Whey Production Manager

Dale Farm Ltd; Mid-Ulster District Council; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Dale Farm Ltd in the United Kingdom invites applications for a senior management role responsible for overseeing the whey ultra-filtration facility, leading upstream and downstream processing to deliver whey protein and lactose-based nutrition products to global customers.

You will lead a multi-skilled team, drive continuous improvement, manage performance, quality, safety, and cost while collaborating with engineering and external customers to meet expectations.

Qualifications

• Third-level qualification in applied science or food subject.
• Minimum of five years' management experience in food processing.
• Proven ability to lead multi-skilled teams in a fast-paced production environment.
• Experience in dairy, whey or nutritional ingredients manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Lead a multi-skilled team to operate and maintain the whey processing plant safely and efficiently.
• Manage upstream and downstream processing to improve output, cost and quality.
• Use strong technical and analytical skills to support high-performing continuous operations.
• Use process trends to link inputs with outputs and support data-led decisions.
• Make decisions that balance quality, cost and customer needs.
• Identify the root cause of quality issues and lead timely corrective action.
• Identify and implement ways to improve output, yield and plant efficiency.
• Identify process bottlenecks and work with engineering to remove them.
• Work closely with external customers to understand and meet their expectations.
• Clearly communicate operational needs across the business to improve performance.
• Maintain best-in-class standards for a global customer base.
• Monitor and meet daily targets for production, quality, efficiency and compliance.
• Build a culture of continuous improvement in performance, yield and reliability.
• Lead investment and improvement projects that strengthen manufacturing performance.
• Set high standards for leadership, communication, team development and accountability.
• Meet all food safety, quality, health and safety, and operational standards.

Skills

Leadership

Team development

Data-driven decisions

Process optimization

Communication

Project management

Operational excellence

Quality & safety

Education

Applied science or food subject degree

Tools

Filtration technology

Job description

This is a senior management position where you will be responsible for managing all aspects of performance from a state of the art whey ultra filtration facility, including upstream and downstream processing plant operations to produce whey protein and lactose-based nutrition products supplied to global customers in the infant formula, health and food sectors.

The Role

• Lead a multi-skilled team to operate and maintain the whey processing plant safely and efficiently.
• Manage upstream and downstream processing to improve output, cost and quality.
• Use strong technical and analytical skills to support high-performing continuous operations.
• Use process trends to link inputs with outputs and support data-led decisions.
• Make decisions that balance quality, cost and customer needs.
• Identify the root cause of quality issues and lead timely corrective action.
• Identify and implement ways to improve output, yield and plant efficiency.
• Identify process bottlenecks and work with engineering to remove them.
• Work closely with external customers to understand and meet their expectations.
• Clearly communicate operational needs across the business to improve performance.
• Maintain best-in-class standards for a global customer base.
• Monitor and meet daily targets for production, quality, efficiency and compliance.
• Build a culture of continuous improvement in performance, yield and reliability.
• Lead investment and improvement projects that strengthen manufacturing performance.
• Set high standards for leadership, communication, team development and accountability.
• Meet all food safety, quality, health and safety, and operational standards.
• A third-level qualification, ideally in an applied science or food related subject.
• A minimum of five years’ management experience in food processing or a similar environment.
• Demonstrate strong technical and analytical skills within a continuous processing or complex environment.
• Proven experience leading and developing multi-skilled teams in a fast-paced production environment.
• A record of improving quality, cost, output and operational performance.
• Excellent communication and management skills, with the ability to work well with internal teams and external customers.
• Experience in dairy, whey or nutritional ingredients manufacturing.
• Experience with filtration technology and complex processing plants.
• Experience leading improvement or capital investment programmes in manufacturing.