Mill Operations Manager

Smurfit Westrock; Longview (WA); On-site; USD 197,000 - 328,000; Full time

Job summary

Smurfit Westrock is seeking an Operations Manager for the Longview, WA facility. You will lead safety, reliability, cost, quality, productivity, and employee engagement in a goal-driven environment, reporting to the General Manager.

You will drive production performance, develop leaders, manage budgets and forecasts, and champion continuous improvement across the mill while ensuring environmental and customer specifications are met. Strong engineering background preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field.
• Minimum 10 years of pulp and paper manufacturing leadership experience.
• Strong communication, urgency, and attention to detail.
• Experience directing continuous improvement with emphasis on safety, environment, quality, production, and cost.
• Excellent interpersonal, oral and written communications.
• Proficient with MS Office, MS Project and manufacturing systems.

Responsibilities

• Provide safety leadership and drive toward a 100% safe work environment.
• Manage production performance and cost control.
• Foster teamwork and develop operations staff and leaders.
• Plan and control production, budgets, and forecasts.
• Troubleshoot quality and operational issues; implement preventive systems.
• Ensure compliance with SOPs and customer specifications.
• Lead continuous improvement and improve mill cost position.
• Develop and mentor leaders through training and feedback.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Safety Mindset

Problem Solving

Planning

Interpersonal skills

Decision Making

Initiative

Change Management

Influence

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

MS Office

MS Project

JD Edwards

Panther

Job description

Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW) is the go-to leader and partner of choice in sustainable packaging. We are dedicated to creating efficient and scalable paper and packaging solutions to help solve complex packaging challenges. Guided by our values of safety, loyalty, integrity and respect, we are committed to delivering meaningful value for shareholders, customers, employees and the communities where we operate.

The opportunity:

The Operations Manager is responsible for managing the safety, reliability, cost, quality, productivity, and employee engagement in a goal-oriented environment. The position is responsible for the operations of Longview and reports to the General Manager.

How you will impact WestRock:

• Provide leadership to mill personnel to ensure overall safe operations by driving toward a 100% safe work environment by leading safety culture, systems, and processes.
• Facilitating an environment where safety is our priority .
• Effectively manage production performance
• Effectively create an environment of teamwork
• Planning and controlling production performance
• Troubleshooting quality and operational issues and developing systems and structures to avoid reoccurrences
• Establish high level of performance by setting key departmental goals and objectives
• Monitoring compliance with standard operating proceduresEnsuring quality systems are supported, in place, and comply with required customer specifications
• Identifying long term departmental improvement opportunities
• Ensure environmental compliance with federal, state, and local statutes, and Smurfit Westrock environmental standards
• Operate in a manner that meets customer expectations
• Support Continuous Improvement activities and champion the overall improvement of the mill’s cost position
• Supports the development of operational forecasts and budgets to improve mill profitability
• Drives systematic improvement in mill operations and other mill processes like communications, safety, quality, employee engagement
• Develop leaders through training, stretch assignments, feedback, the performance management process, etc.
• Build positive relations with employees and union leaders based on the Smurfit Westrock values of Safety, loyalty, integrity, and respect.

What you need:

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline is highly preferred
• Minimum 10 years of experience in Pulp and Paper manufacturing leadership rolespreferred
• Strong leader with demonstrated communication skills and a high sense of urgency and attention to detail
• Ability to direct continuous improvement in all areas, but with special emphasis on safety, environmental, quality, production, and cost
• Must possess excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to interface with employees at all levels of the organization
• Must have excellent oral and written communications skills
• Excellent problem-solving skills
• Excellent planning, organizational, time management and prioritization skills
• Proficient computer skills (MS Office, MS Project, JD Edwards, Panther, etc.)
• Safety – Exhibits strong competencies in Safety Mindset and has a thorough understanding of safety policies and procedures.
• Ability to Execute – Targets and achieves results, sets and accomplishes challenging goals, prioritizes and manages tasks effectively, maintains an organized system to monitor progress, overcomes obstacles, accepts accountability, sets standards and responsibilities.
• Champion of & Adaptor to Change – Drives for continuous improvement while managing expectations and results. Able to quickly adapt to changing circumstances and accelerate the change within themselves, their work group, or the organization; challenges the status quo and creatively identifies opportunities for improvement. Demonstrates a constant commitment to do things better.
• Customer Focused – Understands and works to meet customer requirements. Listens to and responds to customer’s needs; builds relationships with and gains trust of customer by always meeting commitments.
• Decision Making/Judgment – Recognizes problems and responds by systematically gathering information and weighing options. Able to sort through complex issues, seeks input from others and addresses root cause of issues. Make timely and accurate decisions. Use consensus when possible and clearly communicate decisions to others.
• Initiative – Tackles problems and takes independent action. Seeks out new responsibilities, acts on opportunities, generates new ideas, practices self-development, and demonstrates a bias for action without being prompted.
• Problem Solving/Analysis – Breaks down problems into smaller components, understands underlying issues. Can simplify and process complex issues and information, understand the difference between critical details and unimportant facts, can analyze data/information and draw accurate conclusions.
• Influence & Persuasion – Able to exhibit a ‘can-do’ approach and inspire associates to excel, uses competition to encourage others, develops performance standards and confronts negative attitudes. Develops team spirit and uses tact when expressing ideas or opinions. Presents new ideas to authority figures and adapts presentations to suit a particular audience. Responds to objections successfully.
• Quality – Attentive to detail and accuracy; is committed to excellence. Looking for improvements, seeking opportunities to increase effectiveness and efficiency.
• Integrity – Able to be tactful, maintain confidences, and foster an ethical work environment. Prevents inappropriate behavior by coworkers, give proper credit to others and handles all situations honestly.
• Communication – Able to clearly present information through spoken or written word; read and interpret complex information; talks with employees, customers, and supplies, and has strong listening skills.

Compensation and benefits:

The salary range for this position is $196,500 - $327,500. The benefits for this role include a bonus plan, health, dental and vision insurance, flexible spending accounts or health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life and disability insurance programs, and paid sick leave as required by applicable state/local law, 15 days of paid vacation, and 11 days of paid holidays, subject to annual change. Your pay will be based on factors such as your skills, experience, and education.

What we offer:

• Corporate culture based on safety, loyalty, integrity, and respect.
• Comprehensive training with numerous learning and development opportunities
• An attractive salary reflecting skills, competencies and potential
• A career with a global packaging company where Sustainability, Safety and Inclusion are business drivers and foundational elements of the daily work.

Smurfit Westrock Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to creating and maintaining a diverse workforce: Minorities/Females/ Disabled/Veterans.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by state or federal law.

The salary range for this position is $196,500.00 - $327,500.00, depending on your role, level, and location. The range listed is also the expected pay for roles in Illinois and Colorado. The benefits for this role include short-term bonus incentive, health, dental and vision insurance, flexible spending accounts or health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life and disability insurance programs, and paid sick leave as required by applicable state/local law, 15 days of paid vacation, and 11 days of paid holidays, subject to annual change. Your pay will be based on factors such as your skills, experience, and education.