Ice Cream Warehouse Manager

Background & Purpose of the Job

On any given day, two billion people use Unilever products to look good, feel good and get more out of life. With more than 400 brands focused on health and wellbeing, no company touches so many people’s lives in so many ways. For us, sustainability is integral to how we do business. With 7 billion people on our planet, the earth’s resources can be strained. This means sustainable growth is the only acceptable model of growth for our business. The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan sets out to decouple our growth from our environmental impact, while at the same time increasing our positive social impact. 

The Covington factory is a 24/7 high paced dynamic work environment employing 800 associates on site delivering ice cream to our consumers. We achieve success through collaborative cross functional teams leading the delivery of products to our supply chain.  The site’s rich history dates to 2001 and fosters a deep passion for delighting consumers through the iconic ice cream brand names of Breyers, Klondike, Good Humor, and Popsicle. We are committed to developing leaders equipped to handle challenges across the business. We are proud to be the largest Ice Cream manufacturer in North America. 

Who You Are & What You’ll Do

The Warehouse Manager is a management professional with a good technical understanding of manufacturing processes, inventory management, material delivery, and ERP systems. This person will need proficient mechanical skills and display excellent personal qualities.

The role provides the governance function for a cluster of semi-autonomous teams, delivering management and leadership support for performance monitoring, overtime allocation, working patterns and dispute resolution. The Warehouse Manager retains responsibility for all operators within the semi-autonomous team and drives day to day team management through their lead personnel.

Leading improvement projects for operational processes, the Warehouse Manager is responsible for the efficient operation of the warehouse, including the receipt, storage, and distribution of goods. This includes inventory management, storage organization, shipping and receiving, and system processes.

She/he understands the factory’s financial situation and use their training in UMS methodologies and processes to drive the semi-autonomous team’s work to counter losses and eradicate waste. They lead project work to support factory initiatives. Skills for problem solving, coaching and innovating are central to the role.

The Warehouse Manager provides a common standard of communication and engagement across the factory. They liaise closely with the core factory functions, including Manufacturing, Engineering, HR, Quality and Safety to achieve this.

Reporting Relationship

Directly reporting to the Associate Director of Manufacturing.

Key Responsibilities, Skills and Competencies

The Warehouse Manager is the over-all responsible person for the performance of the area across all shifts.

Process/Tool ownership and responsibilities

• Owns the daily, weekly and monthly workflow for the area. Leads the preparation of the team and facilitates the meetings.
• Owns the alignment with Cost Deployment and the loss elimination plan for the area.
• Owns the inventory accuracy and reconciliation process for the site.
• Owns the CIL process for the area and equipment. This includes deployment, execution and reporting the KPIs and continuous improvement process.
• Deploys and manages the EHS processes of the area in alignment with the EHS team. Prepares the EHS measures for meetings and assessment of upcoming deviations for the daily workflow.
• Deploys and manages the Quality processes of the area in alignment with the Quality team. Prepares the Quality measures for meetings and assessment of upcoming deviations for the daily workflow.
• Supports all other work processes in the area workflows.

People Responsibilities

• Directs the areas leadership team. Supports with handling escalations and prioritizing work.
• Responsible for the proper morning meeting execution and capability building for all operators in the area.
• Manages the interface with other teams (e.g., Quality, EHS, planning, mix, HR., production, etc.) and is accountable for their impact.
• Sets expectations and provides coaching and accountability to the operators and leads.

Loss Elimination

• Owns the loss elimination cycle for the area and executes distinct parts from loss elimination plans
• Supports and leads problem solving sessions

Core Skills and Competencies

• Technical. Effective mechanical skills (see qualifications) supported by detailed knowledge of the end-to-end manufacturing processes relevant to the operation and endorsed Good Manufacturing Practice.
• Safety. Utilize appropriate safety and environmental procedures for people, processes, materials, products and equipment to ensure a safe working environment for the whole team. Full knowledge of hazards in the workplace.
• Environment. Reduce costs due to waste and minimize impact to health, safety and the environment through working to eliminate waste and through the correct management of waste and hazardous materials.
• Leadership. Promote the development of a highly effective team through the establishment of a positive team climate supported by servant leadership and clear communication.
• Facilitation and Coaching. An ability to facilitate technical improvements using UMS improvement tools. Able to coach Technical Operators and semi-autonomous teams to build team performance
• Decision Making. Makes governance decisions for the semi-autonomous team and adjudicates on unresolved team issues. Sets the strategy for Continuous Improvement and Preventative Maintenance in assigned area guided by loss trends and direction provided by the Production Manager and/or Manex Manager.
• Continuous Improvement. Apply rigorous Cost Deployment and the Zero loss concept to eliminate losses. High skill level in Continuous Improvement that is aligned closely with World Class Manufacturing and LEAN methodologies.
• Problem Solving. Has the ability to identify, prioritize and address problems using appropriate tools and techniques that eliminate recurrence.
• Quality. Apply core knowledge of Quality skills; Quality Measurement, Prioritization, Improvement, Assessment and Certification etc. to sustain Quality standards in the factory operation.
• Management. Able to coordinate business resources and apply risk management processes. Keen sense of prioritization and ability to influence change. Resolve conflicts where identified.
• Administration. Timely and accurate administration for a cluster of teams; shift line-up, performance management, training, rewards and recognition, and safety.
• Planning and organizing. Prepare work plans within resource constraints and review implementation to drive improvement.
• Business Awareness. Understand the business needs for change and innovation.

What You’ll Need to Succeed

• University degree preferred
• 3+ years' experience in Warehouse management
• Candidates will have practical experience of inventory management, ERP systems (SAP preferred), and staff management.
• Candidates must be able to analyze factory and technical processes in order to identify opportunities for performance improvement. Strong coaching skills are a pre-requisite; enquiring, supportive, challenging.

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Physical Requirements

Must be able to work in a 24/7 factory environment, donning all necessary Personal Protective Equipment.  Essential functions include, but not limited to walking, sitting, standing, climbing stairs, and exposure to varying weather conditions. 

What We Can Offer You

Culture for Growth | Top Notch Employee Health & Well Being Benefits | Every Voice Matters | Global Reach | Unilever: Life | LinkedIn | Strategy | Unilever | Why work for Unilever | Careers at Unilever |  Unilever Global Website | Check Out Our Space

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Unilever is an organization committed to diversity and inclusion to drive our business results and create a better future every day for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal law and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. 

For more information about your Federal rights, please see Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination isIllegal and Pay Transparency Non discrimination Provision.

Employment is subject to verification of pre-screening tests, which may include drug screening, background check, credit check and DMV check.

If you are an individual with a disability in need of assistance at any time during our recruitment process, please contact us at NA.Accommodations@unilever.com. Please note: This email is reserved for individuals with disabilities in need of assistance and is not a means of inquiry about positions or application statuses. The Protected Veterans or Individuals with Disabilities AAP narratives are available for inspection by any employee or applicant for employment Monday through Friday during normal business hours at establishment.