Vat Operator-Mozzarella Make

Lactalis American Group Inc; Nampa (ID); On-site; USD 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Time Off from day one

Education Reimbursement

Total Rewards Program

Job summary

Lactalis American Group in Nampa, ID is hiring a Vat Operator IV to manage cheese-making stages from raw milk silos to CIP and startup/shutdown of equipment.

The role requires attention to process details, ability to train others, and capability to work autonomously as part of a team in a food manufacturing setting.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED preferred.
• Six months experience and/or training in a similar field.
• Experience in a food manufacturing environment is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Prepare lines and cream addition equipment for the cheese making process.
• Operate milk pasteurizer with proper startup and shutdown procedures and record keeping.
• Monitor cheese making process and perform basic lab analyses (pH, titratable acidity).
• Use PLC controls to operate and adjust equipment as needed to meet specifications.
• Maintain accurate cheese making records and logs, including deviations and lab results.
• Clean and CIP equipment and trains others as needed.
• Participate in audits and support ISO22000/ISO9001/HACCP compliance.

Skills

Math basics

HMI knowledge

PLC operation

Problem solving

Teamwork

Record keeping

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Tools

PLC systems

HMI

Job description

Description

Ready for more than just a job? Build a career with purpose.

At Lactalis in the USA, we’re committed to providing meaningful opportunities for our people to learn, grow, and thrive—whether you’re just starting your journey with us or looking to take the next step in your career. From day one, we offer the tools and support to help you succeed.

As the world leader in dairy, Lactalis is a family-owned company with over 85,000 pragmatic and ambitious professionals across the globe. Each day, we’re proud to produce award-winning dairy products that bring people together.

In the US, we proudly offer an unrivaled house of beloved brands, including Galbani® Italian cheeses and ricotta, Président® specialty cheeses and butters, Kraft® natural and grated cheeses, Breakstone’s® cottage cheese, Cracker Barrel®, Black Diamond® cheddar, and Parmalat® milk. Our yogurt portfolio includes siggi’s®, Stonyfield Organic®, Brown Cow™, Oui®, Yoplait®, Go-Gurt®, :ratio®, Green Mountain Creamery®, and Mountain High®, along with a growing family of ethnic favorites like Karoun®, Gopi®, and Arz®.

At Lactalis, we live by our core values—Ambition, Engagement, and Simplicity. We foster a workplace where innovation thrives, diverse perspectives are celebrated, and everyone’s unique background and ideas are valued.

Even if you don’t meet every qualification, we encourage you to apply. We want to hear about your PASSION, your STORY, and how your EXPERTISE can help us shape the future of dairy.

From your PASSION to ours

Lactalis American Group, part of the Lactalis family of companies, is currently hiring a Vat Operator IV based in Nampa, ID

The Vat Operator IV is responsible for the portion of the cheese making operations beginning with the raw milk silos, milk HTST, “OO” vats, starter and cream addition systems, and curd pump operations. All critical phases will be monitored and controlled within specification by cheese type. Individual will be able to start-up, shutdown, CIP, and troubleshoot problems.

From your EXPERTISE to ours

Key responsibilities for this position include:

• Properly prepare lines and cream addition equipment for the cheese making process.
• Milk pasteurizer operation to include proper start up, principles of high temperature/short time pasteurization operation and associated legal record keeping requirements, shut down and cleaning.
• Monitor and record cheese making process by properly sampling and performing laboratory analysis to include pH and titratable acidities.
• Use PLC operating skills to properly operate and control equipment.
• Follow prescribed recipes for the various cheese products.
• Responsible for maintaining accurate and timely cheese making records, including deviations, observations, ingredient supplier and codes, as well as lab results.
• Prepare all equipment for cleaning and perform CIP functions.
• Train other personnel and directs small groups with job tasks as necessary.
• Work autonomously and as a contributing team member.
• Perform sanitation duties as assigned, and keep work area clean/organized.
• Take immediate corrective action for any product that does not meet quality or product specifications.
• Contribute to continual process improvement and increased performance.
• Participate in internal/external audits and maintain ISO22000/ISO9001/HACCP compliance.
• Attend department meetings and trainings as assigned by supervisor or manager.

Requirements

From your STORY to ours

Qualified applicants will contribute the following:

Education

• High School Diploma/
• General Education Degree (GED) preferred.

Experience

• Six months experience and/or training in similar field, or combination of the equivalent.
• Previous work experience in a food manufacturing environment a plus.

Specialized Knowledge

• Working knowledge of cheese making technology and HMI’s.

Skills / Abilities

• Basic mathematical skills are required, must be able to calculate averages, understand units of measurement, fractions, decimals, rates, and compute ratio’s and percentages.
• Draw and interpret graphs and charts.
• Strong problem solving skills.

At Lactalis, we offer a comprehensive Total Rewards Program with a variety of affordable benefits and coverage options. We support insurance costs significantly, contribute generously to retirement plans, and offer Paid Time Off from day one. We are committed to your professional growth, providing training and development opportunities, including Education Reimbursement. Join us and grow your career.

Lactalis is an equal employment opportunity employer. We will not discriminate against applicants with regard to any legally-recognized basis including, but not limited to: veteran status, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, and physical or mental disabilities