The Manager will use various processes and methods to transform raw materials, components, and parts into finished Lithium Ion batteries. Additionally, the Manager will own responsibility for implementing production manufacturing strategy and strategic operational goals, thereby exceeding customer expectations for product quality, cost, and delivery. Furthermore, the Manager will efficiently maximize and optimize production levels while driving operational excellence. The Manager works closely with internal and external key stakeholders and strives for best-in-class products and business practices. The Manager will drive Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) across assigned Manufacturing Operations and ensure all projects are delivered with the highest quality standards, while maintaining budgetary guidelines and strict deadlines. Inspires, motivates, and mentors staff to achieve excellence, and have the drive and passion to grow self and others. Always strive to be the best version of oneself and understand the influences team members. The Manager should align to and incorporate their leadership style to Panasonic’s Seven Core Principles, contribution to society, fairness and honesty, cooperation and team spirit, untiring effort for improvement, courtesy and humility, adaptability, and gratitude.

Essential Duties:

• Ensure that company resources are utilized to sustain safe manufacturing and distribution excellence
• Manage functional production teams to meet manufacturing KPI’s
• Empower, develop, and reward individuals and teams for performance and growth
• Manage continuous improvement in production efficiency, implementing Lean principles
• Coordinate and interact with internal cross-functional teams to fulfill customer and company goals
• Attend Management meetings and provide detailed input on status of production goals
• Other duties as assigned

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Requirements:

• To ensure the health and safety in the workplace and for the protection of our employees, wearing PPE is a possibility and may include equipment such as a full Tyvek suit, safety shoes, gloves, safety glasses, face mask, bump cap, and a full hazmat suit that includes a respirator.

The foregoing description is not intended and should not be construed to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills and efforts or work conditions associated with the job. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the general nature and level of the job.

Education:

• Basic/Required: Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering or Business or equivalent experience
• Preferred: Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) or Master of Science (MS)

Essential Qualifications:

• Excellent communication (spoken and written) skills, including the ability to explain and present technical information
• Excellent understanding of manufacturing operations
• Able to influence change without direct authority
• Must have working-level knowledge of the English language, including reading, writing, and speaking English

Preferred Qualifications:

• Minimum of 3 years of experience in a high speed/high volume manufacturing, understanding of machine controls and instrumentation, Lean Six Sigma and continuous process improvement experience, ERP transactional experience, 5S experience
• Strives for an accident-free workplace; keeps safety at the “heart” of everything; treats safety as a personal responsibility and sees oneself as being responsible for the safety of others
• Proven ability of being a strong leader of a production team
• Ability to help the team ‘connect the dots’ on the business expectations, KPI’s and the importance of their daily role
• Able to drive Change Management
• Strong communicator, self-directed, motivated and goal oriented
• Strong examples of exercising recognition and rewarding team members for behaviors that represent the company’s core values (Panasonic’s 7 Core Principles)
• Strong problem solver (including root cause analysis); commitment to continuous improvement philosophy
• Contributes meaningfully to work group efforts by offering new ideas for improvement; demonstrates a cooperative manner in dealing with supervisors and other team members, does his/her part toward group efforts; works cooperatively with others
• Willing and able to work any shift assignment in a 24X7 operation
• Able to pivot in a fast-paced environment
• Adapts approach as the requirements of the situation change
• Changes or easily accepts change in organization or job requirements
• Advanced skills in MS Office (Word, Power Point, Excel, Outlook)
• Alignment to Panasonic’s seven (7) core principles (contribution to society, fairness and honesty, cooperation and team spirit, untiring effort for improvement, courtesy and humility, adaptability, gratitude)

Preferred Certification(s):

• Lean Six Sigma Certification

Physical Demands:

Physical Activities: (Percentage of time (equaling 100%) during the normal workday the employee is required to)

• Sit: 30%
• Walk: 30%
• Stand: 20%
• Lift: 20%

Required Lifting and Carrying: (Required frequency is: Not required (0%), Occasional (1-33%), Frequent (34-66%, Continuous (67-100%)

• Up to 10 lbs.: Frequent
• Up to 20 lbs.: Frequent
• Up to 35 lbs.: Frequent
• Team-lift only (over 35 lbs.): Frequent

About Us:

As part of Panasonic’s expansion strategy, it is now constructing a very large Li-ion battery factory near Kansas City, Kansas. In this new green-field factory, Panasonic will manufacture cylindrical lithium-ion cells for various electric vehicle makers. This role is for a full-time on-site position in the new factory being built in DeSoto, Kansas.

Supplemental Information:

Pre-employment drug testing is required. Due to the high volume of responses, we will only be able to respond to candidates of interest. All candidates must have valid authorization to work in the U.S. without restriction.

Panasonic is an Equal Opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by law. All qualified individuals are required to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation.

Thank you for your interest in Panasonic Energy of North America.