Strategy Associate Jobs in Wisconsin (NOW HIRING)

Why Grande?

With more than 80 years of crafting “The Finest Italian Cheeses That Money Can Buy”, Grande is a leader in the industry! Whether partnering with independent pizzerias from coast-to-coast to ensure they’re delivering the very best pizza to their customers or assisting our food manufacturing partners in delivering specialty whey ingredient solutions, our commitment to quality can’t be matched. While Grande’s reputation of excellence in the market is important, we believe our commitment to our workplace and community culture is of equal merit – our Associates come first at Grande. To complement our industry-leading benefits, Grande puts an emphasis on your career growth opportunities, while always promoting a positive work/life balance and supporting the communities in which we live and work. If you want to learn more about our company – what we do and how we go about it – or learn more about our beautiful, state-of-the-art corporate headquarters, visit www.grande.com. 

Did we convince you yet? If not check out our unique benefits:

• Free onsite clinics.
• Free onsite fitness center.
• Free healthy snacks throughout facility.
• Health and wellness reimbursement program.
• Associate cheese purchasing program.
• Two-year mentorship program.
• State of the art corporate building: https://www.grande.com/careers/#office
• Hybrid work offering.

Why Fond du Lac?

In Fond du Lac (FDL) you get the full four-season experience – warm in the summer with highs reaching into the 80s and plenty of sunshine for golf, biking, camping and live music under the open sky, and brisk air in the winter with average temps in the 20s and ample snow for snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, ice fishing and winter festivals. The greater FDL area (population 43,000) is easy to get around and roughly an hour drive to almost all major metros in the state (Milwaukee, Madison and Fox Cities/Green Bay). We’ve been rated “Top 100” in job growth among small U.S. metro areas. Additionally, our cost of living is 4% below the national average and you’ll pay 21% less for housing, rent and property taxes compared to the rest of the country. From wonderful educational partners (public and private K12 schools and three local colleges/universities), a plethora of things to do/see, and a vibrant business and commerce community…learn more about how you can call Fond du Lac, HOME!

Job Summary

Grande Fond du Lac is seeking a strategic and execution-focused Senior Manufacturing Network Strategy Manager to drive our long-term Manufacturing Network Strategy, ensuring optimal performance across quality, capacity, and productivity. In this role, you will operate with a strong project management mindset, bringing clarity to complex initiatives, organizing cross-functional teams, and aligning stakeholders to deliver against critical milestones. You will lead end-to-end program execution, from developing and evaluating long-range capacity plans to presenting data-driven recommendations to senior leadership. Success in this role requires the ability to pull diverse teams together, foster collaboration, and hold partners accountable to deliverables that support Enterprise-wide objectives.

This position is ideal for a naturally curious and proactive problem-solver who thrives on continuous improvement and challenging the status quo. You will weigh competing priorities such as cost, quality, and demand, using analytics and financial insights to drive smarter decisions and uncover opportunities across the network. By building strong relationships and maintaining a relentless focus on optimization, you will identify efficiencies, lead innovation in production and automation strategies, and ensure the network evolves to meet future business needs. Your leadership will be defined by your ability to inspire ownership, drive accountability, and continuously learn and improve in pursuit of best-in-class supply chain performance.

What you need to be considered for the role:

• Bachelors Degree in Business, Continuous Improvement, Engineering, Finance, Operations, Supply Chain or other related field required.
• Minimum of eight (8) years of previous experience in a manufacturing, strategy development and execution, or project management roles.
• At least five (5) years of experience with complex analysis, options development, options evaluation, and solution recommendations to Senior Leadership
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in Lean, Six Sigma or other continuous improvement disciplines.
• Proven ability to manage multiple tasks and flexibility to adjust priorities.
• Proven ability to innovate and take risks to achieve results.

• Proven ability to motivate others and impact change.

• Strong project management skills, including scope definition, timeline development, milestone tracking, risk management, and cross-functional coordination.

• Ability to lead multiple projects and workstreams simultaneously while maintaining alignment to strategic priorities

• Proven ability to communicate and gain alignment at Senior Leadership level

Preferred:

• Dairy or consumer product manufacturing experience a plus.
• Six Sigma Black Belt certification a plus.
• Masters degree a plus.
• Other relevant certifications a plus.