JOB DESCRIPTION

Summary/Objective

Essential Functions

Production Management

• Serve as the primary Novagard representative embedded within the Contract Manufacturer's facility.
• Coordinate daily, weekly, and monthly production activities to achieve customer demand requirements and delivery commitments.
• Develop, maintain, and communicate production schedules with Novagard Planning and Contract Manufacturer personnel.
• Monitor schedule attainment and proactively identify and resolve production constraints.
• Lead daily production reviews and communicate operational status to Novagard leadership.
• Drive adherence to safety, quality, and production standards.

Supply Chain & Inventory Management

• Coordinate raw material availability, packaging materials, and finished goods inventories.
• Work closely with Procurement, Planning, and Contract Manufacturer personnel to prevent supply disruptions.
• Monitor inventory levels and inventory accuracy.
• Identify and mitigate supply chain risks affecting customer service or production continuity.
• Support demand planning, capacity planning, and Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) activities.
• Coordinate inbound and outbound logistics to ensure timely material flow.

Process Engineering & Continuous Improvement

• Analyze manufacturing performance data and develop action plans to improve productivity, throughput, and process reliability.
• Lead root cause investigations related to safety, quality, downtime, scrap, and customer complaints.
• Develop and implement continuous improvement initiatives focused on yield, cycle time, labor efficiency, and cost reduction.
• Establish and maintain standardized work procedures and best practices.
• Support process validation, new product introductions, and process transfers.
• Collaborate with Quality, R&D, Operations, and Engineering teams on process improvements and commercial scale-up activities.

KPI Management & Reporting

• Develop and maintain operational dashboards and visual management systems.
• Monitor and report key operational metrics including: Safety Performance, Schedule Attainment, On-Time Delivery, Inventory Accuracy, Yield, Scrap, Throughput, Downtime, Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), Customer Complaints and Non-Conformances.
• Perform trend analysis and drive corrective action implementation.
• Present operational performance reviews to Novagard leadership and Contract Manufacturer management teams.

Relationship Management

• Build strong working relationships with Contract Manufacturer leadership and operational personnel.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for production and supply chain issues.
• Coordinate activities among Novagard Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering, Quality, R&D, and Sales teams.
• Lead cross-functional teams in resolving operational and technical challenges.

Knowledge & Skills

• Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Supply Chain Management, or related technical discipline required.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in manufacturing, process engineering, operations management, or supply chain leadership.
• Experience in process manufacturing environments such as silicones, adhesives, coatings, chemical processing, compounding, polymers, or specialty materials preferred.
• Strong understanding of production planning, scheduling, inventory control, and supply chain management.
• Technical knowledge of manufacturing processes, process equipment, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Demonstrated experience implementing process improvements and solving complex manufacturing challenges.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Project management experience including planning, execution, prioritization, and stakeholder coordination.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel and ERP system experience.
• Ability to influence and lead through collaboration in environments without direct supervisory authority.

Preferred Qualifications

• Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma certification.
• Experience supporting toll manufacturing or contract manufacturing operations.
• Knowledge of silicone, adhesive, polymer, or chemical manufacturing processes.
• Experience implementing OEE, TPM, Reliability, or Operational Excellence programs.
• Experience with NetSuite ERP and manufacturing planning systems.
• Experience with KPI dashboard development and data analytics tools.

Competencies

• Problem Solving
• Analytical Skills
• Technical Capacity
• Manufacturing Operations
• Process Engineering
• Continuous Improvement
• Supply Chain Management
• Production Planning & Scheduling
• Business Acumen
• Communication Proficiency
• Leadership
• Collaboration
• Change Management
• Customer Focus
• Decision Making
• Project Management
• Time Management

Supervisory Responsibility

Work Environment

Physical Demands

• Frequent walking throughout manufacturing facilities.
• Ability to climb stairs and access production equipment.
• Ability to stand for extended periods.
• Occasional lifting of materials, equipment, and samples up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to wear required personal protective equipment (PPE).

Position Type / Expected Hours of Work

Travel

• Travel between Novagard facilities and Contract Manufacturer locations as required.
• Occasional travel for supplier visits, training, process trials, and customer support activities.
• Estimated travel: 10%.