Operational Risk Manager, Engineering

Mars; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 87,000 - 119,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Mars University access

Competitive benefits

Job summary

Mars is seeking an Operational Risk Manager to support the delivery of its global risk programs, including risk engineering, resilience, and loss prevention initiatives. The role emphasizes governance, continuous improvement, and a culture of risk awareness across manufacturing and supply chain environments.

The ideal candidate brings at least 5 years in risk management or related fields, strong analytical and stakeholder skills, and willingness to travel about 20% domestically and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in Engineering, Risk Management, Health and Safety, or similar.
• Minimum of 5 years in property loss prevention, risk engineering, or related fields.
• Experience with compliance, auditing, governance, and reporting processes.
• Experience managing external vendors, consultants, and service providers.
• Knowledge of loss prevention principles, fire protection, and business continuity.
• Strong analytical skills to interpret risk data and identify trends.

Responsibilities

• Manage global risk activities and monitor program performance.
• Coordinate audits and remediation activities with third-party providers.
• Analyze risk data and trends to inform governance and improvements.
• Support deployment of operational risk programs across Mars locations.
• Maintain program budgets and vendor spend tracking.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to align standards and governance.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Problem-solving

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Vendor management

Manufacturing/industrial experience

Regulatory/compliance experience

Travel willingness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering / Risk Management

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Risk analytics platforms

Job description

Job Description

The Operational Risk Manager role is responsible for supporting the delivery and management of Mars Inc Operational Risk Programs such as Risk Engineering, Business Resilience, and other loss prevention programs. This position will support the timely and effective delivery of all programs, across all Mars Segments globally, to ensure that Mars is identifying, quantifying and minimizing exposure to loss and business interruption. Through close partnership and collaboration with internal stakeholders, external consultants, insurers, brokers, and risk engineering partners, this role supports the development and implementation of the Operational Risk Management strategy and long-term roadmap. The Operational Risk Manager will help drive governance, compliance, continuous improvement, and program effectiveness while fostering a culture of risk awareness and resilience throughout the organization.

What are we looking for?

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Risk Management & Insurance, Health and Safety, or similar
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in property loss prevention, risk engineering, operational risk management, insurance risk consulting, business continuity, or a related discipline
• Experience with compliance, auditing, governance, and reporting processes
• Experience managing external vendors, consultants, and service providers
• Knowledge of property loss prevention principles, fire protection systems, business continuity planning, and risk management practices
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret risk data and identify trends
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a complex global environment
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate across functions and levels of the organization
• Ability to work effectively in a global, cross-functional environment and manage relationships with diverse stakeholders
• Experience working within manufacturing, supply chain, warehousing, or industrial environments
• Effective interpersonal skills and the ability to build effective internal and external relationships and collaborations
• Proven ability at coordinating/integrating successful teams
• Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally as required, estimated at approximately 20% of the time
• Self-motivated, detail-oriented, and capable of working independently while maintaining a strong team-oriented mindset.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel and PowerPoint; experience with risk management, audit, or data analytics platforms is a plus

Key responsibilities

Key responsibilities include managing global risk activities, monitoring program performance, managing third-party service providers, analyzing risk data and trends, coordinating audits and reviews, tracking remediation activities, and contributing to the development of standards, tools, and reporting that enhance Mars' operational resilience and risk maturity.
Support the ACM and BRM program deployment and administration. This includes managing the daily execution and delivery of operational risk programs.
Seek opportunities to enhance and align current operational risk programs (including property loss prevention, resilience, and integrated audits) for future consolidation to increase overall efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability, and business benefit.
Support global stakeholder groups and working with Associates across all Mars locations; managing critical program objectives and site compliance.
Maintain general awareness, functional attentiveness and development/enhancement tracking of program technology and 'digital' initiatives to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of delivery and engagement of the operational risk programs.
Support tracking of program budgets, vendor spend, and service utilization.
Responsible for primary coordination with all service providers / third party business partners to ensure contractual compliance and continuing alignment with overall operational risk objectives and guidelines - global resource management and delivery support to include collaboration and quality control over all aspects of their development and deployment of products and activities.
Participate in key meetings and discussions - responsible for program related data and information capture and record management.
Support onboarding and integration of acquisitions into Mars Operational Risk programs, ensuring alignment with global standards and governance expectations.
Develop and maintain a structured Operational Risk framework for external manufacturing, co-manufacturing, and co-packing partners supporting Mars operations globally.

What can you expect from Mars?

Work with over 170,000 diverse and talented Associates, all guided by The Five Principles. Join a purpose driven company, where we are striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today. Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University. An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus. The total compensation package for this position will include variable pay, medical and dental benefits, participation in 401k plan, and paid time off benefits. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an applicant receives an offer of employment.

The base pay range for this position at commencement of employment is between the range listed below, however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The pay range shown is applicable to all US locations listed within the job posting: USD 86,720.00 - USD 119,240.00.

Mars is a family-owned business with more than $35 billion in global sales. We produce some of the worlds best-loved brands: M&M's®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, MILKY WAY®, DOVE®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, EXTRA®, ORBIT®, 5™, SKITTLES®, BEN'S ORIGINAL®, and COCOAVIA®. Alongside our consumer brands, we proudly take care of half of the worlds pets through our nutrition, health and services businesses such as Banfield Pet Hospitals™, BluePearl®, Linnaeus, AniCura, VCA™ and Pet Partners™. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars operates in more than 80 countries. The Mars Five Principles - Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom - inspire our 140,000 Associates into taking action every day towards creating the world we want tomorrow.