Utility Operator

A Typical Day

The Utility Operator is primarily responsible for specialty product production, Alpha LAC product production, membrane testing, valve maintenance, and assisting R&D staff with plant projects.

Job Responsibilities

• Work closely with Product Coordinator–Protein Plant.
• Responsible for having a thorough understanding of product formulas and manufacture of specialty products.
• Responsible for having a thorough understanding of Alpha LAC and WPI product formulas and manufacture of these functional products.
• Responsible for maintenance of plant valves, upkeep of Preventative Maintenance database, and ordering of valve parts.
• Responsible for membrane testing and upkeep of associated program. Membrane testing responsibilities also include: Membrane ordering, shipping of used membranes, bi-weekly inventory reports, monthly, and yearly membrane usage reports.
• Represents production department during plant experiments and R&D projects.
• Responsible for communicating issues related to the above responsibilities to the production team.
• Utility operator may be primarily assigned to one of the above listed responsibilities but is required to work or rotate into any of the above areas.
• Utility Operator may be called on to assist with other operator functions dependent upon background knowledge.
• Specialty Products Production
• Alpha-Lac Products Production
• Active participation and ownership in your training and development program and associated activities, classes and events, which will be held before, during, after shifts and during scheduled days off.
• Help coach and train teammates and participate in on the job, buddy training.
• Place high priority on food safety and sanitation by understanding and executing HCC’s food safety and sanitation policies and procedures.
• Hold self and others accountable to HCC’s food safety & sanitation guidelines and policies by communicating any food safety incident, observation, or opportunity to your leadership team or teammates.
• Participate in food safety and sanitation root cause analysis and improvement activities when required.
• Prioritize safety above all other job duties by having a safety first approach at all times.
• Report any safety issues, observations, opportunities to your teams and follow up.
• Participate in departmental safety teams.
• Promote Company Culture
• Achieve common business goals through cooperative alignment with all departments.

What You Will Need

• English skills must be proficient to understand, read, write and speak English
• High School diploma or GED from an accredited institution
• Must be able to work 12-hour rotation shifts, including weekends and holidays
• Ability to lift up to 60lbs
• Basic computer skills
• State Pasteurizer License
• Skilled in whey plant operator (level 3 role)

What Will Put You Ahead

• SAP experience
• Dairy manufacturing experience
• Active/past member of departmental safety team
• Special Products or Alpha Lac production experience.
• Skilled in dryer and packaging (level 1 and 3 roles), or functional products operator (level 4)
• Has completed/in the process of completing HCC Level 1 Leadership training
  

Physical Demands

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 the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee will be required to:

• Stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle or feel and reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl and talk or hear.
• Stand and walk almost the entire workday.
• Employees must be physically capable of working in any of the job tasks within the cheese plant.
• Required to work at heights and in fairly small areas.
• Pushing, pulling, reaching, bending, stooping, squatting, kneeling, handling and grasping, twisting/turning, repetitive bending.
  

Work 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. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently exposed to the following:

• Exposure to dust, fumes, smoke, gases, or other irritating substances.
• Exposure to solvents or chemicals.
• Exposure to slippery walking surfaces: water.
• Exposure to marked changes in temperature and humidity depending on time of year.

Working surface is primarily concrete. Where standing is required, there are rubber mats which are one-half inch thick.

Food safety is a companywide responsibility and each employee must know their role in the manufacture and distribution of safe, wholesome, and high quality products.

This description is a general statement and does not include other duties as assigned