Job Description

Position: Assistant Production Manager

Location : Belleville, ON

About us:

Welcome to Lactalis Canada – where we take pride in being recognized as one of 2025 GTA's Top Employers! Our journey revolves around enhancing the lives of Canadians through a rich variety of dairy delights, including some of Canadian’s favourite dairy brands such as like Black Diamond Cheese, Lactantia Milk, Astro Yogurt, Balderson Cheese, and Cheestrings. In fact, we’re proud to say our products grace the shelves of an incredible 94% of Canadian households!

About the opportunity:

The Assistant Production Manager delivers production line results through the completion of production plans, and complying with safety, operating costs, quality, material yields, capital projects, and organizational development to help ensure the operational business objectives are achieved. The Assistant Manager is responsible for all aspects of the quality of products and processes. Emphasis is on continuous improvement, skill development, budget control, proactive troubleshooting, give away reduction and an improvement in First Pass Quality.

The attributes we are looking for:

• Supports production lines to ensure that quantitative and qualitative measures included in the daily management systems (DMS) measures such as production plan are met, effective labour utilization, standard costs, cost reductions, productivity, continuous improvement, sanitation, consumer satisfaction, and capital/technology improvements.
• Assists in the implementation of the PQMS program, provides direction and supervision of all labour related issues, and acts as an integral member of the Production Leadership Team.
• Lead DMS communication meetings and create the strategic plan to improve line efficiency through focus loss reduction, as well as develop collaborative environment to achieve department efficiencies.
• Provide leadership to supervisors by providing feedback and recommendations, determining training needs, and providing work direction. Support managers and teams in attainment of objectives contained in the operating plan. Promote and enhance a positive team environment, including efforts to establish and maintain high levels of employee engagement and communication.
• Maintain a safe work environment by applying corporate health & safety programs focused on prevention, ensuring health and safety is a top priority, and meeting incident targets. Ensure that all accidents are investigated, a root cause determined, and corrective actions implemented. Ensure programs (e.g. STOP, Safestart, Peer to Peer, internal audits, ergonomic assessments) are updated and challenged to increase awareness and employee commitment to safety.
• Promote a focus on excellence in all manufacturing practices, including those required to support optimal quality, yield and cost containment, and minimal rework or downgrades. Monitor and communicate performance on an on-going basis to ensure production is focused on targets.
• Support the implementation and continuation of all quality assurance programs, including PQMS, HACCP and associated GMP. Participate in record and on-site verification, as well as annual review of all programs.
• Coordinate with other departments (e.g. Maintenance, Quality, HR, Finance) to maximize overall effectiveness and efficiency.

What you will bring:

• University degree in Engineering or Science
• Three (3) to five (5) years’ experience in a dairy, food processing, or manufacturing environment including production planning, inventory control, quality, and continuous improvement methods
• Three (3) to five (5) years of supervisory/leadership experience
• Experience in financial measurement of plant performance and with union management relations
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills
• Knowledge of regulatory codes and regulations (HACCP, Health and Safety, CFIA, TSSA), food industry, and food science
• Strong organizational, analytical, presentation skills
• Proficient with standard office computer technology such as Lotus Notes, and Microsoft Office (Word & Excel), as well as business systems such as SAP
• Ability to work effectively in a cross-functional team environment
• Strong planning and organizational skills
• Data gathering and analysis
• Problem analysis and problem-solving skills
• Ability to communicate effectively

Lactalis Canada believes in rewarding its people with the following comprehensive benefits package and perks :

• A Competitive Base Salary
• A Performance-Based Bonus System
• 4 Weeks of Vacation
• Benefits starting day 1
• A Pension Program with an Employer Match at 100% of up to 6%
• Tuition reimbursement plan of up to $3,000/year
• A Volunteer Day to give back to your community
• Learning and Development opportunities
• A commitment to internal career advancement with potential for international mobility

Our ESG commitment:

Our ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) roadmap drives our sustainability mission. We aim to positively impact communities and the planet by enabling stakeholders including our people, consumers, customers, suppliers, dairy farmers, government, and industry partners to have a positive impact on the wellbeing of our communities and the planet through all that we do.

At Lactalis Canada, we value our employees as catalysts for positive change. Together, we will create a sustainable future, promote belonging, and make a lasting impact on the world.

Our commitment to DEI:

Fuel Our Culture with Your Uniqueness! Lactalis thrives on the value each person brings. We're dedicated to amplifying diverse voices, inviting personal and professional growth, and embracing everyone's true selves. We're committed to crafting an environment that genuinely welcomes all, reflecting the richness of our people and communities.

Our promise extends to accessible processes and spaces. If you require accommodation due to a disability (which may be visible or invisible, temporary, or permanent), please inform our Talent Acquisition team – confidentiality will be maintained.

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