Factory Associate Jobs in Columbia, MD (NOW HIRING)

Are you looking to catapult your career by driving high-impact transformation with household brands? Do you crave an entrepreneurial, fast paced, and engaging growth assignment working with incredible people from across the globe?
At Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream, we are excited to start a new chapter of accelerated growth as part of Froneri - a global pure-play ice cream leader. Come help us transform DGIC into the #1 ice cream brand! With nearly 100 years of winning experience in the U.S, a robust portfolio of powerhouse brands that consumers know and love such as Häagen-Dazs, Drumstick, Dreyer's & Edy's, Skinny Cow and Outshine, and the backing and coaching of European-based ice cream experts, we know we have the winning recipe.
Headquartered in Walnut Creek, the Bay Area's hub for up-and-coming food trends, our teams across our offices and factories are raising the bar on all things ice cream. We are investing in significant capital expansions to grow our Operations and Supply Chain and are transforming how we work at every level to become agile, accelerate growth and elevate our quality. With a renewed focus on frozen treats, our tight-knit team of ambitious innovators are fully immersed in the business and encouraged to flex and make decisions quickly. We are committed to pursuing every great idea and delivering the best ice cream experience for our consumers, when and where they want it.
Unleash your potential at Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream and discover what a sweet career we have in store for you.
Main Purpose of Job:
Effective and consistent management of the site engineering practice and operation. To consistently achieve production and cost targets minimizing waste and downtime, through effective management and upkeep of the processes, teams and equipment, so as to ensure that we achieve customer service level with our customers, through the manufacture of products to the right quality and specification. Covering all aspects of food safety.
This will be achieved by ensuring that engineering teams are effectively coordinated and managed, through having a clear knowledge and understanding of requirements, attention to detail and providing all teams with inspiration, guidance, motivation, training and multi-skilling.
Job Description
Role and Activity:
BUYER

• Assist in developing and implementing purchasing strategies.
  • Managing daily purchasing activities assigned
  • Managing supplier relations and implementing service agreements, prices, timelines, etc.
    • NDA's
    • COI
    • RFP's
    • Any other required documents
  • Managing service agreements with the Legal Department
  • Maintaining the supplier database, purchase records, and related documentation.
  • Maintain PIR's
  • Track cost savings initiatives
  • Ensuring that all procured items meet the required quality/ safety standards and specifications.
  • Assist to improve purchasing systems and processes
    • Create processes
    • Implement processes
    • Maintain processes
  • Create Purchase orders
    • Ensure taxes are accrued based upon State requirements
    • Ensure delivery dates meet business needs
    • Ensure delivery is met
  • Reconcile payment discrepancies
  • Reconcile invoice and receiving balances
  • PO maintenance
  • Ensure purchasing policies are being followed
  • Communicate effectively with all the team, not just "Send and Forget" emails.
  • Proactively looking for areas of improvement and to adopt techniques and practices that ensure that there is a quality environment in production
  • Ensure that health and safety requirements are fully met, and a positive safety culture is maintained throughout the factory
• Ensure that you walk the talk and use the "looking eyes", attend to the issues as and when they happen. The daily site walk must deliver a clean tidy site all over.
• Represent The Froneri Way of working through the behaviors and characteristics in our Operating Model and Core Values
• To ensure the use of other group resources to ensure synergies are carried through, driving knowledge and issues to be shared.
• Briefing & de-briefing the team on daily basis.
• Treat all spends as if they are your own
• To manage, monitor and control costs to ensure that site costs are within budgeted requirements

Measurable Outcomes

• S&IM Cost Savings Tracker
• Costs are maintained at/below budgeted levels
• Direct Team to receive a performance review
• Quality and improvement initiatives being implemented
• Reduction in accidents and incidents on a YOY basis
• An improving trend on the submitted weekly KPI's
• Projects delivered on time within budget
• Drive actions from quality benchmarking

Levels of Responsibility

• All site process and equipment.
• Break down interventions, maintenance and improvements
• Production Targets
• Maintenance budget
• Health & Safety
• Team management
• Training and development of the team
• Impeccable hygiene standards always

BEHAVIORS AND CORE VALUES: Must consistently showcase the desired behaviors that represent our Core Values.
We Take Ownership

• Stay committed to responsibilities from start to finish
• Make sound decisions and get into the right level of detail
• Apply resources to initiatives that add growth, improve efficiencies, or reduce waste

We Do What Is Right

• Choose transparency over convenience, even if it means difficult conversations
• Set clear roles and responsibilities, enabling everyone to exercise appropriate initiative and judgment
• Speak up when you see something that does not align to our values and policies

We Seek to Improve

• Strive to continuously improve and innovate to exceed expectations
• Value feedback from others and encourage open dialogue to understand how we can improve
• Learn from both successes and failures

We Are Better Together

• Ensure decisions are based on what's best for the whole business
• Practice inclusion by seeking diverse perspectives
• Treat everyone with fairness and respect

Work Environment:
In this position, the employee will regularly work with and around others; in a wet and/or humid environment; in areas of high noise level; and around mechanical, electrical, and pressurized equipment. The work is fast paced.

• Cold Temperatures: Parts of the facility, such as storage and production areas, may be kept at low temperatures.
• Requires use of cold-protective PPE.
• May involve standing, lifting, and walking in refrigerated zones for extended periods.
• Fast-Paced: Workers often operate under strict timelines to meet production quotas.
• High-speed manufacturing floor with frequent movement, line assignment changes, and tight production timelines.
• Standing for Long Hours: Many roles require prolonged standing and repetitive tasks.
• Repetitive hand and arm movements required.
• Must be able to stand for hours with frequent bending, reaching, and lifting.
• Food Safety Regulations: Employees must follow hygiene and safety guidelines, including wearing protective gear (gloves, hairnets, etc.).
• Team-Oriented: Workers collaborate to ensure smooth production and packaging.

The position involves frequent exposure to nuts and other potential allergens.
The pay scale for this role takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs. At Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their role, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. The pay range for prospective employees in this role is between $68,000 and $80,000 per year, with opportunities for overtime, shift differential, cold premium pay and annual bonuses (variable depending on company performance).
We offer a comprehensive group benefits package including medical, dental, vision, life, paid time off, paid holidays, paid parental leave, 401K plan with employer match and annual contribution available.
Visa sponsorship not available. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States now and in the future. The company does not provide visa sponsorship or any immigration support (including STEM OPT training plan and H-1B lottery registration) for this position.
Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream Inc. provides equal employment opportunities for all applicants, regardless of race, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.
Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.