Cheese Manufacturing Plant Manager

Cheese Manufacturing Plant Manager

Location: Riverbank, CA
Reports to: Ownership / VP of Operations
Employment Type: Full-Time

About Cheese Bits

Cheese Bits is a fast-growing specialty cheese company producing premium, snackable cheese products made from fresh Scamorza-style cheese in California. Our focus is clean labels, operational excellence, and scalable growth as we expand capacity, formats, and channels.

Position Summary

The Cheese Manufacturing Plant Manager leads and oversees all aspects of plant operations, with an active on-site presence across production, sanitation, food safety, and quality. This role ensures manufacturing processes are executed consistently, quality standards are maintained, and food safety programs are effectively embedded in daily operations.

The Plant Manager works closely with supervisors, SQF leadership, and lab/QA teams to observe performance, identify gaps, and drive continuous improvement. This role partners directly with ownership, collaborates cross-functionally with sales and business development, and participates in senior management and strategy discussions.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee daily cheese manufacturing operations and production performance
• Ensure alignment of production plans with demand, quality, and cost targets
• Maintain accountability for HACCP, SQF (or GFSI), sanitation programs, and regulatory compliance
• Partner with lab and QA teams to strengthen testing programs and improve quality processes
• Lead, coach, and support supervisors and plant leadership to ensure strong execution
• Oversee maintenance programs, equipment reliability, and process improvements
• Review KPIs including yield, waste, downtime, labor efficiency, and variances
• Provide operational reporting and recommendations to ownership
• Support scale-up of new products, formats, and capacity investments

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in dairy or cheese manufacturing with leadership responsibility
• Strong understanding of cheese production processes (fresh or pasta filata a plus)
• Working knowledge of HACCP, SQF, sanitation programs, and FDA dairy regulations
• Proven ability to lead teams in a regulated food manufacturing environment
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Engineering, or related field
• Experience scaling food manufacturing operations or supporting capital projects
• Languages: English required; Spanish and/or Russian proficiency is a plus

Work Requirements

• Regular presence on production floors
• Occasional lifting up to 50 lbs
• Schedule flexibility to support production needs