Workforce Capability & Training Manager

Appvion; Appleton (WI); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Appvion is seeking a Workforce Capability & Training Manager to strengthen production training, leadership development, and digital enablement across operations in Appleton. The role connects frontline learning with safe, efficient daily execution.

You will establish competency standards, build practical tools, and develop leaders while collaborating with HR, safety, quality, and maintenance to drive measurable improvements in safety, quality, productivity, and engagement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in operations, manufacturing, or related field; equivalent experience may be considered.
• 5+ years in manufacturing/ops training, leadership development, or continuous improvement.
• Experience building or improving training programs, standards, and learning systems in operations.
• Experience with digital tools, learning systems, data, and AI to improve training.
• Ability to develop frontline leaders, supervisors, and trainers.
• Strong knowledge of plant operations, safety, quality, productivity and engagement.
• Able to work cross-functionally with operations, HR, safety, quality, maintenance, and leadership.
• Strong communication, facilitation, coaching, and change leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Ensure production teams have skills, standards, and confidence to work safely and consistently.
• Establish role-based competency expectations and training progression.
• Create standard work and learning tools to improve consistency and readiness.
• Provide leaders with visibility into capability, gaps, and readiness.
• Develop frontline leaders to coach performance and enforce accountability.
• Develop curriculum focused on coaching, communication, accountability, performance management.
• Strengthen trainer network for consistent expectations across shifts.
• Support leader readiness and succession for key talent.
• Improve salaried teams' capability by scaling knowledge and tools.
• Build scalable learning systems for supervisors and managers.
• Promote AI-enabled tools to improve training and execution.
• Link training and standard work to outcomes in safety, quality, productivity, engagement.

Skills

Leadership development

Training programs

Change management

Facilitation

Digital tools

AI-enabled resources

Education

Bachelor’s degree in operations or related field

Job description

The Workforce Capability & Training Manager strengthens the capability of Appvion operations by building clear standards, practical learning systems, and confident frontline leaders. This role connects production training, leadership development, and digital enablement so teams can execute safely, consistently, and with greater speed and accountability.

Key Focus Areas

• Production Team Competency & Standard Work – 45% Ensure production team members have the skills, standards, and confidence required to perform work safely, correctly, and consistently.
• Establish role-based competency expectations, qualification standards, and training progression for critical production roles.
• Create practical standard work and learning tools that improve consistency, reduce variation, and support faster employee readiness.
• Provide leaders with clear visibility to workforce capability, training gaps, and qualification readiness.
• Frontline Leadership Development – 30% Build strong supervisors, leads, trainers, and emerging leaders who can coach performance, reinforce expectations, and drive accountability on the floor.
• Develop a structured frontline leadership curriculum focused on coaching, communication, accountability, performance management, and consistent execution.
• Strengthen the trainer and supervisor network so expectations are reinforced consistently across shifts, departments, and sites.
• Support leader readiness, succession depth, and targeted development for key hourly and salaried operations talent.
• Operational Capability, Digital Enablement & Continuous Improvement – 25% Improve the operating capability of salaried teams by scaling knowledge, simplifying access to information, and embedding modern tools into daily execution.
• Build scalable learning systems for supervisors, area managers, process leaders, and teams supporting plant performance.
• Champion responsible use of digital and AI-enabled tools to improve knowledge access, training quality, problem-solving, and execution speed.
• Connect training, leader capability, and standard work to measurable outcomes in safety, quality, productivity, engagement, and operational discipline.

Key Attributes & Strengths

• Operationally credible, with the ability to translate plant floor work into clear training expectations, standard work, and measurable competency.
• Strong facilitator and coach who can develop supervisors, trainers, leads, and salaried operations employees in a practical, business-relevant way.
• Comfortable working across functions and levels, building alignment with operations, HR, safety, quality, maintenance, and site leadership.
• Forward-looking and technology-curious, with the ability to promote responsible use of digital tools and AI-enabled resources to improve training access, knowledge sharing, and execution speed.
• Disciplined in follow-up, documentation, metrics, and accountability without allowing the role to become purely administrative.
• Strong communicator who can simplify complex operational expectations and create training tools that employees and leaders will actually use.
• Continuous improvement mindset with a focus on measurable impact in safety, quality, productivity, engagement, and leader effectiveness.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in operations, manufacturing, organizational development, human resources, education, or a related field; equivalent practical experience may be considered.
• 5+ years of experience in manufacturing, operations, training, leadership development, continuous improvement, or workforce capability development.
• Experience building or improving training programs, competency standards, standard work, qualification processes, or learning systems in an operational environment.
• Comfortable using digital tools, learning systems, data, and AI-enabled resources to improve training effectiveness, knowledge access, and operating discipline.
• Demonstrated ability to develop frontline leaders, supervisors, trainers, or emerging operations talent.
• Strong working knowledge of plant operations, safety, quality, productivity, and employee engagement drivers.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with operations, HR, safety, quality, maintenance, and site leadership.
• Strong communication, facilitation, coaching, and change leadership skills.