CVS Lead (Chigumira)

Job Description: CVS (Commissioning, Validation, & Start-Up) Lead

Shift: Day Shift (Typically Monday – Friday, with flexibility required based on project start-up windows)

Location: Fort Smith, AR (LEED-Gold Certified Facility)

Travel Requirements: 10–15% (for FATs/VATs and vendor training)

Job Purpose & Overview

The CVS Lead plays a vital role in executing product and business development projects at the Fort Smith manufacturing site. In this role, you will plan, execute, and evaluate all Commissioning, Validation, and Start-Up (CVS) activities for both major capital expansions and minor equipment modifications.

By partnering with the CVS Manager, project engineering, and equipment vendors, you will ensure all new assets are integrated safely, efficiently, and in strict compliance with Mars Quality & Food Safety standards. You will also lead the hands-on transfer of equipment knowledge, training floor associates to run new systems at peak operational effectiveness.

Key Responsibilities

• Commissioning, Qualification, & Validation (CQV)
• Start-Up Execution: Coordinate and support all CVS activities, including pre-commissioning checks, initial startup execution, validation testing, and post-launch performance evaluations.
• Standards Compliance: Develop and maintain the site-specific CVS plan in accordance with Global Mars Best Practices, ensuring Quality, Food Safety, and environmental standards (LEED guidelines) are met.
• Vendor & Factory Testing: Participate in Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) and Vendor Acceptance Testing (VAT) to inspect and approve machinery before site delivery.
• Standard Operating Procedures & Technical Documentation
• Process Writing: Author comprehensive, highly clear Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and detailed step-by-step work instructions to maximize operational consistency on new production lines.
• Knowledge Assets: Work directly with equipment manufacturers to extract technical specifications and turn them into simple, visually clear training assets for the production floor.

Associate Training & Knowledge Transfer

• Hands-On Training: Personally deliver hands-on operational training to shift associates and technicians, bridging the gap between engineering deployment and day-to-day operation.
• Competency Validation: Implement testing and sign-off procedures to verify that plant operators are fully competent and safe to operate newly commissioned machinery.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Continuous Improvement
• Operational Readiness: Act as the central liaison between Project Engineering, Plant Management, and Quality Assurance to align resources and schedule commissioning timelines with minimal disruption to ongoing day-shift operations.
• Lean Solutions (MSE): Partner with the Focused Improvement (FI) Pillar and Industrial Engineering (IE) Manager to implement lean solutions (Mars Supply Excellence - MSE) during start-up. Focus on reducing waste, improving yield, increasing Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), and maximizing overall equipment effectiveness.
• Facilitate Resolutions: Chair alignment meetings, define project milestones, track completion of action items, and proactively resolve technical bottleneck issues.

Job Specifications & Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: High School Diploma or equivalent.
• Computer Skills: Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Adaptability: Demonstrated ability to thrive and make decisions in an ambiguous, fast-paced project environment.
• Travel: Ability to travel 10–15% of the time.

Preferred Experience & Knowledge

• Technical Experience: 3+ years of experience in a high-speed food-manufacturing, automated, or heavy industrial environment.
• Quality & Safety Standards: Direct working knowledge of food safety, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), and hazard control protocols.
• Technical Training: Proven background in training others in mechanical systems or industrial machinery.
• Communication: Highly clear written and verbal communication skills with the ability to lead cross-functional project meetings.

Physical & Mental Requirements

• Ability to stand and walk on the manufacturing floor for extended periods during commissioning trials.
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs occasionally.
• High mental focus and attention to detail during repetitive system-testing protocols and validation auditing.

Key Competencies

• Leadership Competencies (Mars TDL)
• Action Oriented: Enjoys working hard; is action-oriented and full of energy for things he/she sees as challenging.
• Problem Solving: Uses rigorous logic and methods to solve difficult problems with effective solutions.
• Process Management: Good at figuring out the processes necessary to get things done; knows how to organize people and activities.
• Motivating Others: Creates a climate in which people want to do their best; can motivate many kinds of team or project members.
• Organizing: Can marshal resources (people, funding, material, support) to get things done; can orchestrate multiple activities at once to accomplish a goal.

Functional & Technical Skills

• Safe Operations: Focuses on providing safe products and a safe, injury-free workplace.
• Efficient Conversion: Understands how to efficiently convert raw materials into finished goods.
• Project Management: Demonstrates structured planning, scheduling, risk mitigation, and milestone tracking.

Military Skills & Experience Translation

Mars recognizes that the leadership, technical discipline, and mission-first mindset developed in the military are world-class assets. If you have served in the United States Armed Forces, your skills in technical operations, system testing, procedural writing, and team instruction align directly with this role.

Below is a guide to military jobs (MOS, AFSC, NEC) with highly transferable skills for the CVS Lead position:

United States Navy

Nuclear Propulsion Specialists (MMN, EMN, ETN): Highly relevant experience. If you operated, tested, and validated reactor or steam propulsion plant systems, executed rigorous quality-assurance protocols, or managed complex tag-out/system commissioning, your background translates perfectly.

Gas Turbine Technicians (GSM, GSE) / Machinist's Mates (MM): Experience with mechanical/electrical system start-ups, alignments, standard preventative maintenance schedules, and drafting operational logs.

Aviation Electronics/Electrical Technicians: Experience with high-level system calibration, functional diagnostic testing, and technical instruction.

United States Army & Marine Corps

Biomedical Equipment Specialist (68A): Expertise in system calibration, equipment validation, maintenance management, and strict regulatory compliance (FDA/GMP-adjacent concepts).

Maintenance & Mechanical Supervisors (91-Series / 2110-MOS): Experience directing maintenance operations, scheduling workloads, leading technical training, and writing standard operating instructions for complex tactical equipment.

Signal/Network Systems Engineers (25-Series / FA26): Experience with structured system validation, quality assurance testing, and managing equipment cutovers/start-ups.

United States Air Force

Operations Management Specialist (3E6X1): Experience managing complex, technical projects from start to finish, coordinating multi-vendor timelines, tracking budgets, and ensuring strict regulatory compliance.

Aircraft Maintenance Technicians (2A-Series): Proven capability in executing complex checklists, performing system validations, documenting component installations, and training junior technicians.

Bioenvironmental Engineering (4B0X1): Experience with workplace safety, environmental compliance, and process auditing, aligning with Mars Petcare’s commitment to quality and safety.

What Mars Petcare Offers

• A Purpose-Driven Culture: Join a team that is dedicated to our purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS.
• Commitment to Veterans: We actively recruit and support military veterans, recognizing the exceptional value, safety focus, and leadership you bring to our factories.
• Sustainable Operations: Work in Fort Smith's LEED-Gold certified facility, a flagship factory recognized for its cutting-edge green initiatives, water recycling, and energy efficiency.
• Growth and Development: Access to Mars University and continuous training programs to expand your leadership and technical capabilities.