Senior Director, Rubber Mixing & Compounding Operations

The Judge Group; Galesburg (IL); On-site; USD 175,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

The Judge Group is seeking a Director of Mixing & Compounding (Rubber) to lead rubber production across two plants in Galesburg, IL. The role oversees milling and textile operations, with 200 employees and 6–8 direct reports, focusing on safety, quality, delivery, and cost accountability.

Responsibilities include setting operating plans, optimizing changeovers, improving compound quality across EPDM, CR, HNBR, NBR, SBR, and NR, and driving DOE/SPC-driven improvements.

Qualifications

• 8+ years manufacturing experience, including polymer or rubber compounding.
• Experience leading multi-site, multi-shift operations with P&L accountability.
• Strong problem-solving using DOE, SPC, and root-cause analysis.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; willingness to travel ~30%.

Responsibilities

• Provide operational leadership for two rubber plants and ~200 staff.
• Set and manage annual operating, capital plans, budgets, and cost targets.
• Drive safety, quality, delivery, and cost improvements; lead cross-functional teams.
• Standardize processes across sites to ensure consistent compound production.
• Travel ~30% to sites to engage operators and supervisors on the floor.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

DOE / SPC

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Chemistry, or related field

Master's degree/MBA preferred

Tools

Mixing control software

ERP/MES systems

Job description

The Judge Group is seeking a Director of Mixing & Compounding (Rubber) to lead rubber production across two plants in Galesburg, IL. The role oversees milling and textile operations, with 200 employees and 6–8 direct reports, focusing on safety, quality, delivery, and cost accountability.

Responsibilities include setting operating plans, optimizing changeovers, improving compound quality across EPDM, CR, HNBR, NBR, SBR, and NR, and driving DOE/SPC-driven improvements.