Continuous Improvement Process Specialist

About the role

People are at the heart of our success. Our culture encourages collaboration, transparency, and accountability to generate value and achieve sustainable results. At Agropur, each role aims to generate value and have a tangible impact on collective performance.

Responsibilities

• Perform advanced troubleshooting on all machines and processes in the assigned plant location(s).
• Identify problem areas or opportunities for improvement in production, determine a course of action, and help implement improvement and corrective actions.
• Maintain knowledge of cheese making, cheese conversion, whey and permeate processes and procedures.
• Collaborate with internal and external personnel to develop systems and procedures for new unit operations for whey/dairy product production.
• Accurately perform statistical analysis of laboratory and process data to identify trends, deficiencies, and formulate predictions.
• Develop and write Standard Operating Procedures for production and cleaning processes.
• Work with plant, corporate, and client personnel to resolve day‑to‑day production tasks and needs.
• Ensure compliance with all Quality Assurance policies and immediately report any potential food safety issues.
• Coordinate with the sales department on product disposition and support customers, including visiting customers and leading production trials.
• Utilize ERP systems (SAP, MES, AOS) for product disposition and formulation updates/changes.
• Lead applicable AOS activities such as centerline and CIL management, loss tree analysis, and 90‑day plan development.
• Inspect food processing areas for compliance with government regulations and standards for sanitation, safety, quality, and waste management.
• Evaluate food processing and storage operations and assist in developing quality assurance programs.
• Develop food standards, production specifications, safety and sanitary regulations, and waste management and water supply specifications.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science, Operations Management, or Manufacturing Engineering (or equivalent combination of education and experience).
• Minimum three (3) years of dairy processing experience, preferably in a whey‑processing environment (pasteurizers, membrane systems, spray dryers, and evaporators).
• Extensive dairy experience with progressive leadership growth preferred.

Skills

• Advanced troubleshooting and problem‑solving.
• Statistical analysis of laboratory and process data.
• Development of Standard Operating Procedures.
• Collaboration with cross‑functional teams and external customers.
• Familiarity with ERP systems such as SAP, MES, and AOS.
• Knowledge of food safety, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance.
• Ability to lead continuous improvement initiatives (centerline, CIL, loss tree, 90‑day plans).

Pay

Salary range: $69,500 – $86,900 (determined based on skills, education, training, and experience).

Schedule

Work schedule: Monday – Friday or Sunday – Thursday.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life insurance.
• Short‑ and long‑term disability insurance.
• 401(k) plan with 7% company contributions.
• Three weeks paid time off.
• Paid holidays and two floating holidays.
• Paid parental leave.
• Advancement opportunities.

Agropur welcomes people from all backgrounds and origins and is committed to providing a respectful and inclusive experience for all employees and applicants. Accommodations are available upon request.