Crafted in Vermont’s green mountains, Vermont Creamery’s line of fresh and aged goat cheeses, cultured butter, and crème fraîche have won hundreds of national and international awards. In their 35th year of business, Vermont Creamery supports a network of family farms, promoting sustainable agriculture in the region. B Corp Certified in 2014, Vermont Creamery is committed to using business as a force for good, and has been ranked one of “The Best Places to Work in Vermont,” by Vermont Business Magazine. Vermont Creamery is a subsidiary of Minnesota-based Land O’Lakes, Inc., one of America’s premier agribusiness and food companies. This is a chance to join a mission-driven business and lead a group of bettermakers committed to making consciously-crafted delicious dairy that tastes better because it’s made better. 

The Aged Cheese Supervisor will assist the Creamery Manager in the scheduling and planning of Aged Cheese operations and activities to operate the Creamery and produce product required. This role supervises, manages and directs the selection, training, development, appraisal, and work assignments of its manufacturing employees. This position inspects all products in progress and ensures that it meets company specifications. Good judgment and common sense are required in all duties. This position requires flexible hours as production dictates. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty and responsibility satisfactorily. The additional requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, education, experience, and/or ability required.

 ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

  Safety and Quality

• Champion of safety and quality for all staff.
• Complies with all safety policies, procedures and established safe practices and ensures that all direct reports do the same. Resolves all unsafe conditions and actions.

• Trains, develops, and monitors the safety practices (including PPE) of employees through regularly scheduled safety meetings, one on one development, reminders, and disciplinary action, if necessary. Conducts safety training, emergency procedures, accident reporting and investigation.
• Ensures all production employees are properly trained in quality and comply with GMPs, HACCP, and all other quality regulations
• Ensures compliance of production staff with all policies and procedures, OSHA and BCORP guidelines.
• Maintains a clean, orderly and sanitized production area.
• Participates in proactive team efforts to achieve departmental and company goals.
• Collaborates with Creamery Manager, other Creamery Supervisors, Safety, Quality, and Maintenance management.

Managerial

• Provides leadership to Aged Cheese employees through example and sharing of knowledge/skill.
• Supervises, manages, and directs the selection, training, development, appraisal, and work assignments of direct reports.
• Prioritizes, organizes, and delegates assignments.
• Trains and develops Team Leads, Assistant Team Leads, and hourly personnel. This includes recognizing and assessing the employees’ abilities to perform the job duties effectively and recommend, as well as initiate, development programs to achieve the employees’ full personal and production potential. An essential mission of the Supervisor is to develop and promote employees from within the company when appropriate.
• Maintains consistent, fair, and equitable administration of disciplinary actions and communicates with the Creamery Manager and Human Resources regarding all disciplinary problems with employees. Consistently utilizes the company’s performance development process as needed to include corrective action plans, reviews, and commendations as needed.
• Maintains ADP time for all direct reports, including abiding by fair labor laws and coaching employees on time clock responsibilities.

Production

• Oversees the production and processing of the specified materials to meet the production requirements.
• Coordinates with Human Resources, Team Lead, and Assistant Team Leads on absences and vacations to properly schedule time off. Reviews and checks hourly employee recorded time for accuracy as well as justify the hours expended against product produced. Possesses the ability to organize and plan work for timely completion and eliminate excessive overtime.
• Coordinates and directs production planning along with the Materials Manager. Reports deficiencies, problems, schedule changes, etc. to leadership. Maintains on-going communication with the Creamery Manager and Director of Operations regarding status of production, projects, etc.
• Ability to understand and personally evaluate the potential capacities of the equipment and make recommendations and adjustments to achieve monthly production goals.
• Maintains proper inventories of needed materials associated with the production process.
• Assures non-conformities and housekeeping issues are held to a minimum.

Equipment

• Trains and supervises direct reports in the maintenance and repair of Creamery equipment. Supervises completion of repairs per manufacturer’s specifications.
• Possesses the ability to operate equipment safely and proficiently and properly trains employees to safely achieve optimal production potential of equipment. Ensures that equipment is not operated until safety and mechanical problems are corrected.

Environmental Compliance

• Educates direct reports on all operations and equipment in compliance with all environmental regulations and permits and understands the overall significance and ramifications of non-compliance.
• Responds immediately to any incident with potential environmental impact.
• Makes recommendations to enhance environmental responsibility.

Customer Service

• Maintains a high standard of quality products and works closely with Quality Assurance.
• Maintains a high degree of integrity and conveys a positive public image of self and the company to the community.

QUALIFICATIONS

 Education and Experience:

 Bachelor’s degree in food related discipline.

• Minimum of 2 years of relevant experience in the dairy industry.
• Prior supervisory experience preferred.

Competencies, Skills, and Knowledge:

• Must be able to effectively communicate and actively listen.
• Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to write routine reports and interpret safety, quality, operating, and maintenance instructions.
• Ability to obtain first aid/CPR certification.
• Must be proficient in Microsoft suite.
• Must be agile and able to shift gracefully when priorities change.
• Must be attentive to detail and have good organizational skills.
• Must be a self-directed worker, as well as a team player.
• Must be flexible with work schedule.
• Ability to relate with a positive, warm and friendly manner.
• Must have a willing attitude to learn and better the Creamery and yourself.