Director, Culture Plant Operations

Join a team that nourishes life from farm to table! Upstate Niagara Cooperative, proudly owned by 200+ local family farms, is one of America's largest and most stable dairy cooperatives. Guided by farmer- and employee-led values, we process and market high-quality milk, yogurt, dips, sour cream, cottage cheese, and more under our trusted brands: Upstate Farms, Bison, Milk for Life, and Intense Milk. Here, you'll support sustainable farming, strong communities, and the mission to deliver fresh, local dairy to families every day.

Job Summary

The Director, Cultured Plant Operations will oversee the operations of Upstate Niagara Cooperative's three cultured product plants, ensuring operational efficiency, exceptional product quality, employee safety, regulatory compliance, and cost-effectiveness. This role provides strategic leadership and operational direction to plant managers, driving a culture of financial discipline, manufacturing excellence, and continuous improvement aligned with company objectives. The Director is responsible for delivering strong plant performance across key metrics, including financial results, service levels, safety, quality assurance, and regulatory standards, while fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and operational excellence.

Job Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and hands-on operational leadership to the three cultured product plants, ensuring achievement of production, financial, safety, service, and quality goals.
• Lead a disciplined focus on plant financial performance, including managing budgets, improving asset utilization, controlling manufacturing costs, and driving margin enhancement initiatives.
• Establish, standardize, and implement manufacturing best practices to drive operational excellence, optimize fermentation and production processes, reduce waste, and improve efficiencies.
• Ensure the highest standards of product quality and food safety by strengthening quality assurance systems, programs, and accountability measures at all plant sites.
• Mentor and develop plant managers and leadership teams, building a high-performance, engaged culture centered around safety, quality, financial ownership, and continuous improvement.
• Partner cross-functionally with Quality, Supply Chain, Engineering, Finance, HR, and other key teams to align plant operations with corporate strategies and customer requirements.
• Monitor and analyze key operational and financial KPIs to identify trends, proactively address performance gaps, and drive sustainable improvements.
• Lead compliance efforts to meet all applicable federal, state, and local regulations, including OSHA, FDA, USDA, SQF, environmental, and food safety standards.
• Oversee execution of capital projects and infrastructure upgrades that support operational scalability, efficiency, and quality improvement.
• Promote a proactive safety culture, ensuring policies and training programs are in place and consistently practiced across all facilities.
• Champion operational innovation and leverage advanced technologies to maintain competitive advantage in cultured dairy manufacturing.
• Support labor relations strategies including negotiations, grievance resolution, and fostering positive relationships in unionized environments.
• Foster a culture of accountability where plant managers and their teams own financial, operational, and quality results.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Operations Management, Business, Engineering, Food Science, or a related technical field required.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in plant operations within the food and beverage manufacturing industry; cultured dairy or fermented food products strongly preferred.
• Proven track record leading multiple sites with a strong emphasis on manufacturing operations, financial management, and quality assurance.
• Extensive experience with quality assurance programs (e.g., SQF, HACCP, GMPs) and regulatory standards in food or beverage manufacturing.
• Strong financial acumen with direct experience managing plant P&Ls, budgeting, cost control initiatives, and margin improvement efforts.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop high-performing, engaged teams through periods of change and operational transformation.
• Excellent problem-solving, decision-making, communication, and project management skills.
• Transformative, "hands-on" leadership experience in dynamic, fast-paced production environments is required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree (MBA or related field) strongly preferred.
• Certification or significant experience in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or other operational excellence frameworks.
• Prior experience managing operations within unionized manufacturing environments.
• Expertise in fermentation processes, quality systems, regulatory compliance, and food manufacturing standards.
• Proven success managing capital projects and operational expansions.

Core Competencies

• Strategic Leadership: Ability to develop and execute plant strategies that drive business growth and operational excellence.
• Financial and Business Acumen: Skilled in managing budgets, driving financial performance, and ensuring fiscal responsibility at the plant level.
• Manufacturing Excellence: Deep operational expertise across production, fermentation, quality, and supply chain processes in food and beverage manufacturing.
• People Development: Committed to mentoring, coaching, and empowering leadership teams.
• Operational Innovation: Ability to identify and implement new technologies and practices that drive performance and competitiveness.
• Change Management: Leads through transformation, building resiliency and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Quality Systems & Safety Commitment: Ensures robust quality systems and regulatory compliance while prioritizing a safe work environment.
• Results Orientation: Proven ability to deliver measurable improvements in production efficiency, cost structure, quality, and customer satisfaction.

Salary: $220,000 - $250,000 a year*

• The salary range indicated in this posting represents the minimum and maximum of the salary range for this position. Actual salary will vary depending on factors including, but not limited to, budget available, prior experience, knowledge, skill and education as they relate to the position's qualifications, in addition to internal equity. The posted salary range reflects just one component of our total rewards package. Other components of the total rewards package may include participation in group health and/or dental insurance, retirement plan, wellness program, paid time away from work, and paid holidays.

Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc. is committed to equal employment opportunity for all, without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic.