HR Policy
Why join
With over 10,000 farmers, 9,000 employees and 53 processing sites in France, Sodiaal is France’s leading dairy cooperative (Yoplait, Candia, Entremont, etc.).
Working at Sodiaal means contributing to a supportive collective, united around cooperative values. Our model places sustainability and profitability on equal footing and values everyone’s expertise across all dairy professions.
Our collective’s greatest achievement is our commitment to creating value from our farmers’ milk and shaping the future of our Coop.
The 3 pillars
The coop experience can’t just be told, it’s meant to be lived!
Joining Sodiaal means contributing to and being part of a supportive, passionate collective united around cooperative values. It means fostering sharing and cooperation between farmers and employees. Everyone brings their expertise to a shared goal: creating value from our member farmers’ milk, defending our cooperative model based on 100% French milk, and contributing to value creation for the entire cooperative.
What makes the difference:
- A virtuous model: 100% of distributed profits are paid back to farmers and the Cooperative
- Opportunity to become an employee-shareholder by investing in cooperative shares
- 85% of employees receive training every year
- 43% of our positions are filled through internal mobility
- The Sodiaal cooperative is a disability-inclusive employer
- Farm and plant visits, or participation in the International Agricultural Show
Together and close to you!
We are already part of your daily life. We are over 10,000 farmers and 9,000 employees across 53 production sites in France and 1 site in Canada. Together, we are France’s leading dairy cooperative, committed every day to offering the best of milk and dairy products.
Rooted across 68 departments, our farmers, employees, and sites play an active role in local life and stay closely attuned to consumer expectations.
Shaping tomorrow’s milk!
Committed to delivering the best of milk and its products. With our Grandir Ensemble growth plan, we affirm our collective determination to place sustainability on equal footing with profitability. Our ambition is to combine innovation with the preservation of our expertise to offer dairy products enjoyed by consumers who are increasingly mindful of environmental impact, food quality, and fair compensation for farmers.
We are building a model that meets today’s challenges while preparing for those of tomorrow.
Join a cooperative
The Sodiaal Academy is a space dedicated to training, designed to foster skills development and collective learning within our Cooperative. It is fully aligned with the values that unite us: boldness, high standards, cooperation, and customer & consumer focus.
It designs and rolls out various training paths and modules, enabling every employee to grow individually while contributing to our shared ambition of collective growth. The Academy relies primarily on internal expertise through a community of 300 internal trainers to build a training catalog tailored to the realities and needs of the field. It prioritizes the transfer of business know-how and ensures compliance with educational standards to guarantee a high level of quality across all training programs. The Academy also supports the development of our managers and leaders through a dedicated program designed to guide them at every stage of their managerial journey.
The Sodiaal Academy fully embodies the strength of our collective.
It is a place where everyone can grow and develop, share their knowledge and expertise to drive collective performance, and help bring to life our unique culture of supportive cooperation.
Since 2020, our cooperative’s share capital has been open to employees.
Our ambition is to give employees a lasting stake in our cooperative’s development. By subscribing to cooperative shares, employees take an active part in the life and governance of the cooperative, strengthening a community that brings together both farmers and employees.
Giving everyone
We firmly believe in the professional fulfillment of all our employees. Every talent is unique, and we are committed to supporting your career development, whether by exploring roles you are passionate about within our cooperative or by taking on new responsibilities.
Your career path is in your hands! We offer a range of resources to support your internal mobility.
Career development conversations
Tailored training and support
Annual Potential Mapping
Developing your leadership
At our Sodiaal cooperative, every stage of your career is an opportunity to shape your own path.
Together, we make professional development a driving force behind our cooperation and a major asset for the future of our company!
In our co-op
Valuing our employees, regardless of their gender, background, age, or disability, is a daily commitment. At Sodiaal, we firmly believe that diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives is a genuine asset. Our ambition is to foster a community where everyone can find their place, fulfill their potential, contribute fully to the cooperative’s success, and build a lasting career.
As part of our So’Mix policy aimed at advancing workplace equality, we developed the “Lait talentueuses” program to support the career progression of female talent. By the end of 2024, 90 women had participated in this program.
“We are convinced that gender balance is a key driver of performance. Through our So’Mix policy, we are stepping up initiatives to boost female engagement: a dedicated training program, ‘Lait Talentueuses’, and recently, a female mentoring program.”
We actively support the inclusion of people with disabilities and aim to maintain an employment rate above 6%.
Our new Disability Inclusion and Job Retention agreement, signed on November 17, 2025, and applicable to all Sodiaal Group companies for a four-year period, relies on a network of disability officers and contacts to deliver support through:
- Time: Dedicated hours for administrative procedures (such as RQTH and BOETH disability status applications)
- Financial support: Enhanced CESU vouchers, maintained benefit coverage
- Long-term solutions: Part-time work options for disabled employees, dedicated leave
For the fourth consecutive year, our cooperative took part in this initiative, welcoming people with disabilities to our industrial sites and headquarters to spend a day paired with a volunteer employee.
6%
employment rate for people with disabilities in 2025.
Internships & Work-study:
You've come to the right place!
The Sodiaal cooperative has been HappyIndex®Trainees accredited since 2022, a source of great pride for us! This accreditation evaluates and recognizes the quality of the work experience provided to interns and work-study students. It rewards the commitment of our teams, who support trainees throughout their journey by offering them varied and empowering assignments.
For us, it is not just about training future professionals, but also inspiring them to join our cooperative for the long term. So, why not you?
Our job openings
Our cooperative model promotes collective action and value sharing.
If this resonates with you, join us! Find your ideal role among our job, internship, and work-study opportunities.
Benoit, cheese ripener and grader.
We answer
Of course! The Sodiaal cooperative offers several certification programs to meet the needs and challenges of our operational sites and business functions, allowing our employees to grow. These include:
– Dairy Processing CQPs (Vocational Qualifications): Machine Operator, Line Operator, Automated System Operator, Milk Collection Driver, Dairy Operational Supervisor, etc.
– Maintenance CQPs: Industrial Maintenance Agent (CQP AMI) and Industrial Maintenance Technician (CQP TMI).
– The “Trajectoire” Program: A University Diploma from the University of Lorraine in “Dairy Industrial Site Management”.
– Green Belt / Black Belt certifications: Six Sigma certification in Lean Management.
Since 2025, Sodiaal has offered two tracks for recent graduates: an Operations Graduate Program (manufacturing, supply chain, QHSE, etc.) and a Top Line Graduate Program (sales, marketing).
Each graduate is hired on a permanent contract (CDI) and follows a 24-month program featuring three 8-month rotations across our various sites and business areas to build a comprehensive, cross-functional perspective. They discover our range of roles and develop their skills to become future experts and managers fully invested in our collective drive.
Yes! Sodiaal is a cooperative made up of various companies and sites, but we form one single group. All our positions are open to internal mobility, and there are as many career paths as there are employees at Sodiaal!
The Sodiaal cooperative makes internal mobility a top priority. If a career advancement involves relocating, we support you through dedicated mobility programs.