Plant Manager; Pet Food Ingredients

Farmers Union Industries, LLC, also known as FUI, is a leading agricultural-based manufacturing company headquartered in Redwood Falls, MN. Our current operations include Central Bi-Products, Northland Choice, Midwest Grease, Artex Manufacturing, Redwood Farms Meat Processors, and Performance Pet Products. Please visit our website at  to learn more!

Our Northland Choice facility in Waite Park, MN is one of three locations that manufactures frozen and fresh-chilled poultry protein-based pet food ingredients. Learn more about us here:
Northland Choice - Farmers Union Industries Northland Choice is hiring for a Plant Manager at our Waite Park facility. This leadership role will report to our Director of Rendering Operations and own operations, quality, and employee development for this location. The ideal candidate would have at least 5 years of supervisory experience in pet food, meat processing, rendering, refrigerated ingredients, or another regulated food-manufacturing environment.

We offer a benefits package that includes health, dental, vision, PTO, paid holidays, an impressive 401K match and more!

Schedule Monday to Friday, 7:00am-4:00pmSchedule may vary based on workload and after-hours phone calls; willingness to work 2nd, 3rd, and/or weekend hours as business needs arise, required

Areas of Accountability All areas of accountability to be delivered with GRIT - our values of Generosity, Relationships, Integrity, and Teamwork Leadership, Management, and Accountability Employee Development Operational Budget and P&L Quality and Production Standards Continuous Improvement & Strategy On-Site Regulatory Compliance

Essential Duties and Responsibilities Direct and oversee the daily operations of Northland Choice’s pet food ingredient plant (74); including receiving, grinding, blending, packaging, storage, inventory, shipping, sanitation, and maintenance initiatives

Develop and implement strategies that align with company goals and growth initiatives

Develop and manage operational budgets; identify ways to reduce costs and improve margins

Own consistent product quality, throughput, yield, freshness, and on-time delivery, collaborating with internal FUI resources

Establish production priorities and staffing plans based on customer orders, raw-material availability, product shelf life, equipment capacity, and delivery schedules

Monitor operating performance and take corrective action when results fall below established targets

Coordinate closely with procurement, sales, quality, transportation, and customer-service teams

Promote a strong culture in which food safety, product quality, and regulatory compliance are shared responsibilities

Ensure compliance with FDA/USDA requirements and regulations

Support accurate lot control, inventory identification, recordkeeping, and mock-recall exercise

Ensure compliance with OSHA and applicable environmental, waste-management, wastewater, and permitting requirements

Manages sanitation programs for production equipment, storage areas, docks, drains, coolers and freezers and employee areas

Ensure cleaning procedures, chemical areas, verification activities, and pre-operational inspections are properly completed and documented

Equipment management, including preventive maintenance, equipment up time, root cause analysis

Assist with recruiting, selecting, orienting, and training employees and developing personal growth opportunities

Maintain safe and healthy work environment by enforcing safety and health policies and procedures

Maintain regular and predictable on-site attendance

Travel less than 10%, annually

Situations may arise that require employees to temporarily or permanently assume responsibility for tasks not specifically outlined in this job description. Employees may be requested to work additional hours and/or accommodate a heavier than normal workload.

Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in operations management, business, or animal/food science; or equivalent relevant experience, preferred5-7 years of manufacturing leadership experience, including supervision, and cross-functional plant teams.

Experience in pet food, meat processing, rendering, refrigerated ingredients, or another regulated food-manufacturing environment.

Strong analytical, problem-solving, planning, communication, and employee-development skills.

Proficiency with manufacturing systems, production reporting, inventory systems, and standard business software.

Ability to communicate professionally and strategically with managers,…