Process Manager Dairy / Butter

Tirlán; Ballyragget; Hybrid; EUR 75,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

Tirlán in Ireland seeks a Dairy / Butter Process Manager to lead the Butter/Dairy operations. You will report to the Butter Plant Manager and drive operational excellence across milk and cream intake, processing and finished product butter.

You will lead high‑performing teams, maximise productivity, and ensure safety, quality and compliance. The role offers strategic leadership, cross‑functional collaboration, and opportunities to deliver continuous improvements across a major production site in

Qualifications

• Proven leadership in manufacturing, dairy, food, or process environments.
• Strong people management, coaching, and team development skills.
• Ability to manage production activities, prioritise workloads in a fast-paced setting.
• Analytical and problem-solving mindset with focus on continuous improvement.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead safety culture and ensure compliance with health and safety policies across milk and cream intake and processing areas.
• Manage daily plant operations and production schedules for safe, efficient output.
• Drive efficient use of people, equipment and materials while minimising losses and variation.
• Identify and implement Lean and continuous improvement initiatives to boost yield and cost performance.
• Develop and mentor operators and cross-functional teams to foster a high-performance culture.
• Collaborate with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, Supply Chain, Planning and other teams to optimise plant performance.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Production management

Analytics

Communication

IT skills

Job description

People Leadership

Job description:

Dairy / Butter Process Manager

Tirlán

Tirlán, is a world-class food and nutrition co-operative, with a diverse portfolio of quality ingredients, leading consumer and agri brands.

Tirlán owns leading brands such as Avonmore, Kilmeaden Cheese, Millac, Solmiko, Truly Grass Fed, Premier Milk, Wexford, mymilkman.ie and GAIN Animal Nutrition.

We nurture a talented team across Ireland, the US, MEA and China, delivering annual revenues of over €3 billion, and circa 2,000 people to manage our network of 11 processing plants and 52 agri branches. Our purpose is to nourish the world, while safeguarding our environment for future generations

Role Profile

We are seeking applications for a highly motivated Process Manager to join our Dairy / Butter team, the successful candidate will report to the butter plant manager, you will play a key leadership role in driving operational excellence across milk and cream intakes, dairy processing and finished product butter. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced manufacturing professional to take ownership of plant performance, to lead high-performing teams, and contribute to the continuous improvement on one of the site's most critical production areas. The successful candidate will be responsible for maximizing productivity, product quality, raw material utilization, and operational efficiency while ensuring the highest standards of safety, food quality, and compliance.

Key Responsibilities

Safety, Quality and Compliance

• Lead and champion a strong safety culture by ensuring compliance with all Health & Safety policies, procedures, and best practices across milk and cream intake operations and dairy processing areas.
• Ensure full compliance with food safety, quality, customer, and regulatory standards.
• Maintain GMP standards and lead internal hygiene audits while supporting customer and third-party audits.

Operational Excellence

• Manage daily plant operations and production schedules to ensure safe, efficient, and cost-effective delivery of production plans.
• Drive optimal utilization of people, equipment, and raw materials while minimizing product losses and process variation.
• Monitor key performance indicators and take proactive action to improve plant performance and operational effectiveness.
• Lead troubleshooting activities and provide technical support for process, quality, and production issues.

Continuous Improvement

• Identify, lead, and implement process improvement initiatives using Lean Manufacturing and Business Excellence methodologies.
• Deliver sustainable improvements in efficiency, quality, yield, and cost performance.
• Support capital investment projects through the preparation of business cases and Project Investment Requests (PIRs).
• Lead and participate in site improvement and operational excellence projects.

People Leadership

• Develop, coach, and mentor plant operators and support teams to build capability and create a high-performance culture.
• Foster employee engagement, accountability, teamwork, and continuous development.
• Manage employee matters in line with company policies and HR procedures.
• Act as a proactive change leader, effectively communicating objectives and supporting teams through operational improvements.
• Collaborate closely with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, Supply Chain, Transport, and Planning teams to ensure seamless plant performance.
• Build strong working relationships across the business to support operational and strategic objectives.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Proven leadership experience within a manufacturing, dairy, food, or process industry environment.
• Strong people management, coaching, and team development skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage production activities, prioritize workloads, and achieve results in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability with a continuous improvement mindset.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Proficient IT and data analysis skills.

Desirable Experience

• Experience in dairy processing, including milk handling, cream processing, pasteurisation, and product packing.
• Knowledge of food safety systems, GMP, HACCP, and regulatory requirements.
• Experience applying Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, or Operational Excellence methodologies.
• Experience supporting capital projects and process optimization initiatives.

About us

Through our expertise in research and development, customer insights, food safety and state-of-the‑art manufacturing we bring innovative food and nutrition solutions to a global market. Our new and vibrant headquarters in Kilkenny City operates as a collaboration hub where multi‑functional teams come together in a hybrid work environment.

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

We believe in the value of difference. We know that different perspectives, life experience and backgrounds can drive innovation and deliver growth.

We welcome people from all walks of life without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, or disability status.

Tirlán is a Values Based Organisation

Profile description

We are seeking applications for a highly motivated Process Manager to join our Dairy / Butter team, the successful candidate will report to the butter plant manager, you will play a key leadership role in driving operational excellence across milk and cream intakes, dairy processing and finished product butter. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced manufacturing professional to take ownership of plant performance, to lead high‑performing teams, and contribute to the continuous improvement on one of the site's most critical production areas. The successful candidate will be responsible for maximizing productivity, product quality, raw material utilization, and operational efficiency while ensuring the highest standards of safety, food quality, and compliance.