Material Operations Leader, Logistics

Irving Tissue; Macon (GA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance

401K with 5% company match

Health & Wellness Reimbursement

Employee & Family Assistance Program

Product Purchase Program

Opportunities to take part in job rel.

Relocation costs (if applicable)

This position is 100% onsite. Remote 0

Job summary

Irving Tissue in Macon, GA is seeking a Materials Operations Leader to oversee automated material handling, inventory control, and LGV/AGV systems. You will lead Shift Leaders and Techs across multiple shifts to meet safety, quality and productivity targets.

You will liaise with Planning, Transportation, Warehouse and Manufacturing to ensure uninterrupted material flow, drive Lean initiatives, develop staff, and optimize WMS and automation performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Management or Logistics and/or 5 years of relevant experience.
• Experience with automated material handling systems and warehouse operations.
• Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement experience.
• Leadership of multi-shift operations and staff development.

Responsibilities

• Lead safety culture, conduct audits, and ensure compliance with policies.
• Oversee inventory accuracy, material flow, and KPI monitoring.
• Develop staffing, labor utilization, and training plans.
• Coordinate with Planning and Transportation for inbound/outbound.
• Provide operational ownership for automated material handling systems.
• Lead Lean improvements and problem-solving using PDCA and 5S.

Skills

Automated Material Handling Systems

Leadership of multi-shift operations

Lean Manufacturing & Continuous Impro,

Inventory control & material flow

LGV/AGV system experience

Safety & incident investigations

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Management or Logistics

Tools

Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)

Job description

What we offer

Irving Tissue is proud to offer a competitive salary and benefits package, including but not limited to:

• Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance effective 1 st of the month following start date
• 401K with 5% company match eligible on the 1 st of the month 30 days following your start date
• Health & Wellness Reimbursement
• Employee & Family Assistance Program
• Product Purchase Program
• Opportunities to take part in job related training and development
• Growth and progression opportunities within Irving Tissue and the larger network of the J.D. Irving group of companies
• Relocation costs (if applicable)
• This position is 100% onsite. Remote work is not available for this position.

Job Description

What we offer

Irving Tissue is proud to offer a competitive salary and benefits package, including but not limited to:

• Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance effective 1 st of the month following start date
• 401K with 5% company match eligible on the 1 st of the month 30 days following your start date
• Health & Wellness Reimbursement
• Employee & Family Assistance Program
• Product Purchase Program
• Opportunities to take part in job related training and development
• Growth and progression opportunities within Irving Tissue and the larger network of the J.D. Irving group of companies
• Relocation costs (if applicable)
• This position is 100% onsite. Remote work is not available for this position.

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Logistics Manager, the Materials Operations Leader is responsible for the safe, efficient, and reliable operation of automated material handling systems supporting pallet handling, raw material handling, inventory control, parent roll logistics, automated storage, and LGV transportation systems.

This position provides leadership to Shift Leaders, Move-Up Shift Leaders, and Material Handling Technicians across multiple shifts while ensuring performance targets are achieved in safety, quality, inventory accuracy, productivity, equipment reliability, and customer service.

The Materials Operations Leader serves as the primary liaison between Operations, Maintenance, Planning, Transportation, Warehouse, Quality, and Manufacturing teams to ensure uninterrupted material flow and optimum system performance.

• Foster a zero-incident safety culture, ensuring compliance with all company safety policies and procedures. Conducting safety audits and workplace inspections. Leads incident investigations and corrective actions. Ensure safe interactions between employees, forklifts, LGVs, conveyors, and automated equipment. Verify employee certifications and training compliance.
• Manage operations supporting empty pallet handling systems, raw material receiving and induction, parent roll handling, and LGVs. Ensure uninterrupted material flow to manufacturing. Monitor operational KPIs and service performance. Develop staffing and labor utilization plans
• Lead and develop Shift Leaders and Move-Up Shift Leaders. Conduct coaching, development, and performance discussions. Create training and succession plans. Support hiring, onboarding, and retention efforts. Promote employee engagement and continuous improvement participation. Build technical and leadership capabilities across the team.
• Provide operational ownership for automated material handling systems. Ensure effective utilization of WMS platforms, PLC-controlled equipment, HMI interfaces, Vision systems, Barcode scanning systems, Weight and profile systems, Smile80 platform, and LGV fleet management systems. Support troubleshooting activities and reduce automation-related downtime.
• Maintain inventory accuracy, material traceability and quality management for inbound materials. Ensure transactional compliance and barcode scanning accuracy. Lead inventory investigations and corrective action implementation. Support cycle count and physical inventory processes. Oversee inbound material inspections. Maintain pallet quality standards. Ensure accurate documentation and inspection records.
• Lead Lean and Continuous Improvement initiatives. Analyze operational trends and performance data. Improve labor productivity and system utilization. Develop standard work and visual management systems. Lead problem-solving using Lean Manufacturing, 5S, Kaizen, PDCA, Root Cause Analysis and Standard Work methodologies.
• Coordinate with Planning regarding material availability. Partner with Transportation on inbound and outbound delivery execution. Manage expedited material requirements. Support production replenishment activities. Coordinate recycling and return shipments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Management or Logistics and/or relevant work experience of 5 years required.
• Automated Material Handling Systems experience.
• Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) experience.
• Inventory control and material flow management experience.
• Leadership of multi-shift operations.
• Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement experience.
• Equipment reliability and maintenance coordination experience.
• LGV/AGV system experience preferred.
• Consumer Goods manufacturing or logistics experience preferred.

About Us

Founded in 1882, J.D. Irving, Limited (JDI) operates in Eastern Canada (New-Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Québec, Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador), as well as in USA. We are a team of 20,000 dedicated employees. At J.D. Irving, Limited, you are part of a dynamic team of professionals who lead with integrity and are passionate about delivering results. With a culture that nurtures talent and creates an inclusive workplace, you can grow your career across our various operating divisions.

We are committed to creating accessible environments for our colleagues, candidates, and customers. Requests for accommodation due to a disability (which may be visible or invisible, temporary, or permanent) can be made at any stage of application and employment. We encourage candidates to make their accommodation needs known so that we can provide equitable opportunities.

Worried you do not meet all the requirements? Studies have shown that many applicants apply only to job opportunities when they feel they meet 100% of the criteria. We promote an inclusive environment where everyone is appreciated, recognized, and empowered to contribute fully. If you are interested in this position but are worried you did not meet all the requirements, we would encourage you to still apply.

Our recruitment advisors and hiring teams will utilize human screening combined with AI technology to help identify the skills and qualities that matter most to our business, while safeguarding your privacy and using AI responsibly.

We appreciate your interest in our company however only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

About The Team

At Irving Tissue, we know the key to success is our people.

We are a leading manufacturer of premium quality tissue products - including national brands Royale® in Canada and Scotties® in the US - and private label.

We pride ourselves in our commitment to providing the best quality products and exceptional service to our consumers and customers.

Our parent company - J.D. Irving, Limited, is a responsible steward of the forests. J.D. Irving has planted more than 1 billion trees since 1957, and the Irving Forest Supply Chain, which includes Irving Tissue, was declared carbon neutral for the first time in 2020 and each full year since.