Wisconsin Whey Protein | A FrieslandCampina Company
Locations: Darlington, WI or Turtle Lake, WI

Lead People. Drive Production. Make an Impact.

Wisconsin Whey Protein, a FrieslandCampina company, is looking for an experienced Production Shift Manager to lead our manufacturing team and help deliver safe, high-quality dairy ingredients every day.

This is an excellent opportunity for a hands-on manufacturing leader who enjoys developing people, solving problems, and improving operations. You'll play a key role in leading your shift, supporting production goals, and building a culture centered on safety, teamwork, and continuous improvement.

What You'll Do

As a Production Shift Manager, you'll lead the day-to-day operations of your shift while supporting the growth and development of your team.

Your responsibilities will include:

Lead Your Team

• Supervise, coach, and develop Production Operators.
• Provide clear direction, daily priorities, and staffing assignments.
• Train new employees and support ongoing employee development.
• Foster a positive, accountable, and team-oriented culture.

Drive Safe & Efficient Operations

• Promote a strong safety-first culture and ensure compliance with OSHA, GMP, food safety, and company standards.
• Monitor daily production performance to meet quality, safety, and production goals.
• Ensure products meet customer specifications and quality expectations.
• Verify production documentation is completed accurately.

Solve Problems

• Respond to equipment issues, production challenges, and process deviations.
• Partner with Maintenance, Quality, and other departments to minimize downtime.
• Make informed decisions that keep production moving while maintaining product quality and employee safety.

Improve the Business

• Identify opportunities to improve productivity, efficiency, and product quality.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives and best practices.
• Encourage employee engagement and involvement in operational improvements.

Communicate & Collaborate

• Partner with Production, Maintenance, Quality, Warehouse, and leadership teams.
• Complete shift reports, production documentation, and system updates.
• Ensure effective communication during shift handoffs and daily operations.

What We're Looking For

Required

• Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent manufacturing leadership experience.
• Minimum of 2 years of leadership experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience leading and developing production teams.
• Strong communication, coaching, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Preferred

• Experience in dairy, food, beverage, cheese, whey, pharmaceutical, or other regulated manufacturing environments.
• Working knowledge of GMPs, food safety, OSHA, FDA, USDA, and quality systems.
• Experience using SAP or other manufacturing systems.
• Continuous improvement experience (Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, or similar).

You'll Be Successful If You

• Lead by example.
• Hold yourself and others accountable.
• Communicate openly and respectfully.
• Enjoy developing people and building strong teams.
• Stay calm under pressure and solve problems effectively.
• Continuously look for ways to improve safety, quality, and productivity.

Why Wisconsin Whey?

This isn't just another production leadership role.

As part of FrieslandCampina, one of the world's largest dairy cooperatives, you'll have the opportunity to influence operations, develop people, and help shape the future of a growing manufacturing facility.

You'll join a leadership team committed to:

• Building an engaged and high-performing workforce.
• Producing world-class dairy ingredients.
• Creating a culture centered on safety, respect, and continuous improvement.
• Investing in employee growth and development.

Work Environment

This role combines office responsibilities with time spent on the production floor, where you'll actively support employees and operations.

You'll work in a modern food manufacturing environment that follows strict Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs). Appropriate PPE, including safety glasses, gloves, steel-toe footwear, hearing protection, and other required equipment, must be worn while in production areas.

Physical Requirements

• Walk and stand throughout the production facility.
• Occasionally lift up to 30 pounds.
• Perform routine inspections throughout the plant.
• Work comfortably in both office and manufacturing environments.

Why Join FrieslandCampina?

At FrieslandCampina, our purpose is to nourish by nature. We believe great products begin with great people, and we're committed to creating a workplace where employees are respected, challenged, and empowered to grow.

Our values guide everything we do:

• We Act With Respect
• We Aim Higher
• We Succeed Together

If you're ready to lead a team, improve operations, and build your career with a global dairy leader, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply today to join the Wisconsin Whey team!

Pay: $60,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Professional development assistance
• Referral program
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Application Question(s):

• How many employees have you directly supervised in a Manufacturing/Production setting?
• Which Manufacturing environments have you worked in? (i.e. Dairy, Food & Bev, Ingredient Processing, Pharma, Chemical, etc.)

Education:

• High school or equivalent (Required)

Experience:

• Leadership: 2 years (Required)
• Manufacturing: 2 years (Required)

Language:

• English (Required)

Shift availability:

• Day Shift (Preferred)
• Night Shift (Preferred)
• Overnight Shift (Preferred)

Work Location: In person