Operations Manager, Paper Mill

Ahlstrom-5; Rhinelander (WI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Ahlstrom is seeking an Operations Manager to lead the Paper Mill, ensuring safe, reliable, efficient, and cost-effective operations. You will shape a 5-year vision, translate it into actionable roadmaps, and partner with Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, Finance, HR, and Commercial teams to drive safety, quality, and productivity.

With 8–10 years in paper manufacturing and 3–5 years in leadership within a 24/7 unionized setting, you will influence cross-functional teams, build leadership depth,

Qualifications

• Minimum 8–10 years of progressive manufacturing experience, with significant experience in paper manufacturing operations.
• Minimum 3–5 years of leadership experience in paper manufacturing operations, preferably in a 24/7 unionized mill environment.
• Proven ability to lead culture change, strengthen accountability, and improve performance through people, systems, and disciplined execution.
• Proven success developing supervisors and salaried leaders, building succession plans, and improving organizational capability.
• Business understanding to connect operational decisions to cost, productivity, customer, and mill performance outcomes.
• Experience creating multi-year operational roadmaps, leading continuous improvement, and improving safety, quality, reliability, productivity, and cost performance.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Paper Science, Manufacturing Management, Business, or related field; Master's preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the safe, reliable, efficient, and profitable operation of the Paper Business Unit.
• Set a clear direction for Paper Operations and develop leaders.
• Build an organization that can perform without over-reliance on any single leader.
• Establish a 5-year operations vision and translate it into a practical roadmap.
• Collaborate with Maintenance, Engineering, Technical, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, HR, and Commercial teams.
• Drive safety, quality, productivity, and customer-focused outcomes.

Skills

Leadership

Change management

Communication

Lean Six Sigma

Operations management

Paper manufacturing

Strategic planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Paper Science/Manufacturing Management

Master's degree preferred

Job description

Career Opportunities: Operations Manager, Paper Mill (5751)

You have a choice of where you want to work! We invite you along on our journey to Purify and Protect, with Every Fiber, for a Sustainable World. We aim to attract, retain, and energize passionate people,like you, by investing in your professional development and providing opportunities for personal growth.
Do your values align with ours? Accountability, Growth mindset, One team,Care and a fair and inclusive work environment for everyone, everywhere!
We strive to meet the highest standards of corporate citizenship by protecting the health and safety of our team, safeguarding the environment, and creating a long-lasting, positive impact on the communities where we do business. Are you with us?!?

Purpose of the job

Reporting to the Plant Manager, the Operations Manager leads the safe, reliable, efficient, and profitable operation of the Paper Business Unit. This role requires deep paper manufacturing experience, including practical knowledge of how paper is made and how to improve paper machine performance, quality, reliability, and cost.

The Operations Manager is expected to set a clear direction for Paper Operations, strengthen the culture, develop leaders, and build an organization that can consistently perform without over-reliance on any single leader. Within the first 3 to 6 months, the role should establish a 5-year operations vision and translate that vision into a practical roadmap with priorities, milestones, talent needs, and measurable business outcomes.

As a key member of the mill leadership team, this role partners across Maintenance, Engineering, Technical, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, Human Resources, and Commercial teams to improve safety, quality, productivity, employee engagement, customer outcomes, and overall business performance.

Main responsibility areas

Safety, Quality & Compliance Leadership

• Champion a safety-first culture and ensure compliance with all OSHA, environmental, food safety, quality, hygiene, regulatory, and company requirements.
• Lead risk reduction, incident investigation, corrective action, audit, and employee engagement processes that improve safe behaviors and operating discipline.
• Ensure products meet quality standards and customer specifications; partner with Technical, Quality, and Commercial teams to address issues and improve customer satisfaction.

Paper Manufacturing Operations Leadership

• Direct paper manufacturing operations across paper machines and associated production areas, ensuring production schedules are executed safely, efficiently, and cost-effectively.
• Apply strong paper industry knowledge to improve machine performance, process stability, product quality, OEE, waste, throughput, and reliability.
• Optimize staffing, scheduling, and resource allocation to meet customer requirements and operational objectives.
• Create a clear 5-year vision for Paper Operations within the first 6 to 9 months and convert it into a practical roadmap with near-term actions, strategic initiatives, talent plans, and measurable performance targets.
• Lead change management efforts that strengthen culture, raise accountability, improve engagement, and sustain new ways of working.
• See the big picture across safety, quality, cost, reliability, people, customer, and business outcomes; make decisions that balance immediate needs with long-term competitiveness.

Leadership, Talent Development & Culture

• Lead, coach, and develop salaried operations leaders, frontline supervisors, and hourly team members in a unionized 24/7 manufacturing environment.
• Build bench strength through coaching, mentoring, succession planning, workforce planning, and clear development plans for key roles.
• Establish expectations, routines, and decision rights that enable the organization to perform consistently without depending on the Operations Manager for day-to-day decisions.
• Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork, curiosity, continuous learning, inclusion, engagement, and operational excellence.

Business & Operational Performance

• Understand key operating and cost drivers, including productivity, overtime, downtime, waste, reliability, quality, and customer impact.
• Partner with Finance and mill leadership to manage resources responsibly and support business performance goals.
• Use data and operating metrics to prioritize work, solve problems, and help the team understand how daily decisions affect business results.

Continuous Improvement, Reliability & Cross-Functional Execution

• Champion continuous improvement using Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, root cause analysis, reliability-centered improvement, standard work, and operational excellence tools.
• Partner closely with Maintenance and Engineering to improve asset reliability, uptime, shutdown execution, equipment care, and capital project execution.
• Build disciplined management systems that improve operating performance, workforce effectiveness, and sustainable execution.

Communication

Internally

Direct reports, Plant Manager, mill leadership team, Human Resources, Finance, Maintenance, Engineering, Technical, Quality, Supply Chain, Commercial, and senior business leaders

Externally

Vendors, contractors, customers, and other external partners as required

Experience and education

• Minimum of 8 to 10 years of progressive manufacturing experience, with significant experience in paper manufacturing operations required.
• Minimum of 3 to 5 years of leadership experience in paper manufacturing operations, preferably in a 24/7 unionized mill environment.
• Demonstrated ability to lead culture change, strengthen accountability, and improve performance through people, systems, and disciplined execution.
• Proven success developing supervisors and salaried leaders, building succession plans, and improving organizational capability.
• Business understanding with the ability to connect operational decisions to cost, productivity, customer, and mill performance outcomes.
• Experience creating multi-year operational roadmaps, leading continuous improvement, and improving safety, quality, reliability, productivity, and cost performance.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Paper Science, Manufacturing Management, Business, or a related field preferred. Equivalent paper manufacturing leadership experience may be considered. Master's degree desired.

Additional critical capabilities

• Deep paper manufacturing knowledge and credibility with operations teams.
• Strong change management capability, including the ability to build commitment, reduce resistance, and sustain new ways of working.
• Curiosity, learning agility, and openness to better ways of operating.
• Strong communication and influence across functions, shifts, unionized employee groups, and senior leaders.
• Operational excellence, continuous improvement, root cause problem solving, reliability, and customer focus.

Ahlstrom is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Equal opportunity is a sound and just concept to which we are firmly bound. Ahlstrom will not engage in discrimination against, or harassment of, any person employed or seeking employment with our company based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, non-disqualifying disability, status as a protected veteran or other characteristics protected by law.

About Us.
Ahlstrom is a global leader in combining fibers into sustainable specialty materials. Our purpose is to Purify and Protect, with Every Fiber, for a Sustainable World. We aim to be the Preferred Sustainable Specialty Materials Company for all our stakeholders. Our Filtration and Life Sciences, Food and Consumer Packaging, and Protective Materials segments, along with the Performance Materials Cluster, address global trends with safe and sustainable solutions. Our net sales in 2025 amounted to EUR 2.9 billion and we employ some 7,000 people.