Director, Milk Quality & Care

Horizon Family Brands; Broomfield (CO); Hybrid; USD 145,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Horizon Organic is seeking a Director of Milk Quality & Care to lead the quality team and ensure farm-to-factory compliance with Horizon Family Brands standards. The role collaborates across procurement, hauling, and leadership to monitor milk quality and animal welfare across the farm network.

The candidate will drive continuous improvement, develop team capabilities, and manage critical tasks such as KPI tracking, quality notifications, and outbreak support, reporting to the Head of Quality

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Animal Science, Food Science, Biology, Chemistry, or related agriculture field
• 5–10 years of experience in the Dairy Industry
• Experience leading a quality/food safety team
• Knowledge of Grade A regulatory dairy processes and equipment

Responsibilities

• Lead the Milk Quality Team and support their development across the supply chain
• Collaborate cross-functionally to set farm and factory gate standards and ensure certification compliance
• Track KPIs, report updates to Horizon Leadership Team, and manage quality issues and outbreaks as needed
• Coordinate with Milk Procurement and Hauling teams to maintain quality from farm to delivery
• Drive continuous improvement in animal welfare and milk quality across the network

Skills

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Team development

Quality analytics

Communication skills

Project management

Problem solving

Proactive mindset

Animal welfare focus

Education

Advanced degree in Animal Science or related field

Job description

At Horizon Organic, we’re growing a culture of passionate people driven to do good for the horizon we all share. We’re building the tomorrow we want to see. Every single day.

Joining our team means being part of a dynamic environment where your skills are valued, and your contributions make a real difference. We offer diverse opportunities for career growth and development. Embark on a rewarding journey with us in shaping the future of organic dairy!

Two generations of families—and counting—have grown up on Horizon Organic® milk. From the start, as the leading organic milk producer in the U.S., Horizon has been committed to delivering innovative, nourishing dairy that growing families can rely on. In 2023, Horizon Organic became a brand of Platinum Equity. Today, Horizon works with more than 500 farmers across the U.S. to bring high-quality, certified organic milk to consumers. For more information on Horizon’s full portfolio of organic dairy products, visit Horizon.com.

About the Job:

We are currently looking to hire a full-time Director, Milk Quality & Care.

The Director, Milk Quality & Care will ensure that our farms and producers meet or exceed the standards on farm set by our Horizon Family Brands Quality and Food Safety Milk Team throughout the supply chain.

The Director, Milk Quality & Care will be responsible for managing the Milk Quality Team and supporting their needs and development. He/she will work cross-functionally to develop and set HFB’s standards on farms and at the factory gate. This includes but is not limited to ensuring compliance with all company’s certification requirements, tracking and trending KPIs, providing updates to the Horizon Leadership Team, on farm quality notifications and troubleshooting, providing support in times of outbreaks, supporting integration transitions, systems evaluations and recommendations, etc. This role will also be responsible for managing the Cream suppliers and other related items.

The Director, Milk Quality & Care will collaborate closely with the Milk Procurement team to approve and maintain farms, resolve quality issues and resolve quality non-conformances. He/she will support his/her direct reports in this endeavor, as well. He/she will work with the Milk Hauling team to ensure all standards are met from pick up to delivery of milk and cream. The successful candidate will become a trusted member of a team dedicated to driving meaningful improvement in quality and animal welfare across our network of farms. Work hours will be spent completing or assigning tasks critical for team functioning including submitting and tracking invoices, tracking on-farm milk quality data, and strategic planning and continuous improvement. He/she may also develop and support pilot projects exploring new methods to monitor or evaluate animal welfare and milk quality on organic dairy farms.

This position is part of the QFS Leadership Team and reports directly to the Head of Quality and Food Safety.

The role can be remote with a preference to be based in Broomfield, CO/hybrid.

The base compensation range for this position is $145,000 - $170,000 commensurate with experience

About You:

Education and Experience:

• Advanced Degree in Animal Science, Food Science, Biology, Chemistry, or related agriculture field
• 5-10 years of experience in the Dairy Industry

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to Successfully lead and develop a team
• Ability to work well cross-functionally
• Experience with Raw milk and cream test methods and relevance
• Working knowledge of microbiology in the milk and dairy context
• Grade A regulatory, technical, and scientific knowledge of dairy processes and equipment
• Strong quality and analytical skills
• Strong project management/organizational skills
• Success in problem solving and critical thinking
• Anticipates and is pro-active
• Enjoys developing and delivering educational materials
• Passion for excellence
• Strong communication and motivational skills
• Self-motivated with the ability to function with some autonomy
• Passionate about milk quality and animal welfare
• Working knowledge of the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance preferred
• Aligns with Horizon Organic Dairy’s culture, behaviors, and attitudes
• Travel required up to 25% or as required by project success and schedule