Director Animal Production

Are you someone who has a passion for leading, motivating, and maintaining a high standard of business excellence?  While main responsibilities focus on the management of Site Operations, including multiple departments involved in the production of Taconic’s animals, which is a critical responsibility to achieve customers satisfaction, they must facilitate cross functional teamwork and collaboration between all business areas located at the site to be successful. 

The Location: Taconic Biosciences is seeking a Director of Animal Production to lead our dedicated operations team at the Cambridge City, IN site. 

The Pay Range : $120,000 - $150,000 annual salary. Exact compensation may vary based on several factors. These factors include geographic location, experience, training, education, and local market conditions and could exceed the advertised salary range, however, please note that the upper end of the range is not guaranteed to be offered. 

The Schedule: Monday - Friday, core business hours. 

What we offer:

• Insurance within 30 days or less which includes options for medical, dental, vision, pet insurance and more!
• 20 days paid time off plus 6 additional holidays and 1 floating holiday
• Work life balance
• 401(k) plan with up to 4% employer match
• Tuition reimbursement
• Career advancement opportunities
• Commitment to training and providing you with the skills you need for success
• All employees receive access to 24/7 telemedicine (including mental health), short- and long-term disability and life insurance

The Role:
The Director for Animal Production is the highest authority located at the site. They represent the executive leadership team of the company. As a leader you must be able to work with top management and align at a strategic level, while also being able to translate that strategy to meaningful plans and actions for all levels of the team on site.  You must be well versed in Best-In-class Operations and have the ability to drive improvement and development of current practices to higher levels of performance.  

Core Responsibilities:

• Represent top management at the site and guarantee adherence to business commitments, applicable rules and regulations and Taconic’s culture and values.  

• Develop and maintain a positive and engaging working environment for all direct and indirect reports at site.  

• Develop (in alignment with EHS) and implement all safety rules and processes needed to assure team-member’s health and safety. 

• Drive high quality results and customer satisfaction, by ensuring adherence to process specifications and quality standards. 

• Allocate resources to effectively operate production at the site, making sure volume and time commitments are achieved according to plan and customer’s needs. 

• Control expenses and cost according to budget and in alignment to sales level, to achieve the company’s EBITDA commitments. 

• Promote animal welfare in alignment with Quality groups and internal and external regulations. 

• Build integral strategies and procedural understanding with internal partners to achieve KPIs while managing effects of new strategies within operations and accounting. 

• Provide technical expertise, vision, and leadership for the development of all subordinate operations, which will have a significant and substantial impact on the viability and profitability of these departments.  

• Work with stakeholders to develop strategic capacity solutions specific to the product and services offered 

• Lead change management project and continuous improvement initiatives to develop and transform the site to Best-In-Class results in all Operation’s principles (People, safety, quality, Service, Cost & Animal welfare) 

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree (B. A.) from four-year college or university, or technical/managerial experience at an equivalent level. 

• Experience in a wide range of principles and methodology of a specialized professional field. Skill in designing, implementing and coordinating assignments, operations, and/or programs. Experience in making decisions or recommendations significantly developing or changing organizational policies or procedures. Requires supervisory or middle management experience. 8-10 years of relevant experience and/or training including: 

• Working closely to EHS, Quality, Maintenance, Production Planning 

• Good understanding of financial statements and COGS.  

• Tracking of success metrics and project plans. (People turnover, TRIR, Customer Complaints, Quality Non-Conformances, Production Attainment, On time and Complete customer deliveries, COGS, etc) 

• Managing cross functional teams.  

• Building collaborative relationships across functions. 

• Developing, leading, & implementing, projects. 

• Able to see the big picture as well as the details and communicate effectively at all levels of the organization (front line to CEO).  

• Change management. Inspire and lead change with a Servant Leadership style. 
• Six Sigma certification preferred, but not required

Allergen Disclosure:
Due to the nature of the work performed at Taconic, employees may be exposed to allergens in the workplace, even if their positions do not involve the direct handling of animals or animal bedding.  While individuals with preexisting allergies and/or asthma may be particularly sensitive to these exposures, anyone can experience a reaction.

Physical Requirements & Work Environment: 
The work is sedentary. Typically, the employee may sit comfortably to do the work, with some walking; standing; bending; carrying of items such as papers, books, small parts; driving an automobile; etc. No special physical demands are required to perform the work. 

About Us:
With a history of over 70 years of excellence, Taconic Biosciences is a global team of the best problem solvers in the industry.  We partner with our clients to develop winning research strategies that accelerate the discoveries for prevention and treatment of disease.

Taconic employees all over the world show up every day to deliver the best solutions for our clients while caring for ourselves, each other, and especially our animals.  If you are a respectful, compassionate individual with a can-do attitude and a desire to do the right thing, we want you to join us! 

Better Together at Taconic
Awareness, Action, & Respect. Taconic Biosciences is taking an active and intentional role in fostering a company culture that values and appreciates the uniqueness of all individuals, by promoting fairness and equity. Being you is what allows you to bring your best self to work. We are committed to making Taconic a safe and fair workplace for everyone. We are better together.  

Taconic Biosciences is an equal-opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status, and all other categories protected by law.