Plant Operations Manager - Cheese/Dairy

CSG Talent; Arizona; On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

TFI Cheese Manufacturing seeks an experienced Plant Operations Manager to lead a key production unit. You will drive performance, safety, and quality, coordinating with sales, engineering, HR, and finance to meet KPIs and cost targets.

The role requires strong leadership, budgeting, and problem-solving skills, with experience in WHS/IM and industrial relations. A proactive approach to continuous improvement is essential.

Qualifications

• Cheese manufacturing experience.
• Ability to organize and plan workflow; meet deadlines in a project context.
• Experience with budgeting and industrial relations; WHS/IM desirable.

Responsibilities

• Promote and uphold company performance standards and ideology.
• Build a highly engaged workforce through positive engagement and the engagement framework.
• Collaborate with sales, livestock, engineering, HR, and finance to achieve KPIs.
• Ensure daily production targets are met and products meet specifications.
• Identify opportunities to enhance yield recovery while maintaining specifications.
• Develop metrics for all departments to deliver commercial and operational outcomes.
• Ensure work areas operate at agreed manning levels based on targets; minimize overtime.
• Ensure employees follow company policies and instructions.
• Investigate new product development and revenue opportunities; lead tech-to-automation investigations.
• Control operational costs per annual budget and explore cost-reduction ideas.

Skills

Project management

Communication skills

Budgeting

Industrial relations

Leadership

Root cause analysis

Negotiation

Job description

Our client is an industry leader in the Cheese Manufacturing sector. They also continue to invest heavily in the development of new products and responding to consumer demands and are experiencing fantastic growth and feedback from newly developed healthy product offerings. They are seeking an experienced and driven Plant Operations Manager to lead one of their key business units across the plant.

Key Responsibilities:

Promoting and upholding company performance standards and ideology (on time delivery, quality, continuous improvement and work ethic). Build a highly engaged workforce through positive engagement utilising the employee engagement framework which creates an environment where TFI are recognised as the employer of choice in the local community. Collaborate with and work closely with TFI sales, livestock, and other group functions such as engineering, HR, finance to achieve shared business KPI's. Ensure all daily production targets are met and that all products meet company and client specifications. Identify opportunities to enhance yield recovery whilst maintaining specifications. Develop key metrics for all departments to deliver commercial and operational outcomes, performance and process improvement. Ensure work areas/department are operated to agreed manning levels based on production target Continue s and minimise overtime. Ensure all employees are following company instructions / policies. Investigate new product development and revenue opportunities. Lead investigation into new technologies that will support the operational requirements to reduce labour, improve yields etc. Maintain and advance efficiency in every aspect of TFI livestock processing facilities. Ensure proactive preventive maintenance plans are developed and Root Cause Analysis for major downtime events conducted. Control all associated operational costs according to prevailing annual budget forecast. Investigate opportunities to reduce costs - packaging, process improvement, design modifications and automation. Ensure all administration requirements are met in a timely manner. Negotiates, as directed and within establishes policy, with employees and union organisers on day-to -day industrial matters.

Key Requirements:

Cheese Manufacturing experience Demonstrated ability to organise and plan workflow, set priorities and meet deadlines in a project and contract management context. Well-developed communication skills, both verbal and written in negotiation, facilitation, report preparation and conflict resolution. Extensive experience with operations, budgeting and Industrial Relations. Experience with the planning and management of facility (desirable). Experience with WHS&IM, preferably in a self-insured employer environment (desirable).