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Assistant Plant Manager

Leprino Foods · Allendale, MI

Level
Manager
Team
Production
Degree
Required (or equivalent experience)
Experience asked
12+ years
Industry
Food & beverage
Posted
2 days ago

The role in 30 seconds

A management production role at Leprino Foods (food & beverage) in Allendale, MI.

They ask for
12+ years · degree required (or equivalent experience)
Tools it names
SAP
Day to day
some off-shift / weekend coverage

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026

Production Engineer roles in Michigan: typical posted base $143k–$205k.

Median of the low and high ends of 6 live postings that list pay, out of 33 production engineer openings in Michigan, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.

Michigan plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →

How this role compares

Against 32 other live production postings in Michigan.

Experience asked
More than usual (12+ vs 8+)

Similar roles usually ask 8+ years.

Skills these teams ask for most

  • ✓ Team leadership 55%
  • Lean 52%
  • Six Sigma 39%
  • Cost reduction 39%
  • Casting 27%
  • EHS / safety 27%

✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.

Stands out: this posting asks for SAP, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.

It asks for 12+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone doing this work there first.

At a glance

Off-shift / weekend coveragePromotion path mentioned

Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.

How to get in at this plant

Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.

  1. 1

    Pick 2–3 people on the Production team at Leprino Foods

    Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.

  2. 2

    Send a short, curious note

    One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.

  3. 3

    Turn a reply into a short call

    Questions worth asking about this team:

    • What does a normal week look like on your team?
    • How does off-shift and weekend coverage work?
    • How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
  4. 4

    Apply with someone vouching for you

    If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.

  5. 5

    Bring proof to the interview

    One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.

This plant: Leprino Foods in Allendale

5 other open roles at this site.

Full description from Leprino FoodsAs posted on their careers site.Show

You Have At Least (Required Qualifications)

  • ✓A bachelor's degree in Engineering, Food Science, Dairy Technology, Business, Operations Management, or a closely related field, or equivalent experience.
  • ✓12+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience within food manufacturing.
  • ✓7+ years leading multiple production departments or plant functions through department managers.
  • ✓Prior experience in a Plant Production Manager, Operations Manager, Assistant Plant Manager, or Plant Manager role within food manufacturing.
  • ✓Experience leading other people managers across multiple operational departments.
  • ✓Experience supporting plant financial performance, labor planning, and operational improvement initiatives.
  • ✓A willingness to relocate to another Leprino manufacturing facility, as this role is designed to prepare future Plant Managers across our manufacturing network.

We Hope You Also Have (Preferred Qualifications)

  • ✓A master's degree in Engineering, Food Science, Dairy Technology, Business Administration, or a closely related field.
  • ✓Experience within dairy, cheese, or other high-volume food manufacturing environments.
  • ✓Experience leading operations in a multi-line, 24/7 manufacturing facility.
  • ✓Experience supporting capital projects, operational excellence initiatives, or plant expansions.
  • ✓Experience using SAP or similar ERP systems.
Show full description ↓

Within our 300-person manufacturing facility in Allendale – Leprino is seeking an Assistant Plant Manager (Internally: Production Manager II-level) to lead across our cheese, nutrition, and processing operations while developing the breadth needed for future plant leadership opportunities. This is an important bench-strength role within Leprino’s manufacturing organization, designed for an experienced operations leader who can make an immediate impact in Allendale while building deeper experience across plant operations, people leadership, safety, quality, and financial performance. For the right leader, this role provides meaningful preparation for future Plant Manager opportunities across Leprino’s manufacturing network.

What You’ll Do

  • •Partner with the Plant Manager to lead daily manufacturing operations across production, sanitation, and plant support functions.
  • •Guide and develop department managers and supervisors while building leadership capability across the organization.
  • •Coordinate plant priorities with Production, Maintenance, Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, and Human Resources.
  • •Set the daily and weekly operating cadence, including production priorities, shift communication, escalation planning, and operational follow-up.
  • •Build production plans that balance customer demand, staffing, equipment availability, and inventory requirements.
  • •Review plant performance, including safety, quality, yields, labor, downtime, and service, then coordinate improvement plans across departments.
  • •Support capital improvements, operational initiatives, and process enhancements that strengthen plant performance.
  • •Partner with Maintenance to improve equipment reliability, preventive maintenance planning, and shutdown execution.
  • •Promote food safety, sanitation, and regulatory compliance while supporting a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
  • •Contribute to annual operating plans, labor planning, and departmental budgets.
  • •Build collaborative relationships across the site that encourage transparency, problem solving, and timely decision-making.
  • •Serve as a key member of the plant leadership team and provide operational leadership in the Plant Manager's absence.

Offering You In Return

A chance to be part of a global team of individuals passionate about producing and delivering high-quality products that help feed and nourish families around the world. Leprino could not be where it is today without our incredible employees. That is why we share in our success together by rewarding you for your hard work. Hiring great people who are in it for the long run is our goal. Through competitive salaries and bonuses, life, medical/dental/vision coverage, voluntary benefits, employee assistance programs, wellness incentives, tuition assistance, vacation, ten paid holidays, sick time, paid parental leave, annual merit increases, as well as the LFC Profit-Sharing & 401(k) plan. Your impact will be noticed and rewarded, as you seek to further our company, our customers, and one another.

Our Story

Leprino’s history dates back to the 1950s, when Jim Leprino first started making small batches of mozzarella for local markets and eateries in the Little Italy neighborhood of Denver. We’ve grown a bit since then. Today, Leprino is the world’s largest manufacturer of mozzarella and lactose, and a leading producer of whey protein. Still owned by the Leprino family, our sights are set to be the “World’s Best Dairy Food and Ingredient Company.” From a small corner grocery store we have grown to over 5,500 employees throughout the globe. Will you join us on our journey?

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