Plant Manager - Middlebury, Vermont

How would we describe a career with Agri-Mark/McCadam/Cabot Creamery? More than 100 years of: Farmers, Family, Mission, Purpose, Sustainability, Respect, Integrity, Work Ethic, Teamwork, Pride in Award Winning Products, and Agriculture.

Cabot Creamery achieved B Corp certification in 2012 and became the world’s first dairy co-op to do so. This certification demonstrates our commitment to transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet.

We have a great opportunity for a Plant Manager in our Middlebury, VT plant where 125 Vermonters & New Yorkers come together to make Cabot cheddar cheese and Agri-Mark whey powders. 

What you'll be doing:

• Build relationships of trust and provide an informed and clear point of view gained by personal insight, business acumen, best practices, and industry trends.
• Responsible for fiscal operations of the plant.
• Maintain the facility in an audit-ready state for customers and regulatory agencies.
• Encourage a continuous learning environment for departmental leaders by staying current with the latest technologies and processes in the industry.
• Direct the overall manufacturing activities in the plant to ensure that customer orders are received, scheduled, and produced at the lowest possible cost to meet customer requirements, while maintaining defined quality standards.
• Analyze plant operations to ensure that the facility maintains a leadership position in the industry.
• Responsible for expense control, to include shrink, labor and overhead costs.
• Develop annual manufacturing expense budgets in accordance with forecasted sales volumes and planned inventory levels.
• Develop and implement annual plant capital budget.
• Provide reliable and accurate information and support to the finance team to help ensure that end-of-month, quarterly and fiscal year closing schedules are met.
• Ensure that appropriate standard operating procedures (SOPs) are developed and maintained for all aspects of the business.
• Implement plant safety programs and ensure compliance with Agri-Mark and regulatory requirements.
• Responsible for the Plant SQF & Food Security Policy / Program to assess potential food security risks. Ensure that food security preventive measures are being implemented and routinely audited regarding the manufacturing, handling and storage of all food ingredients, as well as finished goods.
• Responsible for all corporate, customer and government audits to ensure compliance.
• Responsible for environmental health compliance at the plant level.
• Collaborate with other plant managers within Agri-Mark to share best practices.
• Ensure compliance with all Agri-Mark corporate policies and procedures.

Provide supervisory and leadership responsibility in the areas of performance management, employee relations, mentoring, employee training and development, promotions, salary increases, corrective actions and terminations

What we are seeking:

• Ability to understand the vision and Mission Statement of Agri-Mark and translate it into specific plans and actions to achieve desired results.
• Must be a strong executor with the ability to assist with strategy development at all levels of the organization to drive business performance.
• Ability to adapt to changing organizational and operational needs, and lead people through change.
• Ability to work collaboratively with all departments, with various management levels within the company, and with external stakeholders.
• Ability to successfully and positively influence peers and senior leadership.
• Ability to assist in the recruitment of talent for current and future needs.
• Ability to recognize opportunities to simplify processes and create efficiencies.
• Strong project management skills to include capable presentation experience.
• Interpersonal Skills – Respectfully address the personnel issues that arise, focus on delivering the best business decision, maintain confidentiality and have high emotional intelligence for self-awareness and to recognize the feelings of others.
• Verbal Communication – Speak clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations, listen and seek clarification, respond well to questions, demonstrate group presentation skills and participate in meetings.
• Written Communication – Research and produce professional business communications in manual and electronic formats. Ability to read, manipulate and interpret data in all formats.
• Computer Skills – Proficiency in office products such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Teamwork – Balance team and individual responsibilities, exhibit objectivity and openness to other’s views, give and welcome feedback, contribute to building a positive team spirit.
• Business Acumen – Understand financial metrics used in the evaluation of the business, to include business performance and all finance and operational aspects that influence the health and success of the business.
• Ethics – Treat people with respect, keep commitments, inspire the trust of others, work with integrity and ethically and uphold organizational values. Support ethical sourcing initiatives and act as a responsible steward of the environment.

Please be ok with our environment- as time spent in the plant will involve exposure to unusual elements, such as extreme temperatures, dirt, dust, fumes, unpleasant odors and/or loud noises.

Salary range is: $145,000-$175,000

Our support of employee growth includes promoting from within, training and tuition reimbursement.  Team members enjoy access to a comprehensive benefits package, competitive salary and a 401k with company match.

Agri-Mark is an equal opportunity employer. The company is committed to the fundamental principle of equal opportunity and equal treatment for every qualified prospective and current employee. The company does not discriminate or allow discrimination on the basis of race (including traits historically associated with race including hair texture and protective hairstyles), color, religion, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, place of birth, crime victim status, age, physical or mental disability, a positive result from an HIV-related blood test, military or veteran status,  or any other classification protected under applicable federal and/or state law.

Agri-Mark complies with all federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

For more information, please go to www.agrimark.coop and www.cabotcheese.coop.