Job Overview:
Plan, develop and implement the structure and culture for achieving Oil-Dri’s Safety, Health, Environmental, and Quality (SHEQ) Objectives and continuously improving Oil-Dri’s Management Systems in Mounds and at toll processors involved in supporting the animal health business.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities:
- Manage the development and implementation of Quality department (QA and QC) in Oil-Dri’s Mounds operations. Includes required resources, methods, timing, and financial impact to support, collaborate and integrate with the Operations Plan and long-term strategy.
- Act as local resource regarding SHE topics to manufacturing leaders and teammates.
- Routinely develop and conduct training for management and hourly teammates that builds and enhances the SHEQ culture.
- Utilize proven Lean Manufacturing based analytical and troubleshooting/problem solving abilities to identify opportunities for waste reduction and quality improvement while improving employee safety.
- Staff the Quality department with appropriately skilled teammates, in coordination with Operations to support the Quality Management System (QMS)
- Assure that audit teams have appropriate competence understanding quality system and process audit techniques.
- Direct and maintain an effective audit and surveillance program that demonstrates implementation of required contractual and regulatory requirements of the toll processors that we do business with.
- Collaborate, advise, and team with Oil-Dri’s management, project teams and other departments to provide SHEQ solutions in accordance with Oil-Dri’s standards and needs.
- Set project parameters, assemble and train teams, and lead the teams through the improvement processes to ensure project objectives are met, effectively utilizing resources that are not directly under her/his control to achieve both individual and team goals. This will be done at a Global level.
- Assure appropriate documentation of SHEQ processes and procedures, define and implement improvement opportunities, and monitor performance against established standards and goals.
- Manage safety and environmental inspections with regulators and any follow-up required internal to the company as well as external to regulatory agencies.
- Lead or direct the determination of root causes of SHEQ issues, development of corrective actions and recommendations, and implement process changes when appropriate.
- Establish, maintain and implement communications to increase awareness and improvement of quality issues.
- Ensure continued communication of performance results to appropriate management personnel, teams and locations.
- Work with customers and suppliers as necessary to better enable customer and Oil-Dri satisfaction on situations impacting or involving quality.
- Work with Procurement to improve supplier quality and development. This includes training of supplier personnel on process improvement principles and loss elimination.
- Establish departmental performance goals and ensure process adherence. Continuously monitor departmental performance against those goals.
- Leads all efforts in response to health, accident and/or injury at the Plant. This includes but not limited to: preparation and filing injury and/or accident reports; manage and coordinate all accident and injury related activities with a special focus on near miss reporting and accident investigations; ensure corrective actions taken with all accidents; reporting worker’s compensation claims to HR.
- Perform other such duties as may be required.
Other Duties & Responsibilities:
- Perform typical management and administrative responsibilities for recruiting, performance evaluation, mentoring, skill development, disciplinary action, and salary management.
- Comply with all safety policies, practices and procedures and reporting all unsafe activities to Management and/or Human Resources.
- Participate in proactive team efforts to achieve departmental and company goals.
- Contribute to building a positive team spirit.
- Apply effective written and verbal communication.
- Develop Effective presentations, as needed.
- Protect confidential information by not communicating, disclosing, or using for benefit of 3rd parties.
- Travel (up to 25%) by land and/or air.
Qualifications:
Education and/or Experience:
- Bachelor of Science degree in Technical Discipline (Mathematics, Engineering, Physics, Quality Management, etc) from an accredited college.
- At least 4 (four) years related experience and/or training in Quality Programs and/or Supplier Quality Management and control. An equivalent combination of education, experience, and certification may be substituted.
- At least 2 years’ management or project leadership experience in quality programs. Experience managing Safety, Health, and Environmental programs desired but not required.
- Hands-on experience in successful implementation of Quality processes/concepts, such as Management Review, FMEA, Control Plans, Measurement Systems Analysis (MSA), Change Management, Corrective and Preventive Action, and Capability Methods & Requirements.
- Hands-on experience creating and revising standard operating procedures, process work instructions, and forms. Creating and revising process standards as needed.
- Experience in project management, modifications to equipment and manufacturing procedures is strongly recommended.
- Expertise in training teams that include Direct and/or Indirect labor in various analysis tools, directing changes to the manufacturing processes, improving material flow, and optimizing departmental layouts is required.
- Must be able to multi-task, prioritize, and delegate tasks readily.
- This position requires an excellent communicator who can lead co-workers at various levels.
- Strong interpersonal skills, plus oral and written communication skills, including excellent presentation skills.
- Must be able and willing to work extended hours as required. (including weekends)
- Able to work with minimal supervision.
- Certifications: The position requires certification as an American Society of Quality (ASQ) Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), ASQ Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE), and/or Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Lean Bronze & Silver Certifications, as determined by manager and/or annual goals. If not already done, the certification requirements must be met within 24 months of being assigned the position with the first attempt at certification within the first 12 months.
- Personal Traits: Must be able to promote a positive and professional demeanor at all times by optimizing communications techniques and responses through various levels of Oil-Dri. Must be process driven, possess superior team building and coaching skills, excellent leadership and communication skills. Absolute requirement – individual must be a complete TEAM PLAYER
- Mathematical Skills: Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs. Ability to apply advanced mathematical concepts such as exponents, logarithms, quadratic equations, and permutations. Ability to apply mathematical operations to such tasks as frequency distribution, determination of test reliability and validity, analysis of variance, correlation techniques, sampling theory, and factor analysis.
- Reasoning Ability: Strong quality and problem-solving background preferred. Ability to influence decisions and compel action in a complex environment. Ability to define problems, collects and analyzes data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
- Computer Skills: Knowledge of database, project management, spreadsheet, and word processing software, electronic mail, statistical software, graphics, technical diagrams, flow charts, etc.