Sr. Packaging Manager

fairlife, LLC is a Chicago-based nutrition company that creates great-tasting, nutrition-rich and dairy products to nourish consumers.

With nearly $3B in annual retail sales, fairlife’s portfolio of delicious, lactose-free, real dairy products includes: fairlife® ultra-filtered milk; Core Power® High Protein Shakes, a sports nutrition drink to support post-workout recovery; fairlife® nutrition plan™, a nutrition shake to support the journey to better health.

A wholly owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola company, fairlife, LLC has been recognized by both Fast Company and Nielsen for its industry leading innovation.

To learn more about fairlife and its complete line of products, please visit fairlife.com.

The construction of fairlife's manufacturing facility in Webster, NY is underway. This state-of-the-art, 750k sq ft, greenfield plant is expected to be operational in late 2025 and will lay the foundation for fairlife's next phase of growth as the leading dairy nutrition provider. While coupling the industry’s latest technologies and fairlife's operational excellence to build this world-class facility, fairlife plans to hire 250 new employees and bring in approximately 5 million lbs. of milk a day, with room to grow over the coming years. 

job purpose:   
The Senior Packaging Manager is responsible for the overall leadership, and performance of the Webster plant production and packaging department. As a critical member of the plant leadership team, this role oversees all operations from the bottle fillers through palletizing. The Sr. Packaging Manager is responsible for driving the business plan and strategic objectives while strengthening the fairlife culture through a continuous improvement mindset. This person will lead a team of managers, supervisors, technicians and operators through the coordination, administration, and day-to-day management of the packaging department. They will develop and implement internal operating protocol, policies, and procedures in accordance with established company policy. 

responsibilities: 

• Monitors and refines critical systems within the department, leveraging employee engagement, to continuously improve results in Safety, Quality Assurance, Productivity, and Cost.  Special emphasis will be placed on the effectiveness of fairlife operational work systems, as shift pass-offs, weekly focus team meetings, monthly playbook reviews, department alignment meetings, and quarterly business reviews among others to ensure broad understanding of business priorities at all levels of the organization. 
• Partners with upstream suppliers and downstream customers, both internal and external, to ensure the proper support of production plans and coordinate all resources needed to execute the schedule. 
• Responsible for people development in the areas of operational excellence, equipment ownership, lean manufacturing, continuous improvement methodologies, optimized package changeovers, and adherence to our human resources policies. 
• Responsible for the care and maintenance of packaging equipment and facilities cleaning, inspecting, lubrication (CIL) as well as coordination and development of preventative maintenance programs. 
• Reviews all nonconforming products and materials to determine and address root cause with internal and external stakeholders. 
• Monitors packaging department throughout shift to ensure adherence to GFSI and Good Manufacturing Practices 
• Track department expenses, ensure adherence to operating budget, provide input to budget development processes and capital project planning and execution. 
• Maintain performance records for trending and analysis in the key areas of safety, quality, production, and cost.   
• Able to manage and delegate competing priorities, meet short term goals while balancing long term objectives 
• Be an ambassador for the Webster site, representing the values, culture, and ethos of fairlife with internal and external stakeholders 
• Lead the team in executing against competing priorities in a fast-paced environment balancing tactical and strategic initiatives to meet business objectives 

 
skills/qualifications required: 

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, packaging, or related discipline required 
• A minimum of 5 years in plant leadership in CPG or equivalent experience that is directly related to the duties and responsibilities outlined 
• Bottling or food packaging experience preferred, Aseptic filling experience a plus 
• Proven ability to identify and mitigate food safety risks with a temperature sensitive pathogen risky raw material such as milk 
• A proven track record of implementing LEAN principles creating short- and long-term value 
• Coordinate training, skill assessments and documentation of individual performance trends 
• Demonstrated adherence to company policies and procedures 
• Demonstrated scheduling of employees and temporary labor as needed. 

working conditions and physical requirements: 

• Ability to sit/stand/walk for prolonged periods or time 
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs. 
• Reaching/bending requirements
• Exposure to hazards (machinery, confined spaces, etc.) 
• Specific atmospheric conditions 

 food safety requirements:  

• Notify supervision of any repairs or adjustments that are required that may affect product quality or food safety. 
• Understand, observe, and comply with the handling and usage of the color-coded container policy while in the Production Areas. 
• Perform all duties necessary to meet Company, Customer and/or Government requirements/standards as prioritized by the Company. 
• Ability to initiate action to prevent the occurrence of nonconformities relating to Food Safety and the Quality of the product, processes, quality system, or safety system. 
• Identify and record any problems relating to Food Safety and the Quality of the ingredients, processes, quality system, or safety system. 
• Control further processing or delivery of nonconforming product in terms of Food Safety and Quality issues until the deficiency or unsatisfactory condition has been corrected. 
• In the event of absence, another employee with the same skill level will assume the duties and responsibilities as required. 

position location: Webster, NY 

reports to: Director of Operations 

travel requirements: 50% to begin than <10% 

exempt/nonexempt: Exempt 

fairlife, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. All qualified applicants and employees will be given equal opportunity. Selection decisions are based on job-related factors.

In addition to its nondiscrimination commitment, the Company will also provide reasonable accommodation of qualified individuals with known disabilities unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the Company. If you have a disability and would like to request accommodation in order to apply for a position with us, please email careers@fairlife.com.