OPERATIONS MANAGER

SUMMARY: The Operations Manager directs and coordinates activities of all production in safety, human resources, administration, customer satisfaction, materials management, productivity management, scheduling and preventive maintenance to manufacturing departments. Solves problems of both a technical and human relations nature to meet production and customer needs. Responsible for production controls and reporting, under the direction of the Plant Manager and all other duties as assigned.  Will interface with Quality Assurance, the Cost Department, Shipping and Engineering Departments, and Human Resources. They must be the site leader in living and driving the Company Core Values and High-Performance Work Culture.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:  

Safety, Environmental & Regulatory Compliance

• Responsible for training, enforcing, and upholding Company safety policies and applicable federal, state, and local regulations, including OSHA, EPA, and other regulatory requirements relevant to plant operations.
• Ensure employees follow safe work practices through regular monitoring, coaching, training, safety audits, and timely correction of unsafe behaviors or conditions.
• Responsible for ensuring workplace incidents and near misses are promptly reported, investigated, and documented, including root cause analysis, employee counseling when appropriate, and implementation and follow-through of corrective actions.
• Ensure annual Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) procedure inspections are completed in coordination with Maintenance and EHS, with identified deficiencies corrected and documentation maintained.
• Ensure compliance with Company food safety requirements, including SQF standards, internal GMPs, and the Food Safety Management System, where applicable. Not applicable at Conneaut Plant.
• Ensure hazardous materials and waste are properly handled, stored, and disposed of in accordance with Company policies and applicable regulations.

Leadership & Employee Management

• Responsible for consistently enforcing Company policies and procedures, ensuring employees and department managers are held accountable in a fair, accurate, and timely manner.
• Oversee the timely and accurate completion of employee performance evaluations, professional development plans, and wage increase recommendations, ensuring department managers fulfill their responsibilities.
• Promote a positive and accountable work environment through effective leadership, employee engagement, communication, coaching, and performance management.
• Ensure accurate and timely review, approval, and submission of employee time worked to support proper payroll processing.
• Provide leadership, direction, and accountability to department managers and supervisors to ensure operational expectations, employee performance, and departmental objectives are consistently met.

Production & Operational Performance

• Responsible for monitoring and achieving established production efficiency, productivity, quality, and spoilage targets across applicable production equipment and departments.
• Monitor and maintain accurate production records, including equipment production rates, downtime, spoilage, and operational performance, to identify trends, resolve problems, and implement corrective actions.
• Ensure efficient utilization of direct and indirect labor through effective staffing, scheduling, resource allocation, and monitoring of labor costs.
• Coordinate production schedules, staffing, operator assignments, and mechanical support based on equipment capacity, production demands, and customer requirements to maximize operational efficiency.
• Ensure department personnel are informed, trained, and prepared to respond to production schedule changes and shifting operational priorities.
• Coordinate with other departments to ensure materials, parts, staffing, and backup production capabilities are available to meet production and shipping requirements.
• Proactively identify and implement opportunities to improve productivity, reduce waste, optimize labor utilization, and enhance equipment performance through process improvements, equipment modifications, and employee input.

Equipment & Maintenance Coordination

• Coordinate with Maintenance and other support departments to ensure production equipment is maintained in safe, reliable working conditions and available to meet scheduled production requirements.
• Monitor and follow up on equipment repair requests, maintenance work orders, and spare parts availability to minimize downtime and production disruptions.
• Work closely with Maintenance to ensure preventive maintenance activities are completed as scheduled, equipment deficiencies are addressed promptly, and preventable downtime is minimized.

Communication, Reporting & Administrative Responsibilities

• Maintain consistent communication with plant management and supporting departments regarding production performance, equipment status, staffing, operational challenges, and corrective actions.
• Ensure accurate and timely completion and submission of required operational reports, production records, financial information, and administrative documentation.
• Review and evaluate questionable or nonconforming materials in coordination with Quality and other appropriate departments to determine proper disposition in accordance with Company procedures.
• Coordinate across departments to resolve operational issues, maintain production schedules, and meet customer and Company requirements.
• Perform all other duties as assigned.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:  Directly supervises Maintenance Manager, Materials & Data Integrity Managers and Plant Quality Technician.  Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws.  Responsibilities include training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems while maintaining Company Core Values.

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS:  To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation(s)may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE: Bachelor's Degree from a four-year college or university; or ten years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

LANGUAGE SKILLS:  Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals in English.  Ability to write routine reports and correspondence in English. Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization.

MATHEMATICAL AND TECHNICAL SKILLS: Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, decimals, rate and percentage. Working knowledge and experience with current computer systems and programs, computer and hard copy records and files, including but not limited to QuickBooks, MS Word, MS Excel, Teams, Outlook, etc.

REASONING ABILITY: Ability to define problems, collection of data, establishment of facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands and fingers; handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; and hear. The employee is frequently required to stand and walk. The employee is occasionally required to sit; climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.  The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. Able to inspect units for quality defects, reading measuring devices such as micrometers, and seeing color deviations.  

ENVIRONMENT: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to moving mechanical parts. The employee is occasionally exposed to fumes or airborne particles and vibration. The noise level in the work environment is usually very loud.

NOTE: This job description identifies the general nature and scope of work to be performed. Independent Can reserves the right to revise all or any part of this job description and to add or eliminate essential job functions at any time. Designation of any job duty as an essential function is not intended as an assurance or guarantee that a team member has any right to perform the particular job duty, except as required by Independent Can. This job description is subject to change based on the needs of the position and/or the Company.