This Cheese Co-Manufacturing Technical Manager job description sets out the main duties, qualifications, skills and measures of success for the role, which is also known as Co-Packing Technical Manager, Contract Manufacturing Technical Manager, Third-Party Manufacturing Manager or Supplier Technical Manager. Download it free as a Word or PDF template and adapt it for your own vacancy.
| Job title | Cheese Co-Manufacturing Technical Manager |
| Also known as | Co-Packing Technical Manager, Contract Manufacturing Technical Manager, Third-Party Manufacturing Manager, Supplier Technical Manager |
| Department | Dairy processing |
| Reports to | Site Director or Head of Operations (brand owner) |
| Direct reports | None |
What does a Cheese Co-Manufacturing Technical Manager do?
Represents a dairy brand owner on site at a third-party cheese manufacturer, making sure the brand's products are made to recipe, specification and contract terms. Acts as the day-to-day link between the two businesses, drives quality, efficiency and capital improvements, and helps the partnership grow.
Cheese Co-Manufacturing Technical Manager duties and responsibilities
Partnership and contract management
- Serve as the day-to-day operational contact between the brand owner and the contract manufacturer
- Monitor performance against the production agreement and resolve issues quickly
- Keep both businesses informed on production, quality and supply matters
- Spot new opportunities and risks and bring them to both parties
- Build trust with the manufacturer's managers and teams while working on site every day
Production and quality control
- Make sure products are made to approved recipes, processes and specifications
- Review production and quality data and follow up deviations
- Support HACCP and food safety requirements for the brand's products
- Lead investigations into complaints and non-conformances and agree corrective actions
- Advise on the release, rework or disposal of non-conforming product
Process and technology development
- Identify and lead improvements in yield, efficiency and quality across the value chain
- Support new product trials and scale-up at the partner site
- Share technical knowledge and best practice in cheese making
- Track new technology that could improve performance
Capital projects
- Plan and deliver capital projects on brand-owned equipment at the partner site
- Prepare business cases, budgets and timelines for investment
- Oversee installation, commissioning and handover of new equipment
Reporting and strategy
- Report on volumes, yields, quality and costs to the brand owner's management
- Contribute to the business plan and growth strategy for domestic production
- Travel to head office and other group sites as needed
Cheese Co-Manufacturing Technical Manager qualifications and experience
Essential
- Qualification in dairy technology, food science or equivalent
- Experience in cheese production and quality, typically 5 years or more
- Experience of planning and delivering capital projects
- Proven leadership and influencing skills
- Strong commercial awareness
Desirable
- Experience of a co-manufacturing or contract manufacturing relationship
- Experience with brined or semi-hard cheese varieties
- Lean or continuous improvement training
Skills and attributes
- Diplomacy and relationship building
- Influencing without direct authority
- Excellent written and spoken communication in the business language
- Technical problem solving
- Working independently
- Persistence and a sense of urgency
How success is measured
- Products meeting recipe and specification
- Yield and cost per tonne against target
- Customer complaints linked to the partner site
- Capital projects delivered on time and within budget
- Compliance with the production agreement
Working conditions and safety
Based full-time at a third-party cheese plant, with PPE and hygiene rules in production areas. Some national and international travel.
- Follow health and safety rules and safe systems of work, and wear the correct PPE
- Follow food safety, hygiene, HACCP and quality procedures at all times
- Report hazards, accidents, near misses and concerns promptly
Cheese Co-Manufacturing Technical Manager interview questions
Use these questions to assess candidates for a Cheese Co-Manufacturing Technical Manager role. Each one includes what a good answer shows.
- How would you check that a partner site is making our cheese to the approved recipe and process?
What a good answer shows: Reviews make records, process parameters and quality data, observes the make and follows up deviations promptly. - What affects cheese yield, and how would you go about improving it?
What a good answer shows: Understands milk composition, standardisation, coagulation, curd handling and fines losses, and uses data to target improvements. - How would you plan a new product trial and scale-up at a partner's cheese plant?
What a good answer shows: Agrees objectives, recipe, process limits and resources with both teams, and reviews results before full production. - Which production and quality data would you review every day, and why?
What a good answer shows: Picks yield, composition, moisture, microbiological results and deviations, and acts on trends early. - The partner keeps missing agreed volumes because of their own priorities. How would you handle it?
What a good answer shows: Uses the agreement and data, raises it constructively, looks for the root cause and escalates only when needed. - A capital project on our equipment at the partner site is running late. What do you do?
What a good answer shows: Finds the cause, agrees a recovery plan with contractors and the partner, and keeps both businesses informed. - How do you make sure food safety controls for our products are working at a site you do not run?
What a good answer shows: Verifies CCP records, joins audits, checks corrective actions and builds a shared food safety culture with the partner. - How do you decide whether non-conforming cheese should be released, reworked or disposed of?
What a good answer shows: Puts food safety first, then specification and customer needs, using clear evidence and documenting every decision. - How do you build trust with a partner's managers when you need them to change how they work?
What a good answer shows: Builds relationships, uses evidence, respects their ownership and finds solutions that benefit both businesses. - How do you keep both businesses informed without creating conflict between them?
What a good answer shows: Communicates openly and regularly, sticks to facts and stays fair to both sides.
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Frequently asked questions
Represents a dairy brand owner on site at a third-party cheese manufacturer, making sure the brand's products are made to recipe, specification and contract terms. Acts as the day-to-day link between the two businesses, drives quality, efficiency and capital improvements, and helps the partnership grow.
Employers usually look for: qualification in dairy technology, food science or equivalent; experience in cheese production and quality, typically 5 years or more; experience of planning and delivering capital projects.
A Cheese Co-Manufacturing Technical Manager usually reports to the Site Director or Head of Operations (brand owner).
Yes. Download the free Word template, add your location, contract and salary details, and adapt the duties to your site. You can then advertise the role on Dairy Jobs.
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