Plant Manager

Valley Milk LLC; Turlock (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation and benefits

State-of-the-art facility

Privately owned by California dairy  

Industry-leading A2/A2 milk supply

Job summary

Valley Milk, LLC in Turlock, California seeks an experienced Plant Manager to lead our dairy ingredient manufacturing facility. You will drive safety, quality, productivity, and financial performance while building high-performing teams and championing Lean and CI initiatives.

The role oversees Production, Maintenance, Warehouse, Sanitation, and related operations, coordinating with executive leadership to support long-term strategy and operational excellence.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership.
• 5+ years leading plant operations in dairy or CPG manufacturing.
• Strong dairy manufacturing experience with milk drying or spray drying.
• Proven Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day manufacturing operations.
• Drive a culture of safety, accountability, and operational excellence.
• Develop and mentor department leaders while building high-performing teams.
• Champion Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement initiatives.
• Improve OEE, productivity, throughput, yields, and operational efficiency.
• Ensure compliance with SQF, HACCP, GMP, FDA, OSHA/Cal-OSHA, and environmental regulations.
• Manage plant budgets and achieve cost, quality, and profitability objectives.
• Analyze operational KPIs and implement sustainable corrective actions.
• Support capital improvement projects and operational modernization.
• Partner with Executive Leadership to support long-term business strategy.

Skills

Lean Manufacturing

Continuous Improvement

Safety Leadership

Operational Excellence

Financial Acumen

Coaching & Talent Development

Change Leadership

Collaboration

Customer Focus

Results Orientation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field

Equivalent combinations of education and leadership experience

Job description

Description

Plant Manager

Valley Milk, LLC | Turlock, California

Lead the Future of Dairy Manufacturing

Valley Milk is seeking an experienced, forward-thinking Plant Manager to lead our world-class dairy ingredient manufacturing facility in Turlock, California.

This is an opportunity to join a growing organization that combines the stability of family ownership with an entrepreneurial culture focused on continuous improvement, innovation, and operational excellence.

Our state-of-the-art facility processes more than 2.5 million pounds of milk each day, producing premium dairy ingredients including milk powders, anhydrous milk fat (AMF), and ultra-filtered milk for domestic and international markets.

If you are passionate about building high-performing teams, improving manufacturing performance through Lean principles, and leading one of California's premier dairy processing operations, we want to hear from you.

Why Valley Milk?

• State-of-the-art dairy manufacturing facility
  
• Privately owned by California dairy families with long-term vision
  
• Industry-leading A2/A2 milk supply
  
• Growth-oriented leadership team
  
• Opportunity to shape culture and operational excellence
  
• Competitive compensation and benefits package
  

Position Summary

The Plant Manager provides strategic and operational leadership for all manufacturing functions, including Production, Maintenance, Warehouse, Sanitation, and related operations. This role is responsible for driving safety, quality, productivity, employee engagement, and financial performance while fostering a culture of accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.

What You’ll Do

• Lead all day-to-day manufacturing operations
  
• Drive a culture of safety, accountability, and operational excellence
  
• Develop and mentor department leaders while building high-performing teams
  
• Champion Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement initiatives
  
• Improve OEE, productivity, throughput, yields, and operational efficiency
  
• Ensure compliance with SQF, HACCP, GMP, FDA, OSHA/Cal-OSHA, and environmental regulations
  
• Manage plant budgets and achieve cost, quality, and profitability objectives
  
• Analyze operational KPIs and implement sustainable corrective actions
  
• Support capital improvement projects and operational modernization
  
• Partner with Executive Leadership to support long-term business strategy
  

What We’re Looking For

Required Experience

• Minimum 10 years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience
  
• At least 5 years leading plant operations within food, dairy, or consumer packaged goods manufacturing
  
• Strong dairy manufacturing experience with milk drying or spray drying operations
  
• Proven success implementing Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement programs
  
• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional teams and developing leaders
  
• History of improving safety, quality, productivity, employee engagement, and financial performance
  

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Food Science, Dairy Science, Business Administration, Operations Management, or a related field is preferred.

Equivalent combinations of education, specialized training, and progressively responsible manufacturing leadership experience will also be considered. Candidates with extensive plant leadership experience who have demonstrated success in similar manufacturing environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Dairy powder manufacturing
  
• Anhydrous Milk Fat (AMF)
  
• Ultra-filtered milk processing
  
• SQF-certified facilities
  
• Lean Manufacturing
  
• Kaizen
  
• 5S
  
• Value Stream Mapping
  
• OEE improvement
  
• Capital project leadership
  

Leadership Competencies

• Safety Leadership
  
• Operational Excellence
  
• Strategic Thinking
  
• Accountability
  
• Financial Acumen
  
• Coaching & Talent Development
  
• Change Leadership
  
• Collaboration
  
• Customer Focus
  
• Results Orientation
  

Join Our Team

At Valley Milk, you'll have the opportunity to lead one of the most advanced dairy ingredient manufacturing facilities in California while helping shape the future of a growing organization committed to quality, innovation, and continuous improvement.