Production Manager

The Production Manager is responsible for managing the daily activities of the paper production process to ensure safe, efficient, and cost-effective production of quality paper products. This role requires a strong background in paper manufacturing processes and leads the pursuit for process optimization, fostering a culture of safety, teamwork, and continuous improvement.

• Manage and oversee the day-to-day paper production to meet production, quality, and cost targets.
• Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) such as machine efficiency, downtime, waste, and energy use. Develop proactive action plants to align KPI results with business goals.
• Partner with maintenance, engineering, and quality teams to troubleshoot and resolve production issues.
• Ensure that paper products meet or exceed quality standards and customer expectations by implementing quality control measures.
• Lead new product development efforts to produce exceptional, cost-effective products that fit our customers’ needs
• Engage mill employees and customers to develop and maintain strategic relationships that add business value
• Ensure team is efficiently allocating resources, including manpower, equipment, and materials, to optimize production output and minimize downtime.
• Assist in the development and management of operations departmental budgets, controlling costs while meeting production goals.
• Develop and manage annual mill outage projects to ensure safe and effective downtime while managing operational resources to return to production as scheduled.
• Lead, coach, and mentor a team of production staff, fostering a culture of teamwork and continuous improvement to improve safety, uptime, product quality, and productivity.
• Communicate expectations across shifts and adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Identify opportunities for process optimization, cost reduction, and efficiency improvements.
• Facilitate training the team on available process management tools, such as PARCview, AB Factory Talk DCS, and various PLCs.
• Support developing training tools and SOPs that allow team to make data-driven decisions regarding Paper Machine operations.

• Lead and develop a team with a zero-injury safety culture at the forefront of production goals.
• Promote and enforce safety protocols and guidelines to maintain a safe working environment for all employees.
• Participate in safety audits, risk assessments, incident investigations, and root cause analysis to support company safety goals.
• Ensure compliance with all environmental, quality, and corporate regulations. Perform root cause analysis on all environmental compliance misses and lead planning to prevent environmental events.
• Perform and document routine mill safety and housekeeping inspections. Proactively challenge operations team to maintain a clean work environment.

• Ensure Maintenance, Engineering, and Quality departments are effectively coordinating planned outages, process changes, and product trials.
• Develop and support capital projects and process upgrades, including commissioning and startup activities.

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Paper Science, or related field preferred.
• 5 years’ experience in paper manufacturing, with at least in a supervisory or management role.
• Strong technical understanding of paper machine operations, process control systems, and quality parameters.

• Excellent proficiency in Microsoft Office programs (Excel, Word).
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent leadership and team management skills.
• Problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
• Familiarity with safety regulations and compliance.
• Proficiency in using computer software for production planning and reporting.
• Ability to analyze data, solve problems, and make informed decisions.
• Commitment to safety and quality standards.