Beverage Production Lead — Lean, Safe, Efficient Ops

Dairy Farmers of America; Joplin (AR); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Dairy Farmers of America in the United States is seeking a Plant Operations Leader to oversee all filling, packaging, and production activities in a high-volume beverage facility. You will lead production supervisors and hourly staff, ensure safety, quality, and regulatory compliance, and drive continuous improvement across cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities include staffing, budgeting, performance management, and delivering on KPIs while maintaining efficient, cost-effective operations.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent; undergraduate degree preferred.
• 5–8 years of manufacturing experience, preferably in food/beverage.
• Experience in supervisory or management roles.
• Certification and/or license may be required during course of employment.

Responsibilities

• Manage all filling and packaging operations to meet production schedules and customer requirements.
• Establish daily, weekly, and monthly production priorities to maximize throughput while minimizing downtime and product loss.
• Monitor performance and optimize labor, equipment, materials, and utilities.
• Coordinate production activities with Processing, Maintenance, Quality, Warehouse, and Scheduling departments.
• Recruit, train, coach, mentor, and develop supervisors and hourly employees.
• Establish expectations and accountability; conduct performance evaluations and development planning.
• Foster safety culture and employee engagement; support CAPEX planning and equipment improvements.
• Drive KPIs such as OEE, Line Efficiency, Throughput, Waste, and Yield; analyze data for trends.

Skills

Leadership

Lean Manufacturing

Continuous Improvement

KPI Management

OEE & Downtime Analysis

Problem Solving

Data Analysis

Project Management

Communication Skills

Multi-line Oversight

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Undergraduate degree preferred

Supervisory/Management experience

Tools

ERP systems

MES systems

Redzone

CMMS

Manufacturing information systems

Job description

Dairy Farmers of America in the United States is seeking a Plant Operations Leader to oversee all filling, packaging, and production activities in a high-volume beverage facility. You will lead production supervisors and hourly staff, ensure safety, quality, and regulatory compliance, and drive continuous improvement across cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities include staffing, budgeting, performance management, and delivering on KPIs while maintaining efficient, cost-effective operations.