Operations Manager, Paper Mill

Career Opportunities:
Operations Manager, Paper Mill (5751)

You have a choice of where you want to work! We invite you along on our journey to Purify and Protect, with Every Fiber, for a Sustainable World
. We aim to attract, retain, and energize passionate people,
like you
, by investing in your professional development and providing opportunities for personal growth.
Do your values align with ours? Accountability, Growth mindset, One team,Care and a fair and inclusive work environment for everyone, everywhere!
We strive to meet the highest standards of corporate citizenship by protecting the health and safety of our team
, safeguarding the environment, and creating a long-lasting, positive impact on the communities where we do business.
Are you with us?!?

Purpose of the job

Reporting to the Plant Manager, the Operations Manager leads the safe, reliable, efficient, and profitable operation of the Paper Business Unit. This role requires deep paper manufacturing experience, including practical knowledge of how paper is made and how to improve paper machine performance, quality, reliability, and cost.

The Operations Manager is expected to set a clear direction for Paper Operations, strengthen the culture, develop leaders, and build an organization that can consistently perform without over-reliance on any single leader. Within the first 3 to 6 months, the role should establish a 5-year operations vision and translate that vision into a practical roadmap with priorities, milestones, talent needs, and measurable business outcomes.

As a key member of the mill leadership team, this role partners across Maintenance, Engineering, Technical, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, Human Resources, and Commercial teams to improve safety, quality, productivity, employee engagement, customer outcomes, and overall business performance.

Main responsibility areas

Safety, Quality & Compliance Leadership

• Champion a safety-first culture and ensure compliance with all OSHA, environmental, food safety, quality, hygiene, regulatory, and company requirements.
• Lead risk reduction, incident investigation, corrective action, audit, and employee engagement processes that improve safe behaviors and operating discipline.
• Ensure products meet quality standards and customer specifications; partner with Technical, Quality, and Commercial teams to address issues and improve customer satisfaction.

Paper Manufacturing Operations Leadership

• Direct paper manufacturing operations across paper machines and associated production areas, ensuring production schedules are executed safely, efficiently, and cost-effectively.
• Apply strong paper industry knowledge to improve machine performance, process stability, product quality, OEE, waste, throughput, and reliability.
• Optimize staffing, scheduling, and resource allocation to meet customer requirements and operational objectives.
• Create a clear 5-year vision for Paper Operations within the first 6 to 9 months and convert it into a practical roadmap with near-term actions, strategic initiatives, talent plans, and measurable performance targets.
• Lead change management efforts that strengthen culture, raise accountability, improve engagement, and sustain new ways of working.
• See the big picture across safety, quality, cost, reliability, people, customer, and business outcomes; make decisions that balance immediate needs with long-term competitiveness.

Leadership, Talent Development & Culture

• Lead, coach, and develop salaried operations leaders, frontline supervisors, and hourly team members in a unionized 24/7 manufacturing environment.
• Build bench strength through coaching, mentoring, succession planning, workforce planning, and clear development plans for key roles.
• Establish expectations, routines, and decision rights that enable the organization to perform consistently without depending on the Operations Manager for day-to-day decisions.
• Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork, curiosity, continuous learning, inclusion, engagement, and operational excellence.

Business & Operational Performance

• Understand key operating and cost drivers, including productivity, overtime, downtime, waste, reliability, quality, and…