Job Location: Memphis, TN

Summary:

The Hershey Company Memphis plant is a Non-Union plant producing products such as Ice Breakers, Breath Savers, and Good & Plenty, in a high-speed complex environment.

The Senior Manager Operations Excellence is responsible for leading the Continuous Improvement (CI) vision and processes to drive significant improvement in safety, quality, cost, customer service and engagement.

Assures alignment of CI processes with plant and company goals. Together with the plant leadership team, develops an audit process to ensure proper accountabilities for results.

Provides leadership, coaching and training across all shifts to create an environment that engages the total workforce.

Has full plant accountability for the progress of Hershey Lean in each Business Unit from deploying on each line to the process of developing the TPM pillars as the program matures.

The Operations Excellence Manager will have the Process Leads on the line centric teams as direct reports. In addition, they will provide active coaching and training of the Plant Leadership team, and the line-centric teams.

Responsibilities:

• Provides leadership and direction to operations with a span of control over several Business Units.
• Implements a structured Integrated CI program in the facility, based on TPM style methodologies to drive performance metrics to best in class (DDS, AM, PM, FI, QI).
• As a change agent - influences change management at the manager, peer and subordinate level including business unit leadership.
• Develops structures for capability building at the line level to drive a zero-loss culture and trains the use of CI tools for effective problem solving (CILs / Centerlines, SMED, etc.).
• Coaches, directs, and trains salary and hourly personnel to utilize available tools.
• Coordinates internal and external resources for opportunity evaluation and implementation of CI processes.
• Develops and delivers training to support and enhance employee engagement in the CI process on the floor by participating in active teams as a "Process Leader"
• Provides leadership and career development to 3-6 direct reports (process leads) and accepts ownership of the continued development and sustainability of Hershey Lean.
• Facilitates BU Leaders in identifying and hiring line centric team members for new line launches.
• Takes ownership of developing the site level work plan supported by the weekly action plan and ensures a high-level assessment of systems.
• Flags major risk and network-level roadblocks to the central team.
• Takes ownership for maintaining and tracking operating performance and financial impact compared to the 2-3-year glidepath.
• Coordinates with the central team and Op Ex managers at other sites to ensure implementation consistency with the rest of the network
• Takes ownership for ensuring capability progression, with a view to new staffing needs
• Facilitates plant leadership and 5-10 person cross-functional team in developing a CBN (compelling business need), including analysis of historical performance and setting of forward-looking stretch goals.
• Responsible for getting alignment on the CBN from plant leadership and communication it to all plant employees. The CBN will be the basis for future Plant budgets out 2-3 years.
• Takes ownership for developing and sustaining Focus teams to monitor health of systems, share knowledge across the plan and define roll out progression
• Facilitates plant leadership and Focus teams in developing annual work plans and glide paths towards CBN targets.
• Provides direction and support to the formulation, evaluation, strategy setting and presentation of product and process solution improvements.
• Brainstorms, designs, and promotes improvements to processes or equipment to improve safety, quality, customer service and cost and creates a healthy CI pipeline.
• Demonstrates operational experience to understand and provide robust process solutions.
• Understands and can develop ZBA / 6-Sigma type analytics
• Develops facility specific projects through completion and serves as project leader during development and approval.
• Provides leadership on CI audit processes to ensure progress is on track vs. vision.
• Ensures critical adherence to the Hershey Lean program on all lines with key metrics to include, but not limited to:
  • Adherence to line launch schedule
  • Reduction in CO time
  • MTBF reduction during launch period
  • OEE2 improvement during launch period

Minimum knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform major duties/responsibilities:

• Knowledge of Food manufacturing policies, procedures, and GMP's.
• General CPG process, packaging subject matter expertise
• Knowledge of CI systems and methodologies including TPM, Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma
• Understands metrics and best in class excellence levels of maturity
• Proven leadership abilities, including strong influencing skills without direct reporting
• Proven change management skills
• Excellent problem-solving abilities, Ability to handle multiple and changing priorities
• Strong written (e.g.: PowerPoint) and oral communication skills.
• Ability to coach, train and provide constructive feedback to all levels of the plant organization
• Demonstrated abilities to build capability and confidence in team
• Ability to understand financial data and analysis to estimate values, including the development of the Zero-based Analytics.
• Strong MS Office Suite skills preferred.
• Understands the budget process and has demonstrated abilities to manage a budget.
• Ability to recognize and adapt to different audiences

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in an Engineering or related discipline strongly preferred.
• Six Sigma-Green Belt certification or above preferred.
• MBA a plus

• Minimum 5 years' experience in an automated manufacturing environment (preferably in food processing engineering).
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma and TPM is strongly preferred