Operations Manager, Village Dairy | Traralgon, Victoria

Lead the operation. Build the team. Shape what comes next.

Village Dairy is growing, and we’re looking for an exceptional Operations Manager to help drive our next chapter.

Backed by Apta Group, an Australian private investment group building a portfolio of high-quality food and beverage businesses, Village Dairy is an ambitious, multi-site dairy manufacturing business with exciting opportunities ahead.

This is your chance to take a hands-on leadership role at our Traralgon site, working alongside the Site Manager and Production Manager to drive operational excellence, strengthen performance and keep our operation running safely, efficiently and reliably.

But outstanding operations are built on more than processes and production targets. They’re built on people.

We’re looking for a leader who knows how to bring out the best in a team. Someone who sets clear expectations, builds trust, develops capability and creates an setting where people feel supported, take ownership and deliver their best work.

You’ll be right where the action happens: on the production floor, solving problems, lifting standards, finding better ways of working and turning operational challenges into opportunities to improve.

As Village Dairy continues to grow, you’ll play a key role in building the people, performance and operational foundations to support that growth.

If you’re a hands-on operator, a natural people leader and someone who thrives on making things better, this is your opportunity to make a real impact.

The Role

Reporting to the Site Manager, the Operations Manager will coordinate production, warehouse, dispatch, people, equipment and resources across the Traralgon site.

Key responsibilities will include

- Coordinating daily site operations to meet production and customer requirements




- Working closely with the Production Manager to align production plans, labour, materials and resources
- Leading and developing operational teams and Team Leaders
- Driving continuous improvement, productivity and cost reduction initiatives
- Supporting the implementation and commissioning of new equipment and production capacity
- Maintaining a strong focus on safety, food quality and compliance across the site
- Ensuring effective inventory control and stock management
- Providing regular operational performance updates to the Site Manager

About You

You will be an experienced operations or production leader within food, dairy or broader manufacturing, ready to take on a hands-on site leadership role. Ideally, you will bring:

- Experience leading operations, production or a similar function within a food, dairy or manufacturing environment
- Strong people leadership skills, with the ability to develop and support a growing team
- Engineering or technical acumen, regarded but not essential
- A practical, solutions-focused approach to operational problem-solving
- The ability to build strong working relationships across production, maintenance, engineering, warehouse and dispatch
- Flexibility to work across a six-day operating environment as required
- Full Australian working rights

Why Join Village Dairy?

This is a genuine opportunity to build operational capability and shape how the Traralgon site runs, as Village Dairy continues to grow. The role offers real autonomy and the chance to make a visible, lasting impact on production, people and performance.

To Apply

Apply through SEEK or contact Impact People & Culture, APTA's retained recruitment partner for this appointment, for a confidential discussion.

If you're serious about this position, add a brief cover letter letting us know why you're the ideal candidate.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Click here to find out more about Village Dairy

📌 Operations Manager (Traralgon)
🏢 IMPACT People u0026amp; Culture
📍 Traralgon