution of continuous improvement projects in all operating aspects, vendor negotiations and product performance.
Provide the accounting and finance departments with timely financial and management information for proper budgeting and reporting and facilitate implementation of all new ERP/ Data Systems.
Contribute as a member of cross-functional teams such as Product Development and Innovation, Accounting, Quality, Utilization, Human Resources, Farm Team, CSR and others.
Support and partner with Columbia, MO plant to meet and exceed overall manufacturing performance expectations.
Responsible for development, training, implementation and compliance to the SQF program.
Responsible for establishing and meeting plant cost performance goals.
Available for scheduled and non-scheduled travel.