Extruder Operator: Third Shift Friday-Tuesday - 8th Ave Food & Provisions

8th Avenue Food & Provisions is a growing organization made up of businesses that produce and sell quality products including pasta, peanut butter, granola, and fruit and nut trail mixes to retail, foodservice and ingredient customers. The company was formed in October 2018 through a combination of Post Holdings’ private brands businesses and is owned by Post Holdings and funds affiliated with Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. (“THL”), a private equity firm.

Position Summary:

At Dakota Growers Pasta Co., our Press/Extruder Operators are the folks that make pasta-making happen. As a Press/Extruder Operator, you will manage the extruder processes, perform necessary quality checks, diagnose problems and machine adjustments, and perform key sanitation activities to ensure quality product is produced in a safe and efficient manner.

Hourly Rate: $2.23/hour with additional $0.35 shift differential

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Manage all steps in the extrusion/press operation process, including: checking run schedules for assigned lines, maintaining mixers at correct levels to ensure efficient feed into extrusion augers, ensure appropriate flour/water ratio per recipe settings, monitoring spreader, diffuser, blowers and stick heaters, observe dividers on long goods lines to prevent backups, monitoring and managing the stick magazine process, and managing flour silos, and conveying pressures
• Perform necessary quality checks of product at all stages of drying in accordance with standard operating procedures, best practices, and regulations. Monitor for length, color, lumps, splits, checking. Take appropriate corrective measures to reduce and eliminate quality issues in a timely fashion
• Own processes associated with egg product hoppers; ensure machine is assembled properly according to procedures and product is loaded into the hoppers in a timely manner
• Use computers and tools to take appropriate and regular machine readings; record data on press control forms and report abnormal machine readings to supervisor immediately to prevent product waste and loss
• Proactively keep machine areas, floors, and bins clean, wiped down, and free of hazards throughout shift, in accordance with standards, procedures, and expectations. Scrape, wash, and clean mixers, and assist other press/extruder operators with cleaning of machinery
• Carry out die changes as assigned for the shift and assist on other lines with die changes. Ensure correct die plates and screens are used when changing dies
• Report machine problems to the shift supervisor and ensure machine logs are accurately filled out, detailing mechanical and non-mechanical downtime. Fill out work order requests as needed to ensure appropriate machine uptime
• Other duties, as assigned

Education and Experience Required:

• High school diploma or GED equivalent from an accredited institution
• Must be able to work weekends, holidays, and overtime
• Must be fluent in English 
• Previous experience in a food manufacturing environment 

Physical Requirements: Qualified candidates must be able to perform the following physical job requirements, with or without reasonable accommodation:

• Must be able to bend, crouch, stoop, sit, and kneel for 4+ hours per shift
• Must be able to balance for 8+ hours per shift
• Must be able to stand or walk for up to 12 hours per shift
• Must be able to climb/work off ladder, and reach above shoulders for 4+ hours per shift
• Must be able to work in a dusty environment, high heat, or humidity for 8+ hours per shift
• Must be able to perform simple grasping, push, pull, and feel for 4+ hours per shift
• Must be able to lift up-to 50 pounds for 4+ hours per shift
• Must be able to team or lift assistance to lift greater than 50 pounds for up to 4 hours per shift
• Must be able to express or exchange ideas by means of spoken or written word
• Must be able to make fine distinctions by sound
• Must be able to distinguish object or equipment visually