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What does a Dairy Manager do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
What does a Dairy Manager do

A dairy manager usually works at grocery establishments where they are primarily in charge of managing the dairy and frozen products department. They monitor shelves to ensure all products are of good quality, remove expired items, monitor inventories, and re-stock supplies as necessary. They are also responsible for managing staff operations, delegating responsibilities, assisting staff, and solving issues and concerns to maintain a smooth workflow. Moreover, a dairy manager participates in loading and unloading stocks, maintaining the cleanliness of the facility, and engaging with customers.

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Dairy manager responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real dairy manager resumes:

  • Manage departments including: frozen, dairy, grocery, bulk, beer and wine.
  • Manage budgets and payroll records, review financial transactions to assure expenditures are authorize and budget.
  • Order the beer and wine for the store.
  • Order and stock the produce and dairy departments while bagging and carrying out groceries.
  • Stock products and maintain department cleanliness.
  • Ensure cleanliness and sanitation of entire department daily.
  • Facilitate safety training meetings and exercises using Microsoft PowerPoint to help employees understand the potential safety hazards in their work environment.
  • Lead person responsible for price changes and communicating with POS coordinator.
  • Assist POS clerk in weekly and daily printing of ad signs, updating pricing, and executing large-scale shelf resets.
  • Participate in Kroger's community service program.

Dairy manager skills and personality traits

We calculated that 11% of Dairy Managers are proficient in Food Safety, Customer Service, and Pallet Jack. They’re also known for soft skills such as Business skills, Customer-service skills, and Detail oriented.

We break down the percentage of Dairy Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Food Safety, 11%

    Monitored refrigeration equipment to ensure food safety guidelines were met.

  • Customer Service, 9%

    Set department standards for customer service, employee relations, cleanliness, sanitation, professional appearance and overall profitability.

  • Pallet Jack, 8%

    Handled heavy machinery such as Pallet Jacks, and Balers to assist with movement of inventory.

  • Cleanliness, 7%

    Ensured cleanliness and sanitation of entire department daily.

  • Sales Floor, 7%

    Organize back stock freezer for proper access to items that are low or out on the sales floor.

  • Product Knowledge, 6%

    Continue to increase product knowledge.

"food safety," "customer service," and "pallet jack" are among the most common skills that dairy managers use at work. You can find even more dairy manager responsibilities below, including:

Business skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a dairy manager to have is business skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "food service managers must understand all aspects of the restaurant business, including how to budget for supplies, comply with regulations, and manage workers." Dairy managers often use business skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "inventory control, and shipping and receiving of merchandise leading to repeat business and a loyal customer base. "

Customer-service skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling dairy manager duties is customer-service skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "food service managers must be courteous and attentive when dealing with patrons." According to a dairy manager resume, here's how dairy managers can utilize customer-service skills in their job responsibilities: "maintained optimum stock levels for all products *interacted and serviced customer needs *responsible for upholding standards of cleanliness"

Organizational skills. For certain dairy manager responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "organizational skills." The day-to-day duties of a dairy manager rely on this skill, as "managers have many different responsibilities, including scheduling and overseeing staff, budgeting, and maintaining financial records." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what dairy managers do: "developed high level organizational and inventorying skills through loss prevention tracking. "

Physical stamina. A commonly-found skill in dairy manager job descriptions, "physical stamina" is essential to what dairy managers do. Dairy manager responsibilities rely on this skill because "managers often work long shifts and sometimes spend entire evenings actively helping to serve customers." You can also see how dairy manager duties rely on physical stamina in this resume example: "delivered great customer service in a challenging and physical business. "

Communication skills. While "communication skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to dairy manager responsibilities. Much of what a dairy manager does relies on this skill, seeing as "food service managers must give clear orders to staff and be able to convey information effectively to employees and customers." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of dairy managers: "stocked, cleaned, unloaded freight, customer service, vendor communication in high volume grocery store. "

See the full list of dairy manager skills

The three companies that hire the most dairy managers are:

Compare different dairy managers

Dairy manager vs. Assistant manager/shift manager

An assistant manager/shift manager assists managers in maintaining an establishment's smooth workflow. Although the extent of their responsibilities depends on their company or industry of employment, it usually includes participating in setting goals and guidelines, establishing budgets and schedules, delegating tasks among staff, and monitoring operations, solving issues should there be any. They also perform administrative support tasks such as coordinating with internal and external parties, preparing and processing documents, handling calls and correspondence, organizing files, and implementing policies and regulations. In the absence of the manager, an assistant manager assumes their responsibilities to maintain efficient operations.

We looked at the average dairy manager salary and compared it with the wages of an assistant manager/shift manager. Generally speaking, assistant manager/shift managers are paid $5,355 higher than dairy managers per year.Even though dairy managers and assistant manager/shift managers are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require food safety, customer service, and cleanliness in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a dairy manager are more likely to require skills like "pallet jack," "product knowledge," "good communication," and "basic math." On the other hand, a job as an assistant manager/shift manager requires skills like "employee engagement," "guest service," "food service," and "excellent guest." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

On average, assistant manager/shift managers reach similar levels of education than dairy managers. Assistant manager/shift managers are 1.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Dairy manager vs. Food and beverage manager

A food and beverage manager is an individual responsible for ensuring that quality food and drinks are being served at a restaurant or hotel. Food and beverage managers are required to be excellent with customers and should have great management skills to meet the organization's labor and financial goals. They create food and drink menus and guarantee customers that they comply with their food and safety regulations. They are also required to negotiate with suppliers to arrange the delivery of food and beverage products.

A career as a food and beverage manager brings a higher average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a dairy manager. In fact, food and beverage managers salary is $20,596 higher than the salary of dairy managers per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Dairy managers and food and beverage managers both require similar skills like "customer service," "cleanliness," and "customer complaints" to carry out their responsibilities.

Each career also uses different skills, according to real dairy manager resumes. While dairy manager responsibilities can utilize skills like "food safety," "pallet jack," "sales floor," and "product knowledge," food and beverage managers use skills like "wine," "pos," "guest satisfaction," and "food service."

Food and beverage managers may earn a higher salary than dairy managers, but food and beverage managers earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $56,929. On the other hand, dairy managers receive higher pay in the retail industry, where they earn an average salary of $34,329.In general, food and beverage managers achieve similar levels of education than dairy managers. They're 1.8% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Dairy manager vs. Assistant restaurant manager

An assistant restaurant manager's role is to perform managerial support tasks and oversee restaurant operations, ensuring efficiency in workflow and customer satisfaction. Their responsibilities revolve around maintaining records of all invoices and contracts, delegating tasks, monitoring the inventory of supplies, liaising with suppliers and vendors, and addressing issues and concerns. There are also instances when one must attend to customers' needs, prepare schedules, perform regular workforce inspection, and report to the manager. Furthermore, it is essential to implement all the company's health regulations and policies, all to maintain a safe and healthy environment for everyone.

On average, assistant restaurant managers earn higher salaries than dairy managers, with a $13,203 difference per year.dairy managers and assistant restaurant managers both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "food safety," "customer service," and "cleanliness," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from dairy manager resumes include skills like "pallet jack," "sales floor," "product knowledge," and "good communication," whereas an assistant restaurant manager is more likely to list skills in "food service," "product quality," "restaurant operations," and "guest service. "

Assistant restaurant managers earn the best pay in the hospitality industry, where they command an average salary of $43,632. Dairy managers earn the highest pay from the retail industry, with an average salary of $34,329.Most assistant restaurant managers achieve a similar degree level compared to dairy managers. For example, they're 2.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Dairy manager vs. Assistant produce manager

An Assistant Produce Manager performs a variety of support tasks to ensure efficient workflow and client satisfaction. They usually participate in setting objectives and employee schedules, monitoring the inventory of supplies, stocking and organizing shelves, coordinating with suppliers and delivery personnel, handling calls and correspondence, training new members of the workforce, and assisting customers in their shopping needs. An Assistant Produce Manager leads and encourages staff to reach sales targets, all while implementing the store's policies and regulations.

Assistant produce managers average a higher salary than the annual salary of dairy managers. The difference is about $2,153 per year.According to resumes from dairy managers and assistant produce managers, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "food safety," "customer service," and "pallet jack. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A dairy manager uses "good communication," "basic math," "dairy," and "stock product." Assistant produce managers are more likely to have duties that require skills in "osha," "store management," "product selection," and "cross-selling. "The average resume of assistant produce managers showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to dairy managers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 0.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.0%.

Types of dairy manager

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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