Manager, Ag Operations
Lamb Weston

Title: Manager, Ag Operations

Location: Twin Falls, ID

About Lamb Weston

We love making fries almost as much as you like eating them! Since the 1950's, Lamb Weston has inspired customers with food they love, trust, and share with families and friends. As a leading global manufacturer of quality frozen potato products with over 10,000+ team members around the world, it's our business to see the possibilities in potatoes and people.

We are looking for team members with an appetite for a challenge! People who are hungry to join a winning team and help us make a difference in the world. When you join Lamb Weston, you join a community with a strong support network and training programs designed to nurture, inspire, and help you grow.

We are driven by a relentless pursuit of results and by people who think creatively and embrace our values of: Integrity, Teamwork, Inclusion, Drive for Results, and Empowerment. Exactly what you'd expect from the most inventive potato company in the world!

Join Lamb Weston! We bring the world together with our fries.

Job Description Summary

Direct the acquisition, storage, delivery and receiving of all raw product to maintain required plant operations consistent with quality requirements at the most favorable cost to the company.

Job Description

• Maintains safe work practices at all times and participates in safety programs.

• The incumbent reports to the Operations Manager together with the Quality Assurance, Office Personnel, Services, Production, Industrial Engineer and Engineering Managers. Close coordination is required with Management to assure raw product continuity and supply.

• This position is responsible to formulate plans and strategies for open market purchases and pre-season contracts; and then; together with the Operations Manager, to negotiate pre-season potato contracts, storage lease agreements, potato loading and hauling agreements and any other contractual requirements pertaining to raw product. The drafting, finalizing and ultimate execution of the legal instruments used in these agreements are at the direction of the Manager of Ag Operations.

• This position is responsible for raw product budget preparation, raw product price forecasts, raw product inventory management, pre-season contract and State potato production forecasts, as utilization and disappearance forecasts.

• To properly fulfill the requirements of this position, the incumbent must have knowledge in the area of plant science, budget preparation and forecasting, contact negotiations, and purchasing, storage control methods and productions and processing methods.

• Then incumbent's function is to develop, analyze compile and evaluate information that will be used by the incumbent and the Operations Manager in decision making in Pre-season contract negotiations and open market purchases. This position is responsible for all raw product procurement; formulating open market purchasing strategies and implementing those strategies; contract planning; contracting; budget planning; procurement of adequate storage facilities; inventory management and information systems; and scheduling to and from the storage. In addition, this position plays a vital part in assuring that research and best practices are being adopted by the grower and maintaining good long-term relationships with those growers.

• The Field Manager controls all field functions and assures that Field Management practices are in compliance with Federal and State Laws by staying abreast of new developments. In addition, this position has primary responsibility for studying and evaluating technological advances which may lead to better methods for growing harvesting and storing potatoes.

• Directs and coordinates the acquisition of raw product for the plant through contracting and open market purchases to assure that adequate quantities of raw product are obtained for production requirements at a competitive price.

• Analysis and prepares information used in formulating plans for pre-season contract negotiations, storage leases and on contract hauling, and actively participates in the negotiations with the Operations Manager to assure an adequate supply of raw product properly stored and delivered to the pant at competitive price.

• Formulates an open market purchase strategy by forecasting crop size, quality, utilization and disappearance to assure an adequate supply of raw product at the most favorable cost.

• Prepares raw product budgets and inventory management systems through proper placement of grower contracts and storage lease agreements to assure adequate quantities and quality of raw product.

• Maintains fair and consistent grower relations to assure the company's ability to meet future raw product requirements.

• Researches, integrates and coordinates into field and production operations newly developed potato varieties and new techniques for growing, handling and storing potatoes to reduce costs and improve quality.

• Manages the transportation of raw product ensuring that the flow is sufficient to maintain enough inventories in holding bays, to allow production to take place without interruption over the course of the operating schedules. In order to maintain this standard, direct communication must take place with Production Superintendents, Production Team Leaders, and the Sr. Ag Operation Specialists (Transportation Analyst).

• Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Manages four subordinate supervisors who supervise a total of approximately 50 employees in the Ag Operations Department. This position is responsible for the overall direction, coordination, and evaluation of these units. Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws.
• Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.
• Those who report to this position, within parameters established by the pre-season contract plan and open market purchase strategies, acquire and control the necessary amounts of suitable quality potatoes. Close coordination and communications with contract growers on cultural, harvest and storage practices which will result in achieving company raw product quality standards are also important parts of the Sr. Ag Operations Specialist position. They also have responsibility in the areas of raw product scheduling, yield and quality forecasting and storage management.

Basic & Preferred Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience:

Bachelor's degree (B. A.) from four-year college or university; MBA desirable.

Language Skills:

Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization.

Mathematical Skills:

Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical inference, and fundamentals of plane and solid geometry and trigonometry. Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.

Reasoning Ability:

Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

Computer Skills:

To perform this job successfully, an individual should have knowledge of Contact Management systems; Internet software; Spreadsheet software and Word Processing software.

Other Skills and Abilities:

Experience in purchasing, production, inventory control is desirable.

Direct experience in supervising both management and clerical employees is necessary.

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 is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl and taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and distance vision.

Industry-Competitive Benefits

Coupled with our compensation and bonus incentive programs, our benefits deliver rewards that are market competitive. Some of the most attractive elements of our benefit programs include:

• Health Insurance Benefits - Medical, Dental, Vision
  
• Flexible Spending Accounts for Health and Dependent Care, and Health Reimbursement Accounts
  
• Well-being programs including companywide events and a wellness incentive program
  
• Paid Time Off
  
• Financial Wellness - Industry leading 401(k) plan with generous company contributions, Financial Planning Services, Employee Stock purchase program, and Health Savings Accounts, Life and Accident insurance
  
• Family-Friendly Employee events
  
• Employee Assistance Program services - mental health and other concierge type services
  

Benefits may vary based on location, job role/level, job status, and/or the terms of any applicable collective bargaining agreements.

Job Requisition ID: Req-256247

Time Type: Full time

Anticipated Close Date: 01/20/2025

In compliance with applicable state and local laws, Lamb Weston has opted to include a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. This compensation is specific to this position and takes into account a number of variables. Actual compensation may be higher or lower in the range posted based on various factors, including, but not limited to, job duties, experience and expertise. A candidate's work location could also impact the actual compensation being outside of the range to reflect local cost of labor. A reasonable annual estimate of the range for this role based on the variables previously mentioned is: $98,770.00 - $148,160.00

Lamb Weston is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, veteran status or any other protected factor under federal, state or local law

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