What are the responsibilities and job description for the Operational Excellence Manager position at Freshpet?
What You Will Do
The Operational Excellence Manager is responsible for the development, implementation, and sustainment of process solutions to drive efficiency and enhance performance. Furthermore, this role is designed to be a connection between processes and people with the intent of increasing employee engagement. The OPEX Manager will have the responsibility of Freshpet for Excellence (FPE) leads and oversight and distinct responsibilities for the enterprise FPE program at two manufacturing locations. The OPEX Manager will conduct system health assessments to keep track of progress and prevent program drift.
How You Will Make An Impact
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions and duties of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities.
Employees must have the ability to perform the essential job functions identified above consistent with safety standards and practices with or without reasonable accommodation.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environmental characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential duties of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate.
The Operational Excellence Manager is responsible for the development, implementation, and sustainment of process solutions to drive efficiency and enhance performance. Furthermore, this role is designed to be a connection between processes and people with the intent of increasing employee engagement. The OPEX Manager will have the responsibility of Freshpet for Excellence (FPE) leads and oversight and distinct responsibilities for the enterprise FPE program at two manufacturing locations. The OPEX Manager will conduct system health assessments to keep track of progress and prevent program drift.
How You Will Make An Impact
- Manage and develop a team of OPEX Leads
- Identify, plan, and execute initiatives to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve quality
- Ownership of the site master planning for the enterprise program
- Responsible for delivery of site(s) cost savings commitments
- Analyze current processes to identify bottlenecks and areas for improvement
- Develop and implement new processes or refine existing ones to improve workflow and performance
- Support assigned FPE Pillars
- Collect and analyze data to measure the success of improvement initiatives
- Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and provide regular reports to stakeholders
- Use data to drive decision-making and demonstrate Return on Investment (ROI) on improvement projects
- Promote a culture of continuous improvement by educating and engaging employees at all levels with emphasis on hourly team members
- Deliver Cross Site Collaboration / Standardization
- Perform annual FPE site Maturity Assessments
- Action-oriented advocate of FPE
- Practice pragmatism with the goal of simplifying the FPE process to enable manufacturing employee engagement
- Deliver loss elimination goals in line with the site’s masterplan
- Use subject master expertise to create and maintain operating standards and repeatability
- Conduct annual site Zero Loss Analysis’s (ZLA’s)
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Business or a related field (preferred)
- Minimum 7 years of related experience in continuous improvement/ plant operation (required)
- Minimum 5 years leadership experience (required)
- Subject matter expertise with our theory of operation and associated equipment preferred
- Subject matter expertise in TPM
- Computer skills (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
- Possesses Analytical, Project Management, Problem Solving, and Technical Skills
- Strong Leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills (both verbal and written)
- Ability to achieve results through team and other people and departments
- Availability to travel (Estimate 25%)
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions and duties of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities.
- Sitting: Often spends long periods of time on the manufacturing floor.
- Lifting: May need to lift and carry up to 15 pounds
Employees must have the ability to perform the essential job functions identified above consistent with safety standards and practices with or without reasonable accommodation.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environmental characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential duties of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate.