Job Title: Seed Conditioning and Operations Manager – Ashland, WI
Reporting To: Plant Manager
Job Purpose: The Seed Conditioning and Operations Manager works at our Ashland, WI location to ensure the safe and efficient operation of our seed conditioning machinery and the production of clean seed with minimal loss. This person will ensure efficient and organized facility operations and compliance with state and federal seed laws and seed certification standards.
About Deer Creek Seed Co: Deer Creek Seed Co. is a premium forage, turf, cover crop, and wildlife food plot seed company based out of Wisconsin. We take great pride in the quality of our seed, the integrity of our hard work, and our top-notch customer service. Learn more about us at www.deercreekseed.com.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Manages all seed conditioning operations with an emphasis on production and quality control:
- Flowline machines setup, calibration, and maintenance
- In-process quality testing and adjustment
- Seed testing prior to, during, and after conditioning
- Chaff inspection to ensure maximum yield
- Manage flow line for speed and clean seed quality
- Blend annual grain mixtures based on percentages
- Inoculate legume seeds
- Understand height and weight dynamics to load pallets
- Understand federal and state seed laws
- Maintain organized and thorough procedural and testing documentation:
- Receiving and conditioning logs
- In house purity and noxious weed tests
- Submitting clean seed samples for official purity, germ, and noxious weed tests
- Creating and maintaining digital copies of these records
- Manage facility operations, employees, and logistics:
- Maintain equipment
- Direct warehouse employee workflow
- Communicate with growers to schedule shipments
Required Qualifications:
- Successful candidate must be interested in and/or comfortable working with machinery
- Bachelor’s degree in agricultural or mechanical engineering, seed science, agronomy or related field
-OR-
- Vocational/technical degree with five years’ experience in process machinery and flow lines
- Ability to lead, direct, and motivate employees
- Organizational, prioritization, and communication skills (oral and written)
- Creative and flexible problem-solving skills
- Proficient using computers and ability to learn new software programs
- Solid math skills (addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, percentages)
- Fit and able to work in a physically demanding environment (warehouse, weather, lifting, climbing)
Preferred Qualifications:
- Knowledge and understanding of seed conditioning processes
- Knowledge of seed conditioning machinery including elevators, screen air, gravity, length grading, velvet roll and magnetic separators.
- Experience with compactors, forklifts, and pallet jacks
- Agricultural background or agronomy experience
- Millwork, electrical, or construction skills
- Familiarity with safety systems and enforcement of safety rules and policies
- Experience with LEAN management concepts
Work Environment: Deer Creek Seed maintains a high level of cleanliness in our plant and warehouses and employees are expected to maintain this standard. While performing the duties of this job, the Seed Conditioning and Operations Manager will primarily work in the seed plant where he or she will be exposed to moving mechanical parts and vehicles. The noise level in the warehouse can be moderate to loud and the employees will be exposed to dust. The plant has a dust collection system in place and provides appropriate PPE supplies.
Working Hours: 7:00 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This position is salaried and spring/fall busy seasons will require additional work hours.
Compensation and Benefits: This position is salaried and is negotiable based on experience. Employees are eligible for health benefits after three months of employment and a retirement plan (401k) after one year. Employees earn one week of paid vacation after one year and two weeks after two years. All employees are immediately eligible for six paid federal holidays, and two paid sick days. Partial relocation assistance is available for long-distance moving expenses.
How to Apply:
Applications are due no later than May 21, 2018.
Mail a cover letter and resume to:
Deer Creek Seed Co.
Attn: Tim Bauer
PO Box 105
48200 State Highway 112
Ashland, WI 54806
-OR-
Send cover letter and resume as e-mail attachments (PDF’s only) to:
tbauer@deercreekseed.com
No phone calls, please.