Blending Process Coordinator

AMPI owns six Midwest-based manufacturing plants where 10 percent of the nation's American-type cheese and processed cheese is produced. The cooperative's award-winning cheese and powdered dairy products are marketed to foodservice, retail and food ingredient customers. In 2019, the co-op launched its Dinner Bell Creamery brand and accompanying Co-op Crafted promise, highlighting more than 50 years of dairy farm families partnering with skilled cheesemakers.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

This list of duties and responsibilities is not all inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties and responsibilities as management may deem necessary from time to time:

1. All AMPI employees have an obligation to report employee safety, food safety and food quality issues to personnel of authority.
2. This position has heightened food safety and food quality responsibilities.
3. Collect, organize, and verify production paperwork including palletizing sheets (by line and shift), line sheets (dump-room, cookroom, ingredient usage, trim usage), tags, and blend sheets.
4. Maintain and distribute copies of documents to the Lab Coordinator, office, supervisors, dump-room operators, and cook as required.
5. Record and relieve inventory in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets based on daily production usage of ingredients, trim, rework, and sales stock/returns. Verify totals against production sheets and tags.
6. Separate, total, and reconcile tags by cheese type/lot number; cross-reference with dump-room and trim usage sheets; discard completed tags.
7. Receive and log new ingredients and rework (by lot number, quantity, description) using provided forms, black book grading reports, and spreadsheets. Update cover sheets with production totals.
8. Check and respond to emails, print grading reports, production schedules, and file accordingly.
9. Distribute next-day production schedules to relevant departments.
10. Prepare daily blend sheets using the production schedule, blend specification book, and computer files: update lot numbers, moistures, weights, and ingredients; print and distribute copies to supervisors, dump-room, and cookroom teams.
11. Conduct daily walkthroughs of the dump-room, tempering areas, and upstairs cooler. Record active lots, barrels, and items; grade cheese for body, texture, and specification of compliance.
12. Handle scrap/waste documentation during cleanup and distribute copies appropriately.
13. Relieve inventory for reworked hold products daily and coordinate with Quality to close hold reports.
14. Perform daily adjustments for odd ingredients and ensure first-in-first-out (FIFO) rotation where applicable, while prioritizing cheese usage by body type, texture, age, and flavor to meet finished product specifications.
15. Support month-end inventory: relieve production, complete physical counts of ingredients, and reconcile with other departments.
16. Support year-end inventory: conduct thorough physical counts, reconcile all items across departments, and ensure full accuracy.
17. Monthly: File process natural trim sheets, warehouse/dump-room sheets, rework sheets, food processing waste sheets, and shipped BOLs in the designated office box.
18. Year-End: File sales stock/returns sheets and regular monthly documents; complete comprehensive inventory reconciliation.

An individual in this position must be able to successfully perform the essential duties and responsibilities listed above. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position. The above list reflects the general details necessary to describe the principle and essential functions of the position and shall not be construed as the only duties that may be assigned for the position.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES:

The following are required competencies of the position that must be met by the employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job:

• Demonstrated proficiency in Windows and MS Office Suite, particularly Excel for inventory tracking, spreadsheets, data entry, totals, and basic formulas.
• Strong attention to detail, organizational, and time management skills.
• Ability to work independently, multi-task, and prioritize tasks in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated strong teamwork skills with the ability to collaborate and coordinate across cross-functional teams.
• Basic understanding of equipment operations, production processes, and minor troubleshooting in a food manufacturing setting.
• Ability to read and comprehend standard operating procedures, company guidelines, and maintain regulatory compliance (GMP, food safety, quality standards).
• Detail-oriented and quality-minded with a strong focus on accuracy and food safety.
• High level of discretion and ability to handle sensitive production and inventory information appropriately.
• Ability to perform at a high level in a fast-paced environment with the ability to adapt to continually changing production schedules.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE:

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  High School Diploma or General Education Degree (GED) required.

  
  
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  1 year of relevant work experience preferred.

  
  
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  Knowledge of SQF, HACCP, GMP's, OSHA and loss control programs is highly desirable.

  
  
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  Technical knowledge of cheese processing operations is preferred.

  
  

PHYSICAL DEMANDS & MENTAL DEMANDS:

The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions

• Manufacturing - Work is performed in a manufacturing plant. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear; taste or smell. The employee will frequently have to walk and stand.
• The employee should have the ability to regularly lift up to 55lbs. The employee must be able to push and pull up to 75lbs. Must be able to climb ladders and work at elevations above 4 feet.
• Employees are regularly exposed to cold temperatures when performing tasks in storage areas.
• Employees are regularly exposed to warm or hot temperatures with moderate to high humidity levels varying based on the location of the work area. The employee is regularly exposed to wet walking surfaces. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Partial office-based with frequent movement through production areas (dump-room, coolers, etc.).
• Exposure to typical plant environment (temperature variations, noise, food products).
• Standard shift hours with potential for overtime during month-end or peak periods. Climate in respect of the upper Midwest region. The noise level is moderate.
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) - Personal protective equipment is required depending on the job being performed, including protective eye wear, or face shields, hearing protection, hair and beard nets, uniforms and footwear. Additional equipment is required when working with chemicals, such as rubber gloves and use of chemical proof aprons as appropriate for the job being performed.

BENEFITS/REWARDS

AMPI offers competitive starting pay, PTO, 401k, short-term disability, health, dental, vision, life insurance, flexible spending accounts, employee assistance programs and more.

Associated Milk Producers Inc. (AMPI) is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

Military service members, veterans, and qualified individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.