Highlights
This position combines strong Maximo/SAP PM planning discipline with hands-on leadership capability, supporting both proactive reliability and real-time operational support in a high-volume dairy processing environment. Job Description: Plan, schedule, and prioritize all preventive maintenance, corrective work orders, new equipment installations, and capital/project work using Maximo (or SAP PM) to maximize wrench time and minimize production impact.
Numbers & Facts
| Location | Lemoore, CA |
| Industry | Food and Beverage Production |
| Company Size | 2,500 to 4,999 employees |
| Year Founded | 1950 |
| Website | http://www.leprinofoods.com/careers/ |
Description
Cheese Maintenance Department
Job Title: Cheese Maintenance Planner/Group Leader
Wage Scale: 44.78 (Break in rates and $0.75 cents differential pay from 6PM - 5:59AM applies).
Hours/shift: 1st Shift Subject to change based on business needs
Days Off: Varies
General Summary:
- The Maintenance Planner / Relief Group Leader - Cheese is responsible for the planning, scheduling, and will plan all maintenance work in Cheese Maintenance department. This role drives equipment reliability, minimizes unplanned downtime, and ensures parts and resources are available to execute the plan safely and efficiently. This position will assume all Group Leader responsibilities when required.
This position combines strong Maximo/SAP PM planning discipline with hands-on leadership capability, supporting both proactive reliability and real-time operational support in a high-volume dairy processing environment.
Job Description:
- Plan, schedule, and prioritize all preventive maintenance, corrective work orders, new equipment installations, and capital/project work using Maximo (or SAP PM) to maximize wrench time and minimize production impact.
- Ensure all required parts, materials, special tools, and contractor support are identified, reserved, and available prior to scheduled work. Manage the repairable tracking and disposition process.
- Develop weekly and daily maintenance schedules in close coordination with Production, Sanitation, Quality, and Engineering to protect food safety, product quality, and throughput.
- Monitor work order completion, analyze schedule compliance and backlog trends, and drive continuous improvement in PM effectiveness and planner accuracy.
- Prioritize all work with Safety First principles (LOTO, arc flash, pinch points, confined space) and full compliance with GMPs, HACCP, and FDA requirements.
- Build and maintain strong working relationships with supervisors, technicians, production leadership, and external contractors to ensure seamless execution of planned work.
- Support regulatory compliance documentation, audit readiness, and any required reporting for maintenance activities.
- Provide informal guidance and technical support to maintenance technicians on job planning, job packages, and safe work practices.
- Perform any other duties as assigned by Manager or Supervisor.
- Ensure the daily scheduled maintenance plan is being followed and facilitated across the Cheese department.
- Direct and oversee the maintenance crew performing troubleshooting, repair, and preventive maintenance on plant equipment.
- Conduct area walk-throughs to verify work progress, safety compliance, and that technicians are achieving targeted planned work hours (goal 80%).
- Promptly respond to equipment breakdowns and unplanned downtime; prioritize and assign work to minimize impact to production.
- Provide clear direction to the crew and ensure all work is performed in accordance with Company SOPs, Leprino standards, and safe operating procedures.
- Support fabrication or modification of equipment to Leprino specifications and standards when required.
- Assist with shift coverage and maintain a safe work environment at all times.
- Perform any other duties as assigned by the Maintenance Supervisor or Manager.
You Have At Least (Required Qualifications):
- Minimum 5 years of industrial maintenance experience in a manufacturing environment (food processing / dairy preferred), with at least 1 year of planning, scheduling, or formal leadership experience.
- Strong knowledge of electrical and mechanical troubleshooting on process equipment (pumps, valves, heat exchangers, CIP systems, separators, conveyors, etc.).
- Ability to read and interpret blueprints, P&IDs, and technical drawings.
- Welding skills (arc, TIG, MIG, oxy/acetylene) and ability to design, layout, and fabricate preferred.
- Ability to operate a forklift and safely use hand and power tools.
- Proven ability to work effectively with outside contractors and cross-functional teams.
- Must demonstrate technical knowledge via standardized maintenance questionnaire (if required by site).
- Excellent organizational, prioritization, and interpersonal skills with the ability to multitask and make sound decisions under pressure.
- Demonstrated ability to plan and schedule maintenance work using a CMMS (Maximo strongly preferred; SAP PM or equivalent acceptable).
- Computer literacy - proficiency with Maximo (or willingness to quickly learn), Microsoft Office, and email.
- Willingness to work flexible hours and provide relief coverage as operational needs require.
Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities/Competencies:
- Demonstrated leadership ability. Lead by Example.
- Demonstrated strong commitment to safety. Knowledge of GMPs.
- Must be able to fulfill physical functional requirements of position per ADA
- Strong organizational and interpersonal skills. Computer literacy.
- Multitask and decision make.
- Strong, visible commitment to Safety First (LOTO, arc flash, pinch points, machine guarding) and thorough knowledge of GMPs, HACCP, and food safety principles.
Working Relationships:
- This position reports to the Maintenance Department Manager or a Supervisor.
- This position will regularly interact with other production and support group supervisors. Regular interaction with other plant management.
Physical/Mental Requirements and Work Environment:
- Ability to speak, read, and write the English language.
- Ability to repeatedly lift up to 50 pounds throughout the shift.
- Ability to access elevated work areas such as climbing ladders/stairs.
- Ability to wear required personal protective equipment and comply with all applicable safety practices.
- Ability to work any shift, weekends, holidays and possible overtime.
Activity - Physical
Activity - Mental
Talking
Comparing
Hearing
Calculating
Near Acuity
Compiling
Far Acuity
Analyzing
Climbing
Coordinating
Balancing
Negotiating
Stooping
Verbally Communicating
Kneeling
Written Communication
Crouching
Instructing
Crawling
Interpersonal Skills
Reaching
Handling
Finger Dexterity
Offering You In Return:
A chance to be part of a global team of individuals passionate about producing and delivering high-quality products that help feed and nourish families around the world. Leprino Foods could not be where it is today without our incredible employees. That is why we share in our success together by rewarding you for your hard work. Hiring great people who are in it for the long run is our goal. Your impact will be noticed and rewarded, as you seek to further our company, our customers, and one another.
About Company
Overview We’re Leprino Foods Company – the leading producer of mozzarella cheese and related whey & lactose products in the USA. Our heritage of entrepreneurial growth & innovation, exceptional customer service, and top-quality products continue to define our business success and company culture every day. Our customers include leading pizza companies, consumer food manufacturers, and food distributors. Given our industry leading technology (we hold more patents on mozzarella cheese-making technology than any other producer), and quest for future growth, we’re expanding our international capabilities as well. Our Singapore hub and joint venture with Glanbia Cheese, UK positions us in key markets across the world.
From our headquarters in Denver to our production plants located across the country, our growth continues to provide exciting career opportunities. It’s our vision to become the world’s best dairy foods ingredients producer, and we’re looking for great people to help us get there. If you have a strong work ethic, a focus on providing excellent service to external and internal customers, an innovative spirit that’s not satisfied with status quo, and a passion for producing quality products and services, we’d be excited to have you join our organization.
Culture
Our unwavering commitment to product quality and unparalleled customer service encompasses simple principles that guide the efforts of every member of the Leprino Foods' team.
Quality
Service
Innovation
People
Perpetuating a fulfilling, challenging and safe work environment that encourages continuous improvement, provides equal opportunity, offers economic satisfaction through the recognition and rewarding of achievement, and ensures we maintain a healthy respect for our competitors, customers, suppliers and fellow employees in a clean and safe work environment.
Ethics
Conducting our affairs and nurturing our relationships with customers, suppliers, co-workers, mutual interest groups and others in a forthright and ethical manner.
Citizenship
Recognizing our responsibilities toward, and encouraging involvement in, our industry and local communities while respecting individual freedom of choice and maintaining the highest standards of environmental and regulatory compliance.
Benefits Click to learn more
Our Story Behind the superior quality and performance of our cheese lies the legacy of a man with a vision - to make the finest mozzarella cheese available anywhere.
Mike Leprino, Sr. arrived in America in 1914 with little more than fierce determination and a tough set of principles. In 1950 with the help of his family, Mike Leprino began making small batches of ricotta and mozzarella cheese for delivery to local grocery stores. An uncompromising commitment to product quality and customer service fueled demand for Leprino cheese.
Today the company he founded is the world's largest producer of mozzarella cheese and remains singularly focused upon making the finest cheese and whey products.
Results Through People
Environment
Our employees perform their best and feel considerable pride because they are active contributors to the continued success of the largest mozzarella maker in the world - and especially to the continued success of our customers. Employee teams propose and implement ideas to improve our products, service and technology, and track their success. In fact, our employees frequently surpass their own records when it comes to safety standards and innovative processes.
Culture
The culture of Leprino Foods Company is one of hard work, striving for excellence, high expectations and pride. To be successful requires high energy and passion, with a desire to take on challenges and do what it takes to keep Leprino Foods at the top of its industry. The hard work encountered here proves to be worthwhile when considering that we work for a market leader with great financial security and long-term stability. We are extremely committed to quality and to customer service.
At Leprino Foods, we believe:
Employees of Leprino Foods Company will agree that most positions and departments offer a high level of growth to the employees. This comes from both promotional advancement and personal growth opportunities. In addition, we offer an extensive list of training opportunities to all levels of employees. This can range from PC training and operator training all the way to leadership training and ways to further develop the competencies possessed by successful leaders.
Mission and Philosophies
Our mission and philosophy at Leprino Foods is to establish, through our actions, an unparalleled standard of excellence in people, products, and service while increasing our market share and perpetuating a healthy company that appropriately rewards all our efforts and investments. We believe that the health and longevity of our company can best be achieved through an uncompromising commitment by all of us to Leprino Quality as a way of life. Leprino Quality is exemplified by an attitude of continuous improvement in each of the following areas:
As an employee of Leprino Foods, you will have a chance to make a difference by joining one of the many Leprino Employee Involvement Teams and Task Forces.
We all benefit from these teams by having employees bring better problem solving, new ideas, and efficiencies to the Company. Team members benefit personally as well. Through involvement in one or more of these teams, members enhance their knowledge of Leprino’s operations and get the opportunity to work with people outside their normal contacts, doing tasks outside their normal scope of work. Team members also learn basic tools to help identify and work through problems – tools that will help them every day in their job and their personal life.
Community Involvement
Each of our locations has employees active in the communities they work and reside in. Leprino Foods is involved either by sponsorship, participating in, or donating to many worthwhile events.
College Recruiting Click to learn more
Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer
From our headquarters in Denver to our production plants located across the country, our growth continues to provide exciting career opportunities. It’s our vision to become the world’s best dairy foods ingredients producer, and we’re looking for great people to help us get there. If you have a strong work ethic, a focus on providing excellent service to external and internal customers, an innovative spirit that’s not satisfied with status quo, and a passion for producing quality products and services, we’d be excited to have you join our organization.
Culture
Our unwavering commitment to product quality and unparalleled customer service encompasses simple principles that guide the efforts of every member of the Leprino Foods' team.
Quality
Service
Innovation
People
Perpetuating a fulfilling, challenging and safe work environment that encourages continuous improvement, provides equal opportunity, offers economic satisfaction through the recognition and rewarding of achievement, and ensures we maintain a healthy respect for our competitors, customers, suppliers and fellow employees in a clean and safe work environment.
Ethics
Conducting our affairs and nurturing our relationships with customers, suppliers, co-workers, mutual interest groups and others in a forthright and ethical manner.
Citizenship
Recognizing our responsibilities toward, and encouraging involvement in, our industry and local communities while respecting individual freedom of choice and maintaining the highest standards of environmental and regulatory compliance.
Benefits Click to learn more
Our Story Behind the superior quality and performance of our cheese lies the legacy of a man with a vision - to make the finest mozzarella cheese available anywhere.
Mike Leprino, Sr. arrived in America in 1914 with little more than fierce determination and a tough set of principles. In 1950 with the help of his family, Mike Leprino began making small batches of ricotta and mozzarella cheese for delivery to local grocery stores. An uncompromising commitment to product quality and customer service fueled demand for Leprino cheese.
Today the company he founded is the world's largest producer of mozzarella cheese and remains singularly focused upon making the finest cheese and whey products.
Results Through People
Environment
Our employees perform their best and feel considerable pride because they are active contributors to the continued success of the largest mozzarella maker in the world - and especially to the continued success of our customers. Employee teams propose and implement ideas to improve our products, service and technology, and track their success. In fact, our employees frequently surpass their own records when it comes to safety standards and innovative processes.
Culture
The culture of Leprino Foods Company is one of hard work, striving for excellence, high expectations and pride. To be successful requires high energy and passion, with a desire to take on challenges and do what it takes to keep Leprino Foods at the top of its industry. The hard work encountered here proves to be worthwhile when considering that we work for a market leader with great financial security and long-term stability. We are extremely committed to quality and to customer service.
At Leprino Foods, we believe:
- Exceptional customer service is the attitude of caring among all our employees that motivates them to go beyond traditional boundaries in order to facilitate the realization of our Vision.
- Exceptional customer service involves serving others as each of us would like to be served.
- Exceptional customer service must be pro-active, not reactive. It means anticipating a customer’s needs.
- Exceptional customer service is not limited to external customers, it must also be extended to our internal customers, to fellow employees, to our suppliers, and to all other business contacts.
- Exceptional customer service takes everyone’s efforts. One employee with a lack of effort can create poor customer service.
- Exceptional customer service is fundamental to achieving our Vision. It is not a vision in and of itself.
Employees of Leprino Foods Company will agree that most positions and departments offer a high level of growth to the employees. This comes from both promotional advancement and personal growth opportunities. In addition, we offer an extensive list of training opportunities to all levels of employees. This can range from PC training and operator training all the way to leadership training and ways to further develop the competencies possessed by successful leaders.
Mission and Philosophies
Our mission and philosophy at Leprino Foods is to establish, through our actions, an unparalleled standard of excellence in people, products, and service while increasing our market share and perpetuating a healthy company that appropriately rewards all our efforts and investments. We believe that the health and longevity of our company can best be achieved through an uncompromising commitment by all of us to Leprino Quality as a way of life. Leprino Quality is exemplified by an attitude of continuous improvement in each of the following areas:
- Product Quality: Operating our facilities in a neat, clean, orderly, and well-maintained fashion while producing distinctively superior quality cheese and whey products that add value to our customers’ businesses.
- Customer Service: Perpetuating a proactive customer-centered attitude among all of us, which produces distinguished service in every aspect of our internal and external customer relationships.
- Leadership and Innovation: Breaking traditional barriers and constantly expanding the horizons of our industry through bold leadership in product and process technology which continues to create new standards of excellence in product value.
- People: Perpetuating a fulfilling and safe work environment that:
- Values the importance of clean, organized, and well-maintained facilities,
- Encourages the involvement of everyone in the business problem-solving, decision-making process, while not tolerating Company politics,
- Fosters a willingness to innovate and stretch personal and collective boundaries,
- Provides equal opportunity for personal and leadership development,
- Promotes company pride though an unselfish, teamwork-driven attitude among all of us,
- Offers economic satisfaction through the recognition and rewarding of individual and collective contributions, and
- Maintains a focus on safety in all aspects of our business.
- Ethics: Conducting our affairs and nurturing our relationships with customers, suppliers, co-workers, mutual interest groups and others in a forthright and ethical manner.
- Citizenship: Recognizing our responsibilities toward, and encouraging involvement in, the communities of which we are a part, while respecting individual freedom of choice, and maintaining the highest standard of environmental and regulatory compliance.
As an employee of Leprino Foods, you will have a chance to make a difference by joining one of the many Leprino Employee Involvement Teams and Task Forces.
We all benefit from these teams by having employees bring better problem solving, new ideas, and efficiencies to the Company. Team members benefit personally as well. Through involvement in one or more of these teams, members enhance their knowledge of Leprino’s operations and get the opportunity to work with people outside their normal contacts, doing tasks outside their normal scope of work. Team members also learn basic tools to help identify and work through problems – tools that will help them every day in their job and their personal life.
Community Involvement
Each of our locations has employees active in the communities they work and reside in. Leprino Foods is involved either by sponsorship, participating in, or donating to many worthwhile events.
College Recruiting Click to learn more
Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer