Manager, PLW Operations

Your role: As a Manager, PLW Operations, you will be responsible for the leadership of packaging, loading, warehouse, and bulk operations across multiple facilities. You will support these plant teams to enable reliability, simplification of operations, and streamline day-to-day work processes. You will also be called on to solve complex problems, install new equipment, develop operating procedures, and develop talent, all while working cross-functionally.

As a leader, the Ardent Mills Values of trust, serving, simplicity, and safety will guide your decisions. You will listen, learn, and serve your team members. You will enable your team to deliver superior business results by constantly learning, reinventing, and challenging yourself to do better. You will inspire people to achieve things they never thought possible. To succeed, you must be able to:

• Deliver results in first‑time situations by inspiring others and working to earn trust every day
• Serve others with understanding, respect, and care
• Operate with simplicity, clarity and transparency
• Deal with and drive change
• Organize, prioritize and own multiple tasks while meeting or exceeding deadlines
• Learn and apply new technology and share your knowledge with others

Above all you will be expected to carry out all your activities with reliability, integrity, compliance and in a safe, environmentally responsible, and efficient manner.

Your responsibilities:

• Ensure all locations under your responsibility meet the requirements set forth by the business, Plant Group Leader, Plant Managers, and COE Leader.
• Support all pack initiatives, installations, upgrades, and ensure smooth and consistent operations.
• Be a Subject Matter Expert on one of our packing types and develop training materials and OPLs to support the associated plants.
• Collaborate with plant teams to set a vision, strategy, and goals for the team, packing operations, and bulk operations.
• Troubleshoot new and existing production problems, including design, materials, and processes.
• Investigate and resolve operational failures, problems, and inefficiencies to ensure maximum useful life of equipment.
• Provide technical expertise and support to the plant teams.
• Establish best practices, repairs schedules, and predictive/preventative maintenance routines.
• Develop strength and consistency in Ardent Mills packaging operations by engaging, mentoring, coaching and training facility teams and packaging operators to develop technical excellence in the areas of equipment design, process knowledge, packaging design and analysis, and project development across the network.
• Apply continuous improvement methods such as lean manufacturing to enhance manufacturing quality, reliability, or cost‑effectiveness.
• Work with engineering and plant teams across the network to successfully identify, execute and commission capital projects related to packaging operations, as well as collaborate on other projects and advanced problem solving.

Essential

Skills and Experience:

• 5+ years of direct experience in packaging operations
• 2+ years of experience mentoring, training, leading, and coaching others
• Knowledge of packaging equipment, programming, and management systems
• Experience in designing packaging operations as well as trouble shooting existing pack operations for the purpose of optimization

Good to Have:

• Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Engineering, Packaging, or other transferrable focus
• Experience and working knowledge of food manufacturing and production
• Working knowledge of food safety requirements and HACCP
• Lean Manufacturing background and certification
• Experience in project development from a cost/risk analysis, project management, and project implementation, develop capital project planning cost/benefit analysis, projecting return on investment and interface with the Engineering department for capital development, and project execution
• Prior experience with robotics, electrical equipment and troubleshooting and high volume packaging operations
• Prior experience managing parts

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions (With or without reasonable accommodation):

• Ability to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) as is…