Packaging Manager (Nights)

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

With over $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 2026 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 over 300 new employees and bring in approximately 5 million lbs. of milk a day, with room to grow over the coming years.

shift & on-call requirements: 

job purpose:

The Night Shift Packaging Manager works in partnership with the Day Shift Packaging Manager, both reporting to the Senior Packaging Manager in Webster, NY. This role directly leads the night shift supervisors, working with their shift teams of operators for the following equipment centers: material dumpers, blowmolder, filler, sleever, case packer, and palletizer. Packaging Managers also oversee Operation Technicians (subject matter experts) for both wet and dry ends of the packaging process.

This leadership position will be critical in driving results through design and implementation of process standards, work routines, and rigor while empowering creative thinking and promoting a decentralized command environment. Aggressively driving changeovers and utilizing a strong continuous improvement focus will be essential to eliminating issues at the root cause versus fixing them. This is a key role in ensuring the flow of bottles and cases across the site is running efficiently within a modern and collaborative work culture for our employees.

responsibilities:

• Play a key role in the startup and commissioning of the new plant, including equipment installation, testing, and validation through collaboration with engineering and project management teams to ensure smooth transitions from construction to production
• Oversee and manage daily operations of the packaging department to ensure optimal production performance with direct oversight of night shift packaging shift supervisors
• Cultivate a culture focused on zero losses through standardization and loss elimination
• Utilize a continuous improvement mindset to approach root cause analysis, while leading the development of sustainable problem-solving tools applicable across packaging
• Act as the lead and primary point of contact for all changeover activities, utilizing the entire packaging team, and aggressively driving a PDCA cadence to constantly improve bottle-to-bottle times and OEE recovery time
• Responsible for leading and managing plant operations within our packaging department and across other departments while overseeing strategic projects, initiatives, and programs during night shift hours
• Responsible for the quality results of the packaging department, the right product at the right time ready to be shipped pending micro-release while meeting our strict quality parameters
• Work to establish and cascade relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) including downtime event details throughout the department and ensures timely reporting to peers, team members, and senior leaders
• Review inventories and production plans daily with the site planning team, coordinating schedule demands with staff and product movement personnel
• Support key capital projects and commercialization projects relevant to the packaging department
• Enforce workplace safety protocols to ensure a zero-incident work environment while providing guidance on addressing hazards as they are identified
• Review all nonconforming products and materials with Quality Assurance and Packaging Engineering teams
• Monitor the packaging department across all shifts and assures employee compliance with GMPs, sanitation, and food safety through routine behaviors
• Drive employee engagement for the night shift with programs and activities designed to get the best from all our teams while collaborating with the day shift packaging manager
• Partner with the Maintenance team to ensure all equipment stays in good working condition as well as adhering to routine preventative maintenance plans
• Manage team members across a 24/7 operation with the core focus being on supporting night shift teams decision making and execution
• Perform other duties as necessary

skills/qualifications:

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, operations management, or other quantitative discipline with a demonstrated and proven knowledge of fluid dynamics in a manufacturing environment
• At least five (5) years of beverage industry manufacturing experience. Dairy industry with both ESL and Aseptic experience is highly preferred with a demonstrated record of increasing responsibility
• At least one (1) year as food industry shift Supervisor with positive results demonstrated for repeatable and reproducible production schedule attainment.
• Proven experience working in a 24/7 production environment with customers both upstream and downstream in operations
• Strong verbal and written communication skills including the ability to maintain interpersonal collaboration at all levels of the business
• Excellent organizational and follow-through skills while handling ambiguity
• Successful at meeting production schedules with fast-paced, shifting priorities
• Ability to read and understand P&IDs.

Preferred

• Working knowledge of the regulatory and food safety PMO, FDA, PCQI, FSMA, CCPs and thermal processing and preventive controls.
• Experience implementing Lean Principles including 5S, TPM, and other strategic initiatives.
• Understanding the chemistry of cleaning and CIP/SIP/COP programs. An understanding of 3A guidelines is preferred.

 working conditions and physical requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• 10 hours sitting/standing/walking around the production floor
• Ability to lift up to 40 lbs of materials
• Reaching/bending requirements including climbing ladders or elevated areas
• Hand dexterity for operating machinery or computer systems
• Exposure to hazards (machinery noise, confined spaces, chemical handling, etc.)
• Wearing PPE such as safety glasses, hearing protection, and slip-resistant boots
• Specific atmospheric conditions and environmental factors
• Any other physical requirements including desk work, meetings, and data entry

food safety requirements:

• Notify supervision of any repairs or adjustments that are required that may affect product quality or food safety.
• Responsible for maintaining critical control points, aseptic requirements, and regulatory standards always.
• Perform all duties necessary to meet Company, Customer and/or Government requirements and standards as prioritized by the Company.
• Accountable for passing internal and external Quality or Food Safety program audits.
• 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.

how fairlife nourishes you: 

At fairlife, we believe in better — and that includes how we support our people. We offer a comprehensive suite of benefits and wellbeing resources designed to support you physically, emotionally, socially, and financially, both in and out of work. 

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, effective day one! 

• Supplemental health plans (hospital indemnity, accident, and critical illness insurance) 

• Paid Time Off to recharge and support work-life balance 

• Paid parental leave & adoption assistance (up to $10,000) 

• Parental support & family care benefits, including childcare resources and lactation support 

• 401(k) to support retirement planning with up to 9% in employer match 

• Wellness reimbursement (up to $500 for qualified wellbeing expenses) 

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for emotional wellbeing and work-life support 

• Company-paid life insurance and short-term disability 

• Employer HSA funding (for HDHP participants) 

• Tuition reimbursement (up to $10,000) and student loan repayment ($200/month) 

• Learning & development programs to unlock your full potential 

• Rewards & recognition, matching gifts, free product, and Business Resource Groups 

fairlife’s nour!sh program is designed to meet you where you are — supporting your individual wellbeing journey while enabling you to do your best work every day. 

position location: Webster, NY

reports to: Sr. Packaging Manager

travel requirements: <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.

For Recruitment Agencies

At fairlife, we manage the majority of our hiring internally through our dedicated Talent Acquisition team, which is actively engaged in direct candidate sourcing. Most of our roles are filled through applications submitted via our careers site or through direct outreach by our team.