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Production Team Leader - Stanhope

Job Name
Production Team Leader

General Information

Date Published
29-Jan-2026
Advertising Ends
27-Feb-2026
ID#
14641
Role Type
Manufacturing
Work Type
Permanent Full-Time
Workplace Type
On-site
Country
Australia
Location
Northern Victoria

Position Description

Mainland Dairy is entering a bold, new chapter. Evolving from our roots with Fonterra, we are set to become a part of the Lactalis Group, the world’s largest dairy company known for its firm belief in the future of dairy and rapid, consumer-driven growth.

We’re looking for highly skilled and knowledgeable people who are energised by the opportunity, a change that is slated for the first quarter of 2026 (pending sale completion) but starting as soon as the right candidate is identified and available.

At Mainland Dairy, we believe that from Goodness comes Greatness, and we’re excited by our future. Come join us and help shape a consumer-focused future to be proud of.

About the opportunity

We are seeking a passionate and hands-on Production Team Leader to join our cheese manufacturing facility.

This role is ideal for a strong people leader who thrives on developing teams, driving engagement, and fostering a high-performance culture. You will lead a team of operators to ensure that production targets, quality standards, and safety protocols are consistently met as well as:
  • Manage daily team operations including coaching, rosters, attendance, and training.
  • Oversee cheese production to meet quality, volume, and efficiency targets; ensure smooth start ups, shutdowns, and changeovers.
  • Troubleshoot production issues and work with Maintenance/CI teams to implement timely solutions.
  • Uphold HACCP, GMP, safety standards, and maintain accurate documentation, traceability, and hygiene practices.
 What you’ll bring

The ideal candidate will bring a commitment to continuous improvement, a focus on team development, and a drive for operational excellence in a fast-paced food manufacturing environment as well as:

  • Proven leadership experience within food or dairy manufacturing, with the ability to lead shift based teams in a high performance environment (cheese manufacturing experience highly regarded).
  • Strong working knowledge of food safety and hygiene standards, including HACCP, GMP, and compliance expectations within regulated production environments.
  • Solid understanding of lean manufacturing and continuous improvement tools, with experience applying methodologies such as 5S, Kaizen, and root cause analysis.
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the capability to engage, influence, and develop team members at all levels.
  • Demonstrated problem solving ability with a practical, hands on approach to identifying issues and implementing effective solutions.
  • Comfortable working in a fast paced, shift based operation, balancing competing priorities while maintaining high standards of safety and quality.
  • Proficient in production systems, data entry, quality reporting, and Microsoft Office, with the ability to interpret operational information to support decision making.

Be Part of Dairy’s Future

Great people continue to power this business forward. Our people thrive within a positive working environment, a collaborative and caring culture and leadership that continues to inspire.

Based at Stanhope, the state‑of‑the‑art plant transforms high‑quality local milk into an impressive range of award‑winning cheeses—including cheddar, parmesan, ricotta, gouda, romano, and mozzarella—along with whey products and milk powders.

We believe in you bringing your best and most authentic self to work and we want you to succeed in a way that allows you to win, in every aspect of your life. We strongly encourage applications from First Nations people, as well as individuals of diverse cultural, linguistic, and social backgrounds. Our team is dedicated to supporting your professional development and personal wellbeing.

We welcome your application and look forward to the possibility of you joining our inclusive team.

Please note that applicants must have full working rights in <Australia / New Zealand>, and we are not accepting submissions via recruitment agencies.

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