Director of Mixing & Compounding (Rubber)

The Judge Group; Galesburg (IL); On-site; USD 175,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

The Judge Group is seeking a Director of Mixing & Compounding (Rubber) to lead rubber production across two plants in Galesburg, IL. The role oversees milling and textile operations, with 200 employees and 6–8 direct reports, focusing on safety, quality, delivery, and cost accountability.

Responsibilities include setting operating plans, optimizing changeovers, improving compound quality across EPDM, CR, HNBR, NBR, SBR, and NR, and driving DOE/SPC-driven improvements.

Qualifications

• 8+ years manufacturing experience, including polymer or rubber compounding.
• Experience leading multi-site, multi-shift operations with P&L accountability.
• Strong problem-solving using DOE, SPC, and root-cause analysis.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; willingness to travel ~30%.

Responsibilities

• Provide operational leadership for two rubber plants and ~200 staff.
• Set and manage annual operating, capital plans, budgets, and cost targets.
• Drive safety, quality, delivery, and cost improvements; lead cross-functional teams.
• Standardize processes across sites to ensure consistent compound production.
• Travel ~30% to sites to engage operators and supervisors on the floor.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

DOE / SPC

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Chemistry, or related field

Master's degree/MBA preferred

Tools

Mixing control software

ERP/MES systems

Job description

Director of Mixing & Compounding (Rubber)

The Director of Mixing & Compounding will oversee rubber production including milling & textile operations across two manufacturing plants with 200 total employees, 6-8 Direct Reports (Department Managers), responsible for safety, quality, delivery, and cost accountability, acting as leader for both operations.

Location: Galesburg, IL (Relocation offered for candidates moving).

Compensation: $175,000 - $210,000 base salary + 15% bonus.

Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, STD, LTD, 401k Match 6%, 3 weeks vacation, Tuition Assistance, etc.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership & Plant Management

• Hold full P&L, safety, quality, delivery, and cost accountability for both mixing and cord production sites, acting as the plant manager for each operation.
• Lead, develop, and hold accountable a team of 6-8 managers who in turn lead roughly 200 salaried and hourly employees across multiple shifts.
• Develop and execute annual operating plans, capital plans, and budgets; manage conversion cost, yield, scrap, rework, material variance, and overhead against targets.
• Balance production schedules and capacity across both sites to meet downstream Belt and Hose demand, optimizing changeovers, inventory, and material availability.
• Partner with the VP of Manufacturing, plant managers of downstream operations, supply chain, and commercial teams on demand planning, capacity strategy, and make-versus-buy decisions.
• Spend meaningful time on the floor at each site (approximately 30% travel), maintaining a visible presence on all shifts and engaging directly with operators and supervisors.

Compound Quality, Technology & Process Control

• Own end-to-end compound consistency, using rheology (Mooney, MDR/RPA), physical properties, and downstream processing and molding results as the measures of success.
• Reduce process variation through structured methods such as design of experiments (DOE), statistical process control, capability studies, and root cause analysis.
• Develop, standardize, and improve mixing programs (load order, ram pressure, rotor speed, mix time, dump temperature, energy-based and multi-stage mixing) for new and existing compounds, including EPDM, CR, HNBR, NBR, SBR, and NR systems.
• Oversee textile operations (cord unwinding, coating, and rewinding) and raw material handling, heating, and cooling to ensure consistent adhesion and reinforcement performance in finished belts and hoses.
• Lead cross-functional troubleshooting with chemists, the materials lab, process and manufacturing engineers, and downstream operations, leading investigations through disciplined experimentation.
• Establish a single, controlled system of work instructions, batch cards, and process parameters across both sites so that the same compound is produced the same way regardless of site, shift, or operator.
• Evaluate and recommend mixing equipment, automation, weighing/batching, and tooling options for current and new processes and products.

Mill: raw materials are received and handled, then weighed, mixed, heated, and cooled to produce uniform rubber compound for downstream belt and hose production.

Textiles: cord is carefully unwound, coated, and rewound to specification, giving finished products consistent strength and adhesion.

Safety, Compliance & Culture

• Champion a zero-harm safety culture, including lockout/tagout, machine guarding, mill nip and pinch-point hazards, hot surfaces, combustible dust, and chemical handling.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA, EPA, environmental permitting, SDS requirements, and applicable customer, ISO/IATF, and corporate standards.
• Drive 5S, standardized work, and lean manufacturing practices; treat housekeeping as both a safety and a quality requirement.
• Build a culture of accountability in which following the documented process is the standard and deviations are surfaced openly.

Talent Development & Organizational Capability

• Build a bench of operators, leads, supervisors, and managers through structured training, skills matrices, cross-training, and succession planning.
• Set clear expectations, conduct performance reviews, and partner with HR on coaching, corrective action, recognition, and labor relations.
• Capture experienced operators' tribal knowledge and convert it to documented, teachable standards.
• Attract, hire, and retain top technical and operational talent in a competitive labor market.

Strategy & Continuous Improvement

• Work with the plant leadership and engineering leadership to define annual improvement initiatives, then align cross-functional teams to targets and track results.
• Lead capital projects, technology transfers, and new-process launches from concept through ramp-up.
• Use KPIs, trend charts, and daily management routines to drive visibility, problem solving, and sustained results.
• Contribute to the North American and global compounding strategy, sharing best practices with sister sites and corporate technology teams.

Key Performance Indicators

• Safety: recordable incident rate, near-miss reporting, and audit results
• Compound first-pass quality and out-of-spec rate; rheology capability and variation reduction
• Downstream molding and processing results attributable to compound and cord
• Schedule attainment and on-time delivery to downstream operations
• Scrap, rework, yield, and material and conversion cost versus budget
• Equipment uptime and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE)
• Operator qualification coverage and cross-training depth
• Employee engagement, turnover, and leadership bench strength

Qualifications Seeking

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Chemical, Polymer, Mechanical, Materials, or Industrial), Chemistry, or a related technical field preferred. Experience in lieu of Bachelors will be considered.
• 8+ years of manufacturing experience, including 5–10 years of hands-on polymer or rubber compounding and mixing experience.
• 5+ years of progressive leadership experience managing managers and multi-shift operations, including responsibility for safety, quality, cost, and delivery.
• Strong working knowledge of internal mixers (tangential and intermeshing), two-roll mills, TSE, weigh-up/batching, and compound testing (Mooney, MDR/RPA, specific gravity, dispersion).
• Demonstrated experience reducing process variation using DOE, SPC, and structured problem-solving methods.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional troubleshooting with chemists, lab, engineering, and production teams.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, direct without being abrasive.
• Willingness and ability to travel approximately 30% between sites and to work on the floor in a manufacturing environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Polymer Science, Chemistry, or Engineering, or an MBA.
• Experience in belt, hose, or other engineered rubber product manufacturing, with understanding of rheology and downstream extrusion, calendering, and molding.
• Experience with cord treatment, textile reinforcement, or adhesive systems.
• Experience managing multi-site operations and leading change across sites.
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or Green Belt certification, or equivalent.
• Familiarity with ERP/MES systems, mixing control software, and automation for production and material traceability.
• Experience leading capital projects, new-equipment commissioning, or greenfield/expansion launches.

Core Competencies Seeking

• Technical depth: credible expert in rubber chemistry, rheology, and mixing who can coach engineers and operators alike.
• Leadership: develops managers, builds accountability, and engages a unionized or non-union frontline workforce.
• Systems thinking: standardizes work and builds sustainable processes rather than relying on individual heroics.
• Analytical rigor: makes decisions with data, experimentation, and clear trend visibility.
• Business acumen: manages cost, capital, and capacity with a P&L mindset.
• Learning agility: quickly learns new technologies and applies them to business needs.