Operations Leadership Development Program

Post Holdings, Inc.; Northfield (MN); On-site; USD 63,000 - 88,000; Full time

Job summary

Post Consumer Brands, a unit of Post Holdings, Inc., offers an Operations Leadership Development Program for new graduates, with rotations across manufacturing and distribution environments in North America and Lakeville, MN. The program targets engineers and operations majors, emphasizing leadership and cross-functional collaboration.

Participants complete four two-year rotations at two locations, culminating in an Operations Supervisor role.

Qualifications

• Ideal candidates will be graduating in May 2027 with a degree in Engineering (Manufacturing, Industrial, Chemical, Mechanical, etc.), Operations Management, or related fields.
• They should possess strong communication skills and be adaptable to change.

Responsibilities

• Four rotations over a two-year timeframe at two locations, ending with a Supervisory role at a manufacturing site.
• Roles include Operations Supervisor, Manufacturing Engineer, Packaging Engineer, CI Engineer, Production Planner, Quality Food Safety Engineer, Project Engineer, Master Supply Planner.
• Executive sponsorship provided for each participant’s development; rotations assigned by business need and participant interest.

Skills

Leadership potential

Strong communication

Adaptability to change

Education

Engineering degree (Manufacturing, Industrial, Chemical, Mechanical)

Job description

Business Unit Overview

Headquartered in Lakeville, Minn., Post Consumer Brands, a business unit of Post Holdings, Inc., is dedicated to providing people and their pets with delicious food choices for every taste and budget. The company's portfolio includes beloved brands such as Honey Bunches of Oats™, PEBBLES™, Grape-Nuts™ and Malt-O-Meal™ cereal and Peter Pan™ peanut butter, as well as Rachael Ray® Nutrish™, Kibbles 'n Bits™ and 9Lives™ dog and cat food. Post also provides private label solutions to customers in pet food, cereal, nut butters and granola. As a company committed to high standards of quality and to our values, we are driven by one idea: To make lives better by making delicious food accessible for all. For more information about our brands, visit www.postconsumerbrands.com and follow us on LinkedIn or Facebook for the latest news.

Location Description

Northfield, Minn. is home to two Post Consumer Brands manufacturing plants, the Campbell Mill and Ames Mill, two distribution centers, and more than 750 team members. The Campbell Mill plant is 1 million square feet and is home to 7 manufacturing technologies to produce a wide variety of cereal products our customers know and love. Northfield is a town steeped in history, featuring two colleges and the original Ames Mill where the Malt-O-Meal Company got its start.

Responsibilities

Post Consumer Brands currently operates 6 cereal plants, 4 pet plants and 5 PCB-operated distribution centers across North America. We are offering a manufacturing/engineering-focused Operations Leadership Development Program for new and recent graduates. The program provides an accelerated career development experience for participants enabling them to become part of the strong bench of Operations Leaders at Post Consumer Brands. The program consists of four rotations over a two-year timeframe typically at two different locations and ends with placement into an Operations Supervisor role at one of our manufacturing sites.

Roles are determined through business need, participant interest, and committee guidance. An Executive leader sponsors each participant’s development during and after the program. Program rotations may include assignments to the following roles:

Operations Supervisor- Plan, organize and coordinate work activities of operations personnel and production scheduling to meet demand requirements. Manage, prioritize, and coordinate finished product, packaging, raw material and work-in-process inventories to meet production needs, quality standards, and cost constraints.

Manufacturing Engineer - Optimization of assigned area (process or packaging) for safety, quality, and cost performance. Lead small capital / expense projects. Approve standard work for technical capability. Partner with R&D /Engineering / Packaging Engineer on product changes

Packaging Engineer - Lead commissioning of new packaging or packaging changes to manufacturing

Support ongoing packaging issues for resolution.

Continuous Improvement Engineer - Develop and deploy the Manufacturing Operations System. Partner with plant teams on CI / Operations improvement initiatives. Facilitate Cost Savings initiatives for assigned plants.

Production Planner- Help determine what, where, when, and how much finished products to produce. Our Planners are an integral part of the Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process, and work collaboratively with cross-functional groups to ensure high levels of service to our customers. Develop monthly supply plans, manage network production and inventory volumes, facilitate new product launches, and identify cost-saving opportunities.

Quality Food Safety Engineer Work with Operations and R&D to plan, design, monitor and improve quality characteristic data (product and process data) measurement, test and feedback mechanisms. Conduct statistical analysis to facilitate data-driven decision making. Support and coordinate audit activities of the manufacturing process which monitors quality and food safety systems.

Project Engineer- Lead capital projects for operations and assigned plants. Develop equipment / facility standards. Ensure compliance with corporate standards. Partner with manufacturing engineers on project execution and provide plant controls engineering support.

Master Supply Planner – Establish and manage accurate supply plans to deliver low costs while optimizing inventory plans for assigned technologies. Partner with Supply Chain Coordinators to manage inventory and meet demand targets. Track and report Key Performance Indicators on significant supply variances, perform root cause analysis and make the appropriate revisions within the Supply plan.

Qualifications

Ideal candidates will be graduating in May 2027 with a degree in Engineering (Manufacturing, Industrial, Chemical, Mechanical, etc.), Operations Management, or other related fields. They should possess strong communication skills and be adaptable to change.

In addition, candidates must:

• Have future career desires to lead people in formal leadership roles.
• Be mobile and willing to work at one of our plants or distribution centers in North America and our Corporate campus in Lakeville, MN throughout the course of the program.
• Be willing to move at the conclusion of the program to a location with an open role.
• Have large-scale manufacturing, distribution or supply chain experience via previous internships or full time experience.
• Have exhibited previous leadership capability through job history, campus leadership or project experience.
• Be available for and commit to the full two-year program.

$63,042 - $88,258