Production Manager - Butter

Lactalis Canada; Winchester; On-site; CAD 99,000 - 124,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

Performance-based bonus

4 weeks vacation

Benefits from day 1

Employer match pension up to 6%

Tuition reimbursement up to $3,000/yr

Volunteer day

Learning and development

Job summary

Lactalis Canada is seeking a Production Manager (Butter) in Winchester, Ontario to lead butter production operations. You will drive safety, quality, productivity, and cost management in a high-volume plant, guiding capital projects and process improvements.

Ideal candidates have 10+ years in dairy manufacturing leadership, strong problem-solving and budgeting skills, and bilingual ability in English and French. The role offers a competitive base, bonus potential, and comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• Ten years in a production leadership role in manufacturing, preferably dairy.
• Engineering or related degree in a relevant field.
• Strong leadership, planning, and communication skills.
• Knowledge of HACCP, SAP, and operations improvement.

Responsibilities

• Lead production for butter, ensuring safety, quality, and cost targets.
• Plan production and labor schedules to meet volume and budget.
• Manage department budget and monitor productivity and costs.
• Drive safety performance and adherence to safety program elements.
• Coach supervisors and develop staff in the butter plant.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Problem Solving

Budgeting

Kaizen

Bilingual

Project Management

Education

Engineering or Food Science degree

Tools

SAP

Lotus Notes

Microsoft Office

Automation systems

Job description

About Us

Welcome to Lactalis Canada! We’re proud to be Canada’s #1 branded dairy company and to be consistently recognized as one of the country’s top employers by Forbes. Our purpose is to enrich and nurture the lives of Canadians by offering the best of dairy from Canada’s favourite dairy brands like Cracker Barrel, Black Diamond, Balderson, Astro and Lactantia. In fact, our products can be found in over 90% of Canadian refrigerators in any given time. As part of Lactalis Group, the world’s leading dairy company, we remain focused on innovation and quality and are seeking like-minded individuals to join us as we continue our growth journey.

Job Purpose

The Production Manager (Butter) has overall accountability for all butter related production at the Lactalis Plant in Winchester Ontario. As a member of the leadership team of a complex operation and with high volume, the position is responsible for department results in safety, product quality, reliability, productivity, raw material, and operating costs. Responsibilities also include management of projects (capital, cost savings and continuous improvement) and championing process improvements as well as raising the level of accountability productivity and decision making of all reports.

Responsibility

• Manage production by measuring, analyzing, and executing corrective actions for Safety, Quality, Efficiency, and People. Plan and execute production and labour schedules to produce the required volume ensuring that measures are met including cost control, within specification and quality requirements including HACCP and customer requirements.
• Maintain operational awareness of the butter plant budget in terms of productivity and technical details for all the fillers and churns pro and cons; manage budget appropriately to optimize the skus and operation to meet budget targets.
• Provide leadership to improve health and safety performance by being a role model in safety and demonstrating due diligence through applying the corporate health & safety program elements. These focus on incident prevention through hazard identification, implementing necessary controls, training, education, and audits. Where necessary, take corrective action to address unsafe situations and employee behaviours, uphold cardinal and other safety rules and procedures, and communicate with appropriate resources to address any hazardous conditions or unsafe employee conduct.
• Provide leadership and supervision to staff by hiring, reviewing performance, help improving the kowdlege of the supervisors and structure their daily task in butter plant and providing feedback, determining training and development needs, and providing coaching and work direction. Promote a team focus on excellence in all activities including those required to support safety, operational productivity, quality, loss reduction, people development, and cost improvement.
• Support plant and corporate objectives by developing, communicating, and executing annual goals and strategies. Manage the department’s budget by controlling, monitoring and justifying expenditures versus plan and manage accordingly.

Qualifications

• College diploma or University degree preferably in Engineering, Food Science or Biochemistry.
• Ten (10) years’ experience in production leadership position in manufacturing, preferably dairy, including experience in improving plant performance and developing organizations and people.
• Leadership, planning and execution skills including strong communication and organizational skills.
• Ability to implement best practices in operations management.
• Knowledge of high-speed filling, packaging equipment and processing systems.
• Knowledge of CIP processes, SAP or automation systems.
• Strong analytical, problem solving and decision-making skills.
• Financial and budgetary skills.
• Bilingual (where applicable).
• Knowledge of Kaizen and SMED concepts.
• Proficient with standard office computer technology such as Lotus Notes, Microsoft Office (Word & Excel), as well as business systems such as SAP.
• Bilingualism (English and French) is an asset.

Competency

• Care
• Dare
• Inspire
• Share

What Lactalis Will Offer

• A Competitive Base Salary
• A Performance-Based Bonus System
• 4 weeks of vacation
• Benefits starting day 1
• A Pension Program with an Employer Match at 100% of up to 6%
• Tuition reimbursement plan of up to $3,000/year
• A Volunteer Day to give back to your community
• Learning and Development opportunities
• A commitment to internal career advancement with potential for international mobility

Our ESG Commitment

Our ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) roadmap drives our sustainability mission. We aim to positively impact communities and the planet by enabling stakeholders including our people, consumers, customers, suppliers, dairy farmers, government, and industry partners to have a positive impact on the wellbeing of our communities and the planet through all that we do. At Lactalis Canada, we value our employees as catalysts for positive change. Together, we will create a sustainable future, promote belonging, and make a lasting impact on the world.

Our Commitment To DEI

Fuel Our Culture with Your Uniqueness! Lactalis thrives on the value each person brings. We're dedicated to amplifying diverse voices, inviting personal and professional growth, and embracing everyone's true selves. We're committed to crafting an environment that genuinely welcomes all, reflecting the richness of our people and communities. We apply an equal access to employment program and invite women, aboriginal people, visible minorities, and people with disabilities to apply. Our promise extends to accessible processes and spaces. If you require accommodation due to a disability (which may be visible or invisible, temporary, or permanent), please inform our Talent Acquisition team – confidentiality will be maintained.

Note

Lactalis Canada does not conduct credit or background checks through LinkedIn. If required, we'll contact you after signing a Job Offer.

Compensation

As part of our commitment to fairness, trust, and transparency and our ambition to be an Employer of Choice, the base salary range for this position is: $99,100.00–$123,900.00 . Please note: Along with a comprehensive Total Rewards package, your actual base salary will be fair, competitive, and be based on your skills, experience, and qualifications.