Lead Paper Mill Operations & People Development

Qualified Professional & Technical; Ashland (VA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Qualified Professional & Technical is seeking an experienced operations leader to direct frontline supervisors and 60+ hourly workers in a paper manufacturing environment. You will drive safety, quality, delivery, and efficiency while mentoring teams to exceed performance targets.

The role emphasizes strong problem-solving, lean practices, and robust people development to sustain continuous improvements and manufacturing excellence.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical/industrial/chemical engineering or related field
• 5-8+ years of progressive experience in paper manufacturing or similar heavy manufacturing
• Strong technical understanding of paper machine operations
• Proven success leading production teams and developing employees
• Demonstrated ability to drive results through problem-solving and continuous improvement
• Exposure to lean manufacturing practices or manufacturing excellence systems
• Strong communication, coaching, and leadership skills with a passion for developing people

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop frontline supervisors (4) and hourly employees (60+) to build capability, accountability and drive operational excellence across the production team
• Lead daily paper machine operations to achieve SQDEP performance targets (Safety, Quality, Delivery, Efficiency, People)
• Drive execution of daily management systems, including structured shift handovers and production reviews
• Use operational metrics and production data to identify improvement opportunities and deliver sustainable results
• Monitor performance, identify losses, and implement corrective actions and continuous improvement initiatives
• Expand leadership impact by coaching supervisors and developing high-performing production teams
• Champion a strong safety culture through visible leadership, audits, risk reduction initiatives, and incident investigations
• Support continuous improvement initiatives that enhance productivity, quality, and employee engagement

Skills

Leadership & coaching

Problem-solving

Continuous improvement

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering

Bachelor's degree in industrial engineering

Job description

Qualified Professional & Technical is seeking an experienced operations leader to direct frontline supervisors and 60+ hourly workers in a paper manufacturing environment. You will drive safety, quality, delivery, and efficiency while mentoring teams to exceed performance targets.

The role emphasizes strong problem-solving, lean practices, and robust people development to sustain continuous improvements and manufacturing excellence.