Operations Manager

A leader in custom packaging solutions with nearly 50 years of industry innovation is seeking a driven Operations Department Manager to lead production across their Label and Flexible Packaging departments. This company specializes in a diverse range of products—including labels, flexible packaging, and paperboard folding cartons—serving multiple industry verticals from their state-of-the-art facilities in Neenah, Wisconsin. As they execute a transformation centered on growth, automation, and full digitalization, they are looking for a high-energy leader to drive operational excellence and build a winning culture.

What You'll Do:

• Lead & Inspire: Provide strong leadership to multi-shift production teams, setting clear goals aligned with company objectives and fostering a culture of accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Drive Operational Excellence: Champion Lean Manufacturing principles (5S, Kaizen, VSM, SMED, TPM) to optimize efficiency, reduce waste, and improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
• Own the P&L: Manage the financial performance of both departments, including labor efficiency, material yield, and indirect spend, while identifying cost-saving opportunities and delivering on monthly and annual commitments.
• Ensure Quality & Compliance: Establish and enforce quality standards, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), and customer specifications to ensure all products meet or exceed requirements.
• Lead Safety Initiatives: Champion a zero-injury mindset by leading safety walks, ensuring timely incident investigations, and driving proactive hazard elimination.
• Develop Talent: Recruit, hire, and train plant personnel, providing ongoing coaching, feedback, and structured development plans to build bench strength and cross-functional capability.
• Collaborate Cross-Functionally: Partner with Scheduling, Maintenance, Quality, Sales, and Engineering to align production capacity with demand, improve uptime, and execute capital investments.
• Solve Problems: Drive root cause analysis (RCA) and corrective actions (8D, PDCA, A3) to eliminate recurring defects and operational bottlenecks.

What You Need:

• MUST HAVE: Minimum of 5 years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience with direct responsibility for production teams.
• MUST HAVE: Demonstrated experience implementing Lean Manufacturing methodologies (Lean or Six Sigma certification is a plus).
• Strongly Preferred: Experience in the label, flexible packaging, or converting industries.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire, mentor, and drive accountability across teams.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret production data and financial metrics.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across functions.
• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, or a related field preferred; equivalent experience considered.