Raw Materials & Production Manager

Description

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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, President 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

Central Valley Cheese, Inc./Karoun Dairies, LLC, part of the Lactalis family of companies, is currently hiring a Raw Materials & Production Manager based in Turlock, CA.

The Production & Raw Materials Manager is responsible for overseeing end‑to‑end production operations and raw material management within a cheese manufacturing facility. This dual‑role position ensures efficient production scheduling, optimal use of raw materials (milk, cultures, ingredients, packaging), compliance with food safety regulations, and alignment with cost, quality, and delivery targets. The role requires strong cross‑functional leadership across production, procurement, quality assurance, warehousing, and supply planning to ensure uninterrupted manufacturing operations.

Key responsibilities for this position include:

• Manage procurement, receiving, storage, and usage of all raw materials including milk, cultures, enzymes, salt, and packaging supplies.
• Maintain optimal inventory levels to support production while minimizing spoilage and carrying costs.
• Develop and manage supplier relationships to ensure consistent quality, pricing, and delivery reliability.
• Track and control raw material usage, variances, and losses.
• Implement inventory control systems (FIFO, lot traceability, expiration control) specific to dairy requirements.
• Coordinate with Quality Assurance to ensure incoming materials meet all safety and regulatory standards.
• Ensure compliance with food safety, traceability, and documentation requirements.
• Monitor market trends for dairy inputs and adjust sourcing strategies accordingly.

• Oversee daily cheese production operations, ensuring adherence to production schedules, yields, and quality standards.
• Lead production teams to meet safety, quality, cost, and efficiency targets (SQCD metrics).
• Supervise production staff, including cheese makers, line leads, and operators, ensuring proper training and performance management.
• Analyze production data (downtime, yields, waste, labor efficiency) and implement continuous improvement initiatives.
• Coordinate preventative maintenance and collaborate with Maintenance to minimize downtime.
• Drive labor planning, staffing, and training initiatives for production personnel.
• Enforce workplace safety and regulatory compliance (Cal/OSHA standards).
• Ensure adherence to standardized recipes, batch controls, and process parameters.
• Maintain accurate inventory records in SAP/ERP systems.
• Coordinate production timelines with aging/curing schedules, packaging, and distribution needs.

• Supervise production supervisors, warehouse…