Site Business Leader

First Quality Tissue Midwest LLC; Defiance (OH); On-site; USD 150,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

Bonus opportunities

Paid time off

Medical dental vision

401(k) with employer match

Parental leave

Tuition assistance

Wellness program

Job summary

First Quality Tissue Midwest in Defiance, OH seeks a Site Business Leader to oversee the entire site operations, including production, safety, quality, and maintenance. The role drives continuous improvement, cost control, and optimal performance across the manufacturing footprint.

The ideal candidate has at least 10 years in heavy manufacturing leadership, strong cross-functional experience, and a track record of developing leaders. Travel up to 50% in the first 60–90 days is required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Business or related field.
• MBA preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of heavy manufacturing leadership experience.
• Minimum 5 years managing cross-functional teams.
• Experience in warehouse management and SOP development preferred.
• Greenfield/startup experience strongly preferred.
• High-speed consumer product manufacturing experience preferred.
• Experience with safety and quality management systems preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to work with minimal supervision in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to analyze financial statements and plan action.
• First 60-90 days travel up to 50%.
• Willingness to travel for internal and vendor meetings.

Responsibilities

• Lead, direct and coordinate all manufacturing functions (production, warehouse, planning, engineering, safety, maintenance, quality).
• Drive continuous improvement to enhance site performance and efficiency.
• Lead high-performance work teams and foster accountability.
• Maintain a safe work environment and strong safety systems.
• Hire, coach and mentor leaders, with clear performance expectations.
• Manage P&L for the site and drive financial performance.
• Ensure compliance with environmental regulations.
• Align site goals with division strategy and customer needs.

Skills

Leadership

Cross-functional teams

Safety leadership

People development

Strategic planning

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Business

MBA preferred

Job description

Founded over 35 years ago, First Quality is a family-owned company that has grown from a small business in McElhattan, Pennsylvania into a group of companies, employing over 5,000 team members, while maintaining our family values and entrepreneurial spirit. With corporate offices in New York and Pennsylvania and 8 manufacturing campuses across the U.S. and Canada, the companies within the First Quality group produce high-quality personal care and household products for large retailers and healthcare organizations. Our personal care and household product portfolio includes baby diapers, wipes, feminine pads, paper towels, bath tissue, adult incontinence products, laundry detergents, fabric finishers, and dishwash solutions. In addition, we manufacture certain raw materials and components used in the manufacturing of these products, including flexible print and packaging solutions. Guided by our values of humility, unity, and integrity, we leverage advanced technology and innovation to drive growth and create new opportunities. At First Quality, you’ll find a collaborative environment focused on continuous learning, professional development, and our mission to Make Things Better®. We are seeking a Site Business Leader for our First Quality Tissue Midwest facility located in Defiance, OH. The Site Business Leader should be a strong leader as well as a technical problem-solver of production processes. This position will be responsible for the overall operation of the site; responsible for leading operational processes and improvements in a manner that will have direct impact on profitability, efficiency, cost management, quality, safety, customer satisfaction, and innovation. Additionally, this position will work closely with division personnel to deliver new business initiatives and align on divisional goals.

Primary responsibilities include:

• Lead, direct and coordinate all manufacturing functions including production, warehouse, planning, engineering, safety, maintenance, quality, and other groups.
• Continuous improvement of manufacturing processes to generate improved site performance, workflow optimization, efficiencies, and budget commitments.
• Lead high-performance work team initiatives at the site.
• Maintain a safe work environment, improve safety systems, and eliminate the causes of accidents.
• Hold everyone accountable for their role in safety.
• Hire, coach and mentor leaders through regular one-on-ones, candid feedback, and individual growth plans, with a focus on accountability, resilience, and results.
• Set clear performance expectations, plan succession, and build a bench of future leaders to keep a base-in-class site leadership team over time.
• Build and maintain a culture that engages all team members to focus on results that deliver outstanding products and services for our clients and their customers while maintaining a focus on safety.
• Implement standards and processes to ensure consistent, high-quality products with a continuous improvement mindset.
• With full P&L accountability for the site; drive financial performance and consider cost-saving efficiencies.
• Work with the divisional environmental team ensuring the facility operations in full accordance with applicable federal, state and local environmental regulations.
• Maintain ultimate responsibility for the site’s facilities, utilities, and security functions, ensuring the physical plant infrastructure is safe, well-maintained, and capable of supporting uninterrupted operations.
• Establish and communicate clear goals for the site that align with the overall division strategy.
• Interface with Planning/Sales team to determine best strategic plans to meet customer orders and maximize quality and machine efficiency.

The ideal candidate should possess the following:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Business or a related field. MBA preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of heavy manufacturing leadership experience.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience managing cross-functional teams.
• Experience in warehouse management, center lining and with the development of SOPs preferred.
• Experience working in a greenfield/startup environment is strongly preferred.
• High speed consumer product manufacturing experience preferred.
• Experience with safety and quality management systems preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to work with minimal supervision, in a fast-paced environment, utilizing strong decision-marking skills.
• Understand and be able to interpret and analyze financial and operating statements.
• Ability to effectively prioritize, use time efficiently, and develop realistic action plans.
• Ability to motivate and develop team members.
• First 60-90 days, travel up to 50%.
• Ability to travel as needed for internal management meetings and external vendor meetings.

At First Quality you will receive:

What We Offer You We believe that by continuously improving the quality of our benefits, we can help to raise the quality of life for our team members and their families.

• Competitive base salary and bonus opportunities
• Paid time off (three-week minimum)
• Medical, dental and vision starting day one
• 401(k) with employer match
• Paid parental leave
• Child and family care assistance (dependent care FSA with employer match up to $2500)
• Bundle of joy benefit (years' worth of free diapers to all team members with a new baby)
• Tuition assistance
• Wellness program with savings of up to $4,000 per year on insurance premiums ...and more!

First Quality is committed to protecting information under the care of First Quality Enterprises commensurate with leading industry standards and applicable regulations. As such, First Quality provides at least annual training regarding data privacy and security to employees who, as a result of their role specifications, may come in to contact with sensitive data.

First Quality is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identification, or protected Veteran status.

Founded over 35 years ago, First Quality is a family-owned company that has grown from a small business in McElhattan, Pennsylvania into a group of companies, employing over 5,000 team members, while maintaining our family values and entrepreneurial spirit. With corporate offices in New York and Pennsylvania and 8 manufacturing campuses across the U.S. and Canada, the companies within the First Quality group produce high-quality personal care and household products for large retailers and healthcare organizations. Our personal care and household product portfolio includes baby diapers, wipes, feminine pads, paper towels, bath tissue, adult incontinence products, laundry detergents, fabric finishers, and dishwash solutions. In addition, we manufacture certain raw materials and components used in the manufacturing of these products, including flexible print and packaging solutions. Guided by our values of humility, unity, and integrity, we leverage advanced technology and innovation to drive growth and create new opportunities. At First Quality, you’ll find a collaborative environment focused on continuous learning, professional development, and our mission to Make Things Better®.