Production Specialist - PM Shift

Grande Cheese Company•Town of Jefferson, WI

20h•Onsite

About The Position

Grande Cheese Company is a family-owned enterprise dedicated to tradition, quality, and outstanding performance, fostering cultural pride, professional excellence, and respect for its Associates. The company operates under a High Performance Work Team (HPWT) structure, emphasizing continuous growth and improvement through a Skill Block model that aligns Associate abilities with job areas. This position encompasses various roles within cheese/whey manufacturing, processing, and distribution, ensuring product quality and safety standards are met. Associates will develop knowledge and skills within specific job areas, with duties potentially expanding as skills are attained.

Requirements

High School or GED preferred
Prior related work experience and/or training in a food manufacturing organization is preferred.
Math, reading, and writing skills
Ability to comprehend and follow technical instructions/policies/procedures in written, verbal, or diagram form.
Computer skills

Responsibilities

Carry out production duties in Dairy Production, including loading/unloading, equipment setup/monitoring, mixing, cooking, testing, analyzing, inspecting, final preparation, and feedback provision.
Set up, monitor, calibrate, and troubleshoot equipment in Dairy Production to ensure effective operation and make necessary adjustments.
Ensure efficient production flow and adherence to Grande and regulatory standards in Dairy Production.
Operate packaging equipment in Packaging to ensure continuous product flow and proper execution of processes for diverse products.
Monitor packaging for proper positioning, spacing, sealing, and correct codes/labels, making decisions to correct and prevent issues.
Perform visual inspection for defects in Packaging and rework or discard defective products.
Set up, calibrate, adjust, troubleshoot, and perform general maintenance on packaging equipment.
Operate, inspect, calibrate, adjust, and troubleshoot dairy manufacturing equipment in Equipment Operations, and perform preventive/general maintenance.
Monitor instruments and equipment in Equipment Operations to ensure correct process progression and efficient production flow.
Perform sampling and testing (temperatures, moisture, consistency, fat, protein, pH, etc.) and record data in Equipment Operations.
Coordinate milk unloading from trucks and transfer to storage in Intake, following Grande and regulatory procedures.
Ensure prevention of expired milk by prioritizing and unloading trailers correctly and operating critical control points (CCPs) in Intake.
Verify seals, wash tags, and weights from farm pick-up slips in Intake.
Agitate milk, collect samples for quality testing and payments in accordance with regulatory standards in Intake.
Load out cream, whey, and milk from storage areas for appropriate processing in Intake.
Perform monitoring of equipment, temperatures, and sanitation to ensure milk quality in Intake.
Maintain inventory and order supplies (seals, filters, starter) in Intake.
Operate, inspect, and troubleshoot intake equipment and perform general maintenance.
Handle receiving of materials from approved suppliers in Receiving & Inventory/Warehouse, inspecting trailers and incoming materials for accuracy and condition.
Ensure received items are properly placed in designated areas and accounted for in Receiving & Inventory/Warehouse.
Assist packaging operations to prepare pallets for transfer and storage, and set up internal transfers with other facilities.
Coordinate the packaging, shipment, and return of materials due to defect or damage, and communicate packing material issues.
Coordinate outbound shipments, including customer and transfer orders, bill of lading, pick lists, sample requirements, and commodity C.
Analyze physical storage location of material for efficiency and proximity to point of use, utilizing FIFO procedures.
Receive and store chemicals according to procedures (HAACP/FIFO), ensuring identification and MSDS paperwork.
Operate forklifts and perform inspections, troubleshooting, and general maintenance of forklifts, hand carts, and racking.
Conduct cycle counting of materials and supplies to assure proper levels for production, logging discrepancies, investigating root causes, and taking corrective actions.
Assist with questions related to supplier service, delivery times, service, or quality issues.
Perform sanitation of production areas and equipment (vats, conveyors, machines, tanks, pipes, fans, silos, hoses, etc.), including dismantling, cleaning, scrubbing, foaming, power washing, rinsing, sanitizing, de-scaling, de-mineralizing, and re-assembly.
Maintain a clean working area by performing general sanitation of walls, floors, windows, sinks, scales, drains, footbaths, and electrical panels.
Complete all required documentation, recordkeeping, and reporting as required by law and/or regulatory agencies.
Follow all SAFETY (food & workplace) policies and procedures.
Complete required paperwork, logs, and data entry into required computer systems (ERP, Scanworx, PowerApp, D365).
Thoroughly understand processes and independently make decisions that affect product quality.
Follow company policies and procedures.
Be a resource and assist with training new Associates on equipment and procedures.
Provide back-up relief as needed.
Provide recommendations and feedback to Process Leaders and Managers for improvements in quality, safety, efficiency, waste reduction, cost savings, and process optimization.
Obtain and renew licenses/certifications required for this role in a timely manner.