Technical Services Manager Whey and Ingredients
Valley Queen Cheese Factory, Inc.
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Job summary
Valley Queen Cheese Factory, Inc. in Milbank, SD, is seeking a Technical Services Manager for Whey and Ingredients to lead process optimization across whey and ingredient manufacturing.
You will set in-process targets, monitor performance, and drive improvements in yield, throughput, and product quality in collaboration with Operations and Quality teams. The role requires strong leadership, deep dairy processing knowledge, and the ability to manage capital projects, vendor coordination, and
Qualifications
- Required education includes a Bachelor’s degree in dairy or related field; master’s preferred.
- Five to ten years of relevant dairy processing/ingredient manufacturing experience.
- Leadership, supervisory, project management or significant functional leadership experience.
- Working knowledge of whey and ingredient manufacturing processes and quality requirements.
- Experience leading process-improvement initiatives or capital projects.
- Understanding of food safety, GMP, sanitation, and manufacturing documentation.
- Strong computer, communication, documentation, and data-analysis skills.
Responsibilities
- Owns day-to-day performance of the department, ensuring safety, quality, and operational standards.
- Executes departmental goals and aligns with company strategy.
- Establishes and monitors KPIs
- Leads and develops Supervisors and Leads for strong execution.
- Drives culture, accountability, and performance.
- Ensures role clarity and accountability across the team.
- Builds a high-engagement, performance-driven environment.
- Supports talent development and coaching.
- Drives project execution and budget adherence.
- Coordinates cross-functional collaboration for improvements.
- Ensures regulatory compliance and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Uses data to improve decision-making and performance.
- Manages resources and supports project timelines.
- Communicates effectively across departments.
Skills
Education
Job description
Full Time Regular Milbank, SD, US
3 days ago Requisition ID: 1855
This role develops and implements in-process targets for solids/lactose/protein recovery, yield, throughput, and efficiency across whey and ingredient manufacturing. It monitors performance, reduces product loss, evaluates processes and equipment, and recommends improvements to quality, consistency, and operational results. The position provides technical direction and troubleshooting support to Operations and Quality, leads work involving whey protein concentrate, lactose, and other ingredient products, and optimizes filtration, concentration, evaporation, crystallization, drying, separation, and related systems. It also analyzes operating data, identifies root causes of deviations, implements sustainable corrective actions, and establishes methods to track membrane performance and product loss.
The position provides technical expertise on whey and ingredient product composition, functionality, performance, and quality attributes. In partnership with Operations and Quality, it ensures products meet in-process standards, finished-product specifications, and customer requirements; investigates quality and performance concerns; and coordinates containment, root-cause analysis, corrective action, and follow-up. The role evaluates how raw materials, processing conditions, and equipment affect finished products; supports product development, commercialization, and plant implementation; responds to customer technical needs with Quality and Sales; identifies improvement opportunities; and documents evaluations, trials, process changes, conclusions, and recommendations.
The role develops and maintains one- to five-year capital plans and leads projects that improve whey processing, ingredient production, solids recovery, efficiency, quality, and supporting infrastructure. Responsibilities include managing scope, budgets, schedules, vendors, contractors, installation, startup, and validation while coordinating with Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, Quality and other stakeholders. The position leads trials, evaluations, validations, startups, and related training; ensures projects meet technical, operating, budget, and timeline expectations; and measures results through operational and financial performance data.
The position promotes a strong safety and food safety culture and ensures that whey and ingredient operations and assigned projects comply with applicable workplace safety, food safety, environmental, operational, customer, and company requirements. It participates in incident investigations, root-cause analysis, corrective-action development, and follow-up; identifies process, equipment, product-quality, and project risks; coordinates preventive and corrective action; and consistently supports company sanitation, environmental, Good Manufacturing Practice, safety, and food safety standards.
- Owns the day-to-day performance of the department, ensuring safety, quality, and operational standards are consistently met along with schedules, staffing plans, and processes.
- Executes departmental goals and priorities aligned with company strategy.
- Establishes, monitors, and delivers KPI’s aligned with departmental and organizational goals.
- Leads and develops Supervisors and Leads to ensure strong execution and team effectiveness.
- Reinforces culture, expectations, and leadership behaviors established by the organization.
- Ensures role clarity and accountability across their team to drive efficient operations.
- Builds and maintains a highly engaged, performance-driven team environment.
- Supports talent development by coaching employees and identifying growth opportunities.
- Drives accountability through regular performance discussions and follow-up.
- Identifies operational challenges and implements solutions to improve performance.
- Ensures compliance with all regulatory requirements.
- Executes continuous improvement initiatives focused on efficiency and cost control.
- Utilizes data and metrics to improve decision-making and performance.
- Supports budget adherence by managing resources effectively.
- Coordinates and supports execution of projects within scope and timelines.
- Communicates effectively across departments.
- Partners with cross-functional teams to improve operations.
- Leadership / Accountability
- Business Acumen
- Problem Solving / Analysis
- Technical Capacity
This position supervises supervisors, leads, and/or employees and is responsible for the day-to-day direction, coordination, and performance management of the assigned team.
The physical demands for this position primarily involve sedentary and light activity. The employee may be required to sit, stand, walk, and occasionally lift up to 25 pounds.
This position will require occasional travel.
- Bachelor’s degree in Dairy Science, Dairy Manufacturing, Food Science, Food Technology, Chemistry, Engineering, or a related field. An equivalent combination of relevant education, training, and experience may be considered.
- Five to ten years of relevant experience in dairy processing, whey processing, ingredient manufacturing, food manufacturing, process engineering, or a related technical field.
- Minimum of five years of leadership, supervisory, project management, or significant functional leadership experience in a manufacturing or technical environment.
- Working knowledge of whey and ingredient manufacturing processes, solids recovery, yield optimization, process improvement, and product quality requirements.
- Demonstrated experience leading process-improvement initiatives or capital projects.
- Experience analyzing operational data, identifying performance trends, evaluating root causes, and implementing corrective actions.
- Understanding food safety preventive controls, Good Manufacturing Practices, sanitation requirements, and manufacturing documentation.
- Strong computer, communication, documentation, and data-analysis skills.
- Ability to work effectively with Operations, Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, Sales, vendors, contractors, customers, and company leadership.
- Master’s degree in Dairy Science, Food Science, Engineering, Chemistry, or a related field.
- Experience with whey protein concentrate, lactose, or other whey-derived ingredient manufacturing.
- Technical experience with filtration, concentration, evaporation, crystallization, drying, separation, or related dairy-processing technologies.
- Experience evaluating ingredient composition, functionality, quality, and customer performance.
- Experience managing capital projects, project budgets, vendors, contractors, and equipment startups.
- Preventive Controls Qualified Individual training or another relevant food safety credential.
- Bilingual in English and Spanish.
This job description is not designed to cover all duties. Responsibilities may change at any time.
This role develops and implements in-process targets for solids/lactose/protein recovery, yield, throughput, and efficiency across whey and ingredient manufacturing. It monitors performance, reduces product loss, evaluates processes and equipment, and recommends improvements to quality, consistency, and operational results. The position provides technical direction and troubleshooting support to Operations and Quality, leads work involving whey protein concentrate, lactose, and other ingredient products, and optimizes filtration, concentration, evaporation, crystallization, drying, separation, and related systems. It also analyzes operating data, identifies root causes of deviations, implements sustainable corrective actions, and establishes methods to track membrane performance and product loss.
The position provides technical expertise on whey and ingredient product composition, functionality, performance, and quality attributes. In partnership with Operations and Quality, it ensures products meet in-process standards, finished-product specifications, and customer requirements; investigates quality and performance concerns; and coordinates containment, root-cause analysis, corrective action, and follow-up. The role evaluates how raw materials, processing conditions, and equipment affect finished products; supports product development, commercialization, and plant implementation; responds to customer technical needs with Quality and Sales; identifies improvement opportunities; and documents evaluations, trials, process changes, conclusions, and recommendations.
The role develops and maintains one- to five-year capital plans and leads projects that improve whey processing, ingredient production, solids recovery, efficiency, quality, and supporting infrastructure. Responsibilities include managing scope, budgets, schedules, vendors, contractors, installation, startup, and validation while coordinating with Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, Quality and other stakeholders. The position leads trials, evaluations, validations, startups, and related training; ensures projects meet technical, operating, budget, and timeline expectations; and measures results through operational and financial performance data.
The position promotes a strong safety and food safety culture and ensures that whey and ingredient operations and assigned projects comply with applicable workplace safety, food safety, environmental, operational, customer, and company requirements. It participates in incident investigations, root-cause analysis, corrective-action development, and follow-up; identifies process, equipment, product-quality, and project risks; coordinates preventive and corrective action; and consistently supports company sanitation, environmental, Good Manufacturing Practice, safety, and food safety standards.
- Owns the day-to-day performance of the department, ensuring safety, quality, and operational standards are consistently met along with schedules, staffing plans, and processes.
- Executes departmental goals and priorities aligned with company strategy.
- Establishes, monitors, and delivers KPI’s aligned with departmental and organizational goals.
- Leads and develops Supervisors and Leads to ensure strong execution and team effectiveness.
- Reinforces culture, expectations, and leadership behaviors established by the organization.
- Ensures role clarity and accountability across their team to drive efficient operations.
- Builds and maintains a highly engaged, performance-driven team environment.
- Supports talent development by coaching employees and identifying growth opportunities.
- Drives accountability through regular performance discussions and follow-up.
- Identifies operational challenges and implements solutions to improve performance.
- Ensures compliance with all regulatory requirements.
- Executes continuous improvement initiatives focused on efficiency and cost control.
- Utilizes data and metrics to improve decision-making and performance.
- Supports budget adherence by managing resources effectively.
- Coordinates and supports execution of projects within scope and timelines.
- Communicates effectively across departments.
- Partners with cross-functional teams to improve operations.
- Leadership / Accountability
- Business Acumen
- Communication Proficiency
- Problem Solving / Analysis
- Technical Capacity
This position supervises supervisors, leads, and/or employees and is responsible for the day-to-day direction, coordination, and performance management of the assigned team.
The physical demands for this position primarily involve sedentary and light activity. The employee may be required to sit, stand, walk, and occasionally lift up to 25 pounds.
This position will require occasional travel.
- Bachelor’s degree in Dairy Science, Dairy Manufacturing, Food Science, Food Technology, Chemistry, Engineering, or a related field. An equivalent combination of relevant education, training, and experience may be considered.
- Five to ten years of relevant experience in dairy processing, whey processing, ingredient manufacturing, food manufacturing, process engineering, or a related technical field.
- Minimum of five years of leadership, supervisory, project management, or significant functional leadership experience in a manufacturing or technical environment.
- Working knowledge of whey and ingredient manufacturing processes, solids recovery, yield optimization, process improvement, and product quality requirements.
- Demonstrated experience leading process-improvement initiatives or capital projects.
- Experience analyzing operational data, identifying performance trends, evaluating root causes, and implementing corrective actions.
- Understanding food safety preventive controls, Good Manufacturing Practices, sanitation requirements, and manufacturing documentation.
- Strong computer, communication, documentation, and data-analysis skills.
- Ability to work effectively with Operations, Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, Sales, vendors, contractors, customers, and company leadership.
- Master’s degree in Dairy Science, Food Science, Engineering, Chemistry, or a related field.
- Experience with whey protein concentrate, lactose, or other whey-derived ingredient manufacturing.
- Technical experience with filtration, concentration, evaporation, crystallization, drying, separation, or related dairy-processing technologies.
- Experience evaluating ingredient composition, functionality, quality, and customer performance.
- Experience managing capital projects, project budgets, vendors, contractors, and equipment startups.
- Preventive Controls Qualified Individual training or another relevant food safety credential.
- Bilingual in English and Spanish.
This job description is not designed to cover all duties. Responsibilities may change at any time.
Monday - Friday
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM; additional hours as needed for trials
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