Operations Manager

Purpose of Job The Manufacturing Manager leads the plant manufacturing function, managing their team, and driving it to deliver world class results in terms of safety, quality, cost, delivery and team morale. Manufacturing Manager Responsibilities Meeting or exceeding the targets set by the Plant Manager and aligned with the business needs, ensuring production requirements and deadlines are achieved with excellent quality and service, safely Creating and implementing a manufacturing improvement plan and new processes to drive the business results forward, working cross‑functionally (Engineering, Warehouse, CI,) Coaching and developing the team to enable them to contribute to their full potential, thereby improving overall plant results To Do This The Manufacturing Manager Will Ensure that the equipment and resources are utilized effectively (manage and optimise labour requirements, maximise production capability) Analyse thoroughly production data, identify losses, root‑cause them with the help of the teams, ensure fix, document it in a standard and train it to the teams Lead and coach root‑cause problem solving Effectively communicate priorities to the teams and escalates issues within their area of ownership Key Activities General Delivering operational targets (Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery, Moral) across the plant Ensure professional behaviour, and high shop‑floor appearance standards at all time Always be aware of what the shop floor results are, what the priority work is, what the future priorities are and how they are to be achieved. Make sure the team is similarly informed Have a strong knowledge of technical aspects of lines, quality, safety, planning, reliability, and schedule adherence systems so that you can lead these activities from a position of authority Be personally proactive (and develop team members to do the same) in looking for and executing improvements, anticipating, and fixing problems before they occur Driving their team development and engagement to enable them to fix any problems themselves without recourse to a manager (self‑sufficient teams) Handle emergencies that might occur (e.g. fire) Manage the performance of the Shift Leaders Form effective working relationships with cross‑functional teams (Engineering, Planning, WH, …) Safety Support team to deliver safety target, role model safety Ensure that self and team follow safety rules, policies, procedures, and work in a safe manner Ensure work environment is kept clean and tidy by the teams at all time Control line pre‑checks have been carried on each line and ensure any issue is addressed Carry engage conversations with colleagues as per targets Ensure safety contacts and any other safety information are shared with the teams Ensure all near misses are reported in a timely manner Ensure near miss investigations are completed within 24h & support root cause analysis / fix Ensure all safety hazards are identified, recorded in defect list, and eliminated Ensure all safety actions are completed in a timely manner Report any safety concern to Plant Manager and Safety Coordinator Quality Ensure good quality of products manufactured – according to specifications and meeting all legal requirements (It is expected that the Manufacturing Manager will be able to make decisions on the quality of work produced in the absence of Quality representatives) Support investigation of QA complaints (Internal / Customer) Ensure QA complaints are answered in a timely manner Ensure the team quality training is up to date Ensure all paperwork is filled in by the teams properly Ensure line clearances are carried as per standard Ensure teams follow reject procedure when required Ensure rejected product is reworked within 90 days Ensure quality actions are implemented quickly to eliminate reoccurrence of quality issues Ensure GMP / Hygiene standards are met in production Support site management team on visits and audits BRC, BSI etc. Report any quality concern to Quality team / Plant Manager Take part in internal audit programme Take part in internal Quality reviews Service Define long‑term run rates based on past performance and improvement plan – input into S&OP Develop long‑term plan (monthly rota) in partnership with planning to ensure optimal use of lines and people Ensure the lines run to schedule Review planning / line priorities daily / weekly with the planner Take part in weekly commitment meeting to align on next 3 weeks production Ensure requests for planned downtime linked to production activities (trials, maintenance, training…) are shared with planning Identify gaps in run rates, change‑over times, cleaning times in schedule, align changes with planning department for realistic production schedules Performance / Costs Define and monitor KPIs for manufacturing Define manufacturing roadmap and ensure delivery (CI, project, etc.) Deliver quality products output at or above run rate targets, safely Escalate major issues to support departments: engineering / CI/ QA / safety teams Ensure all changeovers / line clearance are carried within targeted time Ensure appropriate material supply to the lines, escalated when needed to warehouse Ensure accurate booking of materials and finished products Analyse all lines downtime, root cause, action, and proposed root cause fix Ensure line defects are recorded in defect list to drive continuous improvement and prevent breakdown Be able to explain any gap versus target in all lines KPIs Analyse lines performance data and develop a plan to fix top issues impacting SQDCM Ensure waste is tracked accurately and any gap vs target to be explained and corrective actions to be implemented Identify profit margin enhancing opportunities, develop business benefit scenarios and through effective utilisation of CI processes implement improvement projects Ensure all Cleaning Inspection Lubrication / TPM tasks are carried as per schedule Identify and run continuous improvement projects with the teams to deliver process improvements on waste / efficiencies / bottleneck, to meet future targets agreed with Plant Manager Push for manufacturing standards creation whenever knowledge is gained Organisation Lead the team in our continuous improvement journey Ensure thorough preparation of the morning meeting by the production and engineering team: every loss, every stop, every speed reduction must be analysed in the form of problem – root cause – action and will be solved using SPS tools Deliver manufacturing results and action plan in cross functional morning meeting Analysis of line data (Efficiency, Stops, Quality and Safety) Manage vacation and sickness of Shift Leaders Long term Crewing requirements Conduct disciplinaries where required Work with Process Engineers to produce technical action plans to define and conduct projects Team Development You must fully understand the plant vision and be capable of rolling it down to your teams in a more simplistic way so that every team member is clear on their role and their contribution to the business Communicate effectively any announcement impacting production / results Set objectives for Shift Leaders and support objectives setting to team leaders and equipment owners Develop team training plan and skill matrix to support production results delivery Ensure team are trained to the correct level of skills (identify gaps and ensure training delivery) Ensure team is trained to all Safety / Quality / Operations standards as per requirements Manage team performance and effectiveness Carry monthly 1:2:1 with Shift Leaders Assist Shift Leaders in yearly performance review of Team Leaders Key Measurables Individual success is measured against the following: Manufacturing efficiencies, Schedule Adherence, Cost, Quality, Safety, and Development; targets to be aligned with the Plant Manager Candidate’s Experience Qualifications and Experience Required Production Manager experience with proof of excellent results delivered Minimum of five years of experience in a TPM/technical, manufacturing environment Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or higher Desirable Bachelor in engineer related subject (Mechanical, Electrical, Automation…) Skills And Knowledge Leadership Ownership: drive for results, sense of urgency, ‘can‑do’ and positive attitude Integrity and trust Passion for winning Strong people management skills – including a strong ability to coach mentor and develop managers, operations staff, and Process Engineers Planning / team organisation / direction setting Initiative and action orientated mindset Self‑motivation and ability to motivate people Pro‑active thinker with the ability to problem solve in area of operation Advanced Problem solving (8D, UPS, A3…) Troubleshooting (capability of observing a phenomenon and link cause/effect, basic FI tools – Fishbone, Why‑Why, WPA) Strong Mechanical and Electrical knowledge to mirror that of the process engineers Lean‑Manufacturing tools expertise and coaching Approachable and respected by the team members, able to give and receive feedback High work standards, attention to details Willingness to confront substandard work / behaviour / appearance Managing and measuring teamwork Building effective teams Understanding of the production processes Business acumen, good planning, and project management skills KPIs, targets and objectives setting Experience of creating, managing, and utilising a budget Identification of main cost drivers for further productivity potential Knowledge of QA standards Knowledge of safety requirements / standards Understanding and experience of CI and TPM Basic computer skills to include Excel, Oracle, MyShopFloor, Outlook, Word Ability to communicate effectively to a broad range of people (including senior managers) Can delegate where and when required Personal Attributes Worked in FMCG business (blue chip preferred) Demonstration of continuous development of skills Proven loss elimination track record using problem solving tools We are an equal opportunity employer, and we strictly prohibit and do not tolerate discrimination against employees, applicants or any other covered persons because of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity or expression, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any legally protected characteristic. #J-18808-Ljbffr Sonoco