Dairy Foods Manufacturing Management Track (MMT) Associate

Dairy Foods Manufacturing Management Track (MMT) Associate

Join Land O’Lakes, Inc., and help us bring food from farmer to fork, building vibrant communities along the way. We’re a global, Fortune 250 company and a farmer-owned cooperative, which means we work for one another—not Wall Street. We’re proud to rank a Top Workplace. We offer the following:

• Competitive compensation and rewards
• Best-in-class healthcare for you and your family
• Powerful savings programs
• Training and career progression

The Manufacturing Management Track is intended to be a training position for future development into manufacturing leadership roles. Responsibilities and activities include learning all plant processes, including regulatory compliance programs - both safety and quality, maintenance, human resources activities, and managerial and administrative functions.

You will have the opportunity to develop skills through a core curriculum of formal training, work assignments, strategic projects, career development and networking opportunities and involvement in community service. Upon successful completion of the program, you will be eligible for key roles within Supply Chain & Operations Manufacturing plants based on business needs, career interests, and aptitude. You will be well positioned for a successful and challenging career with Land O’Lakes, Inc.

Dairy Foods Overview

The Dairy Foods business makes and markets dairy-based products under our diverse array of brands. These products are found in grocery, mass and club retailers, and in restaurants, schools and healthcare facilities. In addition, our dairy products are essential ingredients in leading international consumer brands. As an associate, you will be assigned to one of our Dairy Foods plant locations to assist in leading the overall managerial activities of the facility.

Dairy Foods MMT’s will spend 12 months at a Dairy Plant learning to supervise a production floor. They will learn our safety and quality systems, continuous improvement, leadership, maintenance. This will include both a broad view as well as targeted skills to make you a successful supervisor upon completion of the program. After 12 months, you will be placed in a supervisor role in one of our Dairy Plants. You will have the opportunity to supervise a team of 10-40 production operators and will be a critical component of the process to produce millions of pounds of cheese or butter making it to store shelves. The skills you will learn as a supervisor will set you up for a career in manufacturing management. After supervising, former MMT’s have taken roles as Technical Managers, Production Managers, Quality Managers, Reliability Engineers, and various other roles.

Available Locations:

• Spencer, WI
• Melrose, MN
• Carlisle, PA
• Kent, OH
• Tulare, CA

Program Start Dates:

• June 2025

Required Qualifications:

• Currently pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree in engineering, food science, ag business, animal science, supply chain, operations management, or agriculture related field with an expected graduation date of Spring 2025
• Demonstrated leadership in school/academic/industry-related clubs
• Willingness to relocate for the program and then upon program completion is required

Professional Qualifications:

• Make effective decisions and can work independently with limited supervision
• Interact well with customers, suppliers, employees and management of all levels
• Solve and resolve issues quickly and effectively
• Demonstrated safety awareness, quality orientation, and a focus on process improvement
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Strong time management skills and detail-oriented
• Willing to work extended hours during peak seasons

Preferred Qualifications:

• Previous exposure to dairy manufacturing or general production environment is preferred

Pay: $68,000

Physical Qualifications:

Working in a manufacturing or warehouse environment, you will be walking, standing and engaging in movement throughout the day, and occasionally to frequently be required to lift items weighing up to 50 lbs. Due to a large variety of job duties (both routine and non-routine), certain duties also may involve, a variety of physical activities including bending, lifting, stooping, turning, twisting, pushing, pulling, raising arms above shoulders and head, standing, working in enclosed areas, climbing stairs or ladders, and operating heavy machinery. The noise level in the work environment can vary but noise is usually low to moderate.