Pizza Cheese Plant Manager / Cheese Production Specialist

Company: Milko / Mia Sahib Farm

Location: Kandahar, Afghanistan

Department: Dairy & Cheese Production

Employment Type: Full-Time

Position Level: Senior / Manager

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Mia Sahib Farm, operating under the brand Milko, is a leading dairy processing company based in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Established in 2007, Milko is committed to producing high-quality products made from 100% fresh cows milk, ensuring health, quality, and trust for Afghan consumers.

With 75 milk collection centers and collection points across Kandahar, Helmand, and Uruzgan provinces, Milko collects more than 60,000 kg of fresh cow’s milk daily directly from local farmers in villages and remote districts.

The Milko Group of Companies proudly supports Afghanistan’s agriculture, industry, and livestock sectors. It has helped create employment opportunities for thousands of families and livestock farmers, contributing to the growth and development of Afghanistan’s economy.

All Milko products are made from pure, fresh cow’s milk, and our facilities are certified under ISO, HACCP, HALAL, and GMP standards, ensuring high standards of quality, safety, and hygiene.

POSITION SUMMARY

We are looking for an experienced Pizza Cheese Plant Manager / Cheese Production Specialist to lead our pizza cheese production operation and take responsibility for product formulation, production, quality control, process optimization and overall plant performance.

The successful candidate will be responsible for managing the complete pizza cheese production process, from raw-material selection and formulation to processing, packing, storage, quality control, and finished-product performance.

The candidate must have strong hands-on industrial experience in Mozzarella, Pizza Cheese, or similar cheese production, with a proven ability to develop and optimize formulations and consistently produce high-quality cheese with the required melting, stretching, browning, shredding, texture, and flavor characteristics.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. FORMULATION & PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

- Develop, optimize, and standardize pizza cheese and mozzarella formulations.
- Select and optimize raw materials, including milk, milk powder, milk proteins, fat, cultures, enzymes, salt, stabilizers, emulsifying salts, and other ingredients as applicable.
- Conduct product trials and improve existing formulations based on quality, cost, yield, and customer requirements.
- Establish and maintain standardized recipes and formulation specifications.
- Optimize the balance between product quality, production yield, and manufacturing cost.

2. PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT





- Manage and supervise daily pizza cheese production activities.
- Prepare production plans according to demand and plant capacity.
- Establish and monitor critical processing parameters, including temperature, pH, moisture, fat/protein ratio, cooking, mixing, stretching, cooling, and other relevant parameters.
- Ensure consistent batch-to-batch product quality.
- Monitor production yield, efficiency, raw-material consumption, and production losses.
- Ensure proper operation and cleaning of production equipment and CIP systems.

3. PRODUCT QUALITY & PERFORMANCE

Ensure the finished product meets required specifications for:

- Stretchability
- Melting performance
- Browning
- Oil/fat release
- Shredding performance
- Texture and firmness
- Moisture
- Salt level
- Flavor and appearance
- Shelf life and microbiological safety

- Conduct regular product evaluations and implement corrective actions when specifications are not achieved.

4. TROUBLESHOOTING

- Identify the root causes of production and product-quality problems and implement effective corrective actions.
- Troubleshoot issues such as:

• Poor stretching

• Poor melting

• Excessive oil separation

• Uneven browning

• Rubber-like or excessively soft texture

• Inconsistent moisture

• Poor shredding performance

• Batch-to-batch variation

• Low production yield

• Shelf-life problems

5. PLANT & TEAM MANAGEMENT

- Lead and supervise production personnel.
- Train operators and production staff in cheese-making procedures and food-safety practices.
- Develop and implement SOPs and production standards.
- Coordinate with QA/QC, maintenance, procurement, warehouse, and management teams.
- Monitor plant productivity and ensure effective use of manpower, materials, utilities, and equipment.
- Maintain production reports, batch records, formulation records, and other required documentation.

6. FOOD SAFETY & COMPLIANCE

- Ensure production complies with GMP, HACCP, food-safety, hygiene, and sanitation requirements.
- Work closely with the Quality Control/Quality Assurance team.
- Establish appropriate process controls and quality checkpoints.
- Ensure proper handling, storage, and traceability of raw materials and finished products.

7. COST & PROCESS OPTIMIZATION

- Monitor production costs and material consumption.




- Improve production yield and reduce wastage.
- Optimize formulations and processing conditions to achieve the best balance between quality and cost.
- Identify opportunities to improve plant efficiency and reduce operational losses.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

- Bachelor's degree or higher in Dairy Technology, Food Technology, Food Science, Dairy Science, or a related field.
- Minimum 15–20 years of relevant industrial experience, preferably in cheese production.
- Strong hands-on experience in Mozzarella, Pizza Cheese, or similar cheese manufacturing.
- Proven experience in cheese formulation and product development.
- Experience managing a cheese/dairy production plant or production department.
- Strong knowledge of dairy chemistry, cheese-making processes, food safety, and quality control.
- Practical experience in production troubleshooting and process optimization.
- Good understanding of production costing, yield calculation, and raw-material optimization.
- Robust leadership and team-management skills.
- Good English communication and reporting skills.

HIGHLY PREFERRED EXPERIENCE

- Industrial Mozzarella/Pizza Cheese production
- Pasta-filata cheese manufacturing
- Pizza cheese formulation
- Processed/analogue cheese formulation
- Cheese shredding and packaging
- Cheese melting and stretch optimization
- Industrial dairy plant commissioning or start-up
- New product development
- Production line installation and commissioning
- Experience working with international dairy/cheese manufacturers

IMPORTANT REQUIREMENT

Candidates with only general dairy production experience but without practical industrial cheese-making and formulation experience are not preferred.

The ideal candidate should be able to independently manage the pizza cheese production process, develop and adjust formulations, identify production problems, conduct trials, train production staff, and achieve consistent commercial-scale product quality.

WHAT WE OFFER

- Senior management-level position in a growing dairy and food-processing company.
- Opportunity to lead and develop an industrial pizza cheese production operation.
- Competitive salary based on qualifications and experience.
- Accommodation and other benefits may be provided for qualified international candidates.
- Opportunity for long-term professional growth with the company.

Candidates with relevant experience in Mozzarella/Pizza Cheese production and formulation are strongly encouraged to apply.

CONTACT

Email: [email protected]

Phone / WhatsApp: +93 700 942 899

Website: www.milko.af

Please mention "Pizza Cheese Plant Manager / Cheese Production Specialist" in the subject line of your email.

📌 Pizza Cheese Plant Manager / Cheese Production Specialist (Kandhar)
🏢 Milko
📍 Kandhar