Plant Manager

Leoforce; City of Syracuse (NY); On-site; USD 160,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

401k with company match

Annual performance bonus

Generous PTO + sick leave

much more!

Job summary

Leoforce is seeking an experienced Plant Manager to lead all aspects of our high-volume dairy processing facility in New York. You will provide strategic and hands-on leadership across production, maintenance, quality, food safety, sanitation, warehousing, and employee development.

The ideal candidate has 10+ years of dairy manufacturing leadership, a Bachelor's degree in a related field, and a proven track record improving safety, quality, productivity, and cost performance in a 24/7 operation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Food Science, Dairy Science, Operations Management, or related field.
• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience.
• Minimum 5 years of Plant Manager, Operations Manager, Production Manager, or equivalent leadership experience within dairy manufacturing.
• Experience with products such as fluid milk, cultured dairy, cheese, whey protein, butter, condensed dairy products, milk powders, or frozen dairy products.
• Strong knowledge of dairy processing systems and food manufacturing regulations.
• Experience leading continuous improvement, waste reduction, cost savings, and productivity initiatives.
• Proven ability to manage large teams in a 24/7 manufacturing environment.
• Experience with ERP systems, manufacturing metrics, production planning, and operational reporting preferred.

Responsibilities

• Direct day-to-day plant operations across milk receiving, processing, production, packaging, and shipping.
• Lead safety, engagement, accountability, and continuous improvement culture.
• Ensure compliance with FDA, USDA, OSHA, PMO, SQF, HACCP, FSMA, and regs.
• Establish and monitor plant KPIs on safety, quality, productivity, labor, waste, and OEE.
• Develop and execute initiatives to improve performance, profitability, and efficiencies.
• Manage plant budgets, labor costs, capex, and financial performance.
• Collaborate with Quality, Maintenance, Engineering, Supply Chain, HR, and Finance.
• Lead staffing, succession planning, leadership development, and retention.
• Drive Lean, CI, Root Cause Analysis, TPM, and reliability improvements.
• Oversee capital projects including equipment installations and facility expansions.
• Ensure facility meets customer quality and food safety standards.

Skills

Leadership

Manufacturing

Lean Manufacturing

Regulatory Compliance

ERP Systems

Team Management

Problem Solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Dairy Science background

Tools

ERP Systems

Production Planning

Job description

Job Description

Experience:

Manager

Salary:

$160,000 - $185,000 per year

Job Details

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Key Responsibilities

• Direct all day-to-day plant operations including milk receiving, processing, production, packaging, maintenance, sanitation, warehousing, and shipping.
• Lead a culture focused on safety, employee engagement, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure compliance with FDA, USDA, OSHA, PMO, SQF, HACCP, FSMA, and all applicable regulatory requirements.
• Establish and monitor plant KPIs related to safety, quality, productivity, labor utilization, waste reduction, customer service, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
• Develop and execute strategic initiatives that improve operational performance, profitability, and manufacturing efficiencies.
• Manage plant operating budgets, labor costs, capital expenditures, and overall financial performance.
• Partner closely with Quality, Maintenance, Engineering, Supply Chain, Human Resources, and Finance to achieve business objectives.
• Lead plant staffing, succession planning, leadership development, and employee retention initiatives.
• Drive Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, Root Cause Analysis, TPM, and reliability improvement efforts.
• Oversee capital projects including equipment installations, facility expansions, process improvements, and startup activities.
• Ensure the facility consistently achieves customer quality expectations and food safety standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Food Science, Dairy Science, Operations Management, Business, or a related field preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience.
• Minimum 5 years of Plant Manager, Operations Manager, Production Manager, or equivalent leadership experience within dairy manufacturing.
• Demonstrated experience with products such as fluid milk, cultured dairy, cheese, whey protein, butter, condensed dairy products, milk powders, or frozen dairy products.
• Strong knowledge of dairy processing systems and food manufacturing regulations.
• Experience leading continuous improvement, waste reduction, cost savings, and productivity initiatives.
• Proven ability to manage large teams in a 24/7 manufacturing environment.
• Experience with ERP systems, manufacturing metrics, production planning, and operational reporting preferred.

Preferred Experience

• Dairy ingredient manufacturing
• Cheese manufacturing
• Whey protein processing
• Butter manufacturing
• Nonfat dry milk (NFDM) production
• Condensed milk processing
• ESL or aseptic dairy manufacturing
• Union manufacturing environments
• Capital project leadership and facility expansions

A bit about us:

We are seeking an experienced Plant Manager to lead all aspects of manufacturing operations within a high-volume dairy processing facility. This individual will provide strategic and hands‑on leadership across production, maintenance, quality, food safety, sanitation, warehousing, and employee development functions.

The Plant Manager will be responsible for driving operational excellence while ensuring compliance with all food safety, quality, environmental, and regulatory requirements. The ideal candidate brings significant dairy manufacturing experience and a proven track record of improving safety, quality, productivity, and cost performance within a complex manufacturing environment.

Why join us?

• Medical, Dental, Vision
• 401k with company match
• Annual performance bonus
• Generous PTO + sick leave
• much more!

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