Manufacturing Excellence & Category Manager

ABOUT UNILEVER

With 3.4 billion people in over 190 countries using our products every day, Unilever is a business that makes a real impact on the world. Work on brands that are loved and improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. We are driven by our purpose: to make sustainable living commonplace, and it is our belief that doing business the right way drives superior performance. At the heart of what we do is our people – we believe that when our people work with purpose, we will create a better business and a better world. 

At Unilever, your career will be a unique journey, grounded in our, collaborative, and flexible working environment. Our organizational ambition centers around creating workplaces that foster equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging across all aspects of our business. We don’t believe in the ‘one size fits all’ approach and instead we will equip you with the tools you need to shape your own future.

Manufacturing Excellence & Category Manager reports to the Head of Manufacturing with strategic support from the Associate Directors in Category Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence. Direct reports to this role will be a team comprising Process and Category Engineers.

JOB PURPOSE

Find your purpose at Unilever. You will lead innovations, big and small, that will make our business win and grow. You will learn from brilliant business leaders and colleagues in a truly global and diverse culture to ultimately become a better you. If you are  passionate about working on continuous improvement projects via loss elimination, as well as leading small to medium scale category technology projects  then this role is just for you.

WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE

Manufacturing Excellence & Category Manager influences Performance indicators such as OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness), MP (Manufacturing Performance), OR (Output Reliability), Waste (as a % of COGS), CPT (Cost per Tonne), and OTIF (On Time in Full). 
They also will:

- support day-to-day reliability activities at the factory through product and formulation expertise and have responsibility for packaging and formulation trials.

- Lead process improvement projects and processes that eliminate losses across the factory with full ownership of the Manufacturing Excellence program deployment. Executes plant trials, and technical support for small to medium scale category projects. Key ownership of the site Masterplan with strategic direction from the from Supply Chain Stakeholders.

- Participate in establishing company-wide best practices and standards that increase productivity and allow innovation excellence. Identification of best practices across the global Unilever network for replication on site while delivering projects and processes that become best practices as well. Utilize data collection to drive productivity improvements (Efficiency & Waste) while owning the digital agenda for the factory.

- Participate in cross-plant improvement teams. Develop strong partnership with plant manufacturing, corporate engineering, and union workforce. Key role in facilitating innovation and supply chain strategic projects. Interface directly with R&D, innovation, planning and other corporate teams on the delivery of the overall Supply Chain Strategy.

- Bring new Ways of Working to the factory in our continued pursuit of Net Productivity, while living our core values (Unilever Sustainable Living Plan).

- On Time In Full (OTIF) end to end delivery of continuous improvement and innovation projects adhering to Unilever standards and ensuring safety as our number 1 priority.

- Present ideas and projects to the internal and external leadership teams and influence business decisions to help deliver the 3-year masterplan for the NA Savory Business

Some other great experiences you’ll learn may include (and more):

• Opportunity to lead a high functioning team of engineers to deliver factory transformation projects.
• Partner with broader Unilever teams on projects (R&D, Brand, Procurement, Finance, etc.)
• Scope and install small to medium scale future-fit technology improvements across the factory.
• Gain experience developing business cases and building autonomous teams.
• Create a network of amazingly talented individuals both inside the factory and within the Unilever network

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO SUCCEED

Experiences, Qualifications & Skills

Required

• Education: BS in Chemical, Mechanical, Industrial Engineering or equivalent technical degree.
• Experience: 3+ Years of Engineering in FMCG / foods / related Industry.
• Project Management, maintenance, R&D, and/or continuous improvement experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong continuous improvement background with demonstrated performance.
• You will need to be organized and detail oriented to deliver improvement and category projects while prioritizing safety, product quality, project timing, and cost.
• The role also requires you to be a great partner to the on-site operational factory team and the off-site cross functional teams.

Desired

• Experience in World Class Manufacturing (WCM), Six Sigma (Green or Black Belt), Lean manufacturing, and/or Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is a plus
• Experience working collaboratively with R&D, local and global teams a plus.

Leadership

• You are an inclusive motivator of people. Your team deliver with real passion, growing and learning from each other whilst delivering quick wins.
• You are still responsible for your own results and as a manager, you also need to motivate others to deliver with passion, creating an inclusive and engaging climate around you. You can balance challenge with support and coaching. You understand the wider business context and you are emotionally intelligent enough to motivate people to deliver what is needed.

• Critical SOL (Standards of Leadership) Behaviors
  • PERSONAL MASTERY: Sets high standards for themselves. Has emotional intelligence to take feedback, manage mood and motivations, and build empathy for others.
  • PASSION FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE: Generates intensity and focus to motivate people to deliver results at speed. Takes personal responsibility and accountability for execution and results.
  • TALENT CATALYST: Invests in people – coaches individuals and teams to realize their full potential. Creates an inclusive climate, empowering everyone to be at their best.
  • PURPOSE & SERVICE: Has humility, understanding that leadership is service to others, inside and outside Unilever.
  • CONSUMER LOVE: Invests time inside and outside to understand the needs of consumers.
  • BUSINESS ACUMEN: Creates sustainable growth with purpose, engaging different partners across the system for change.

What We Can Offer You

Unilever at a Glance | Working at Unilever | Powering our Purpose | Planet & Society | Unilever’s Brands | Unilever on LinkedIn | Strategy | Unilever | Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Careers at Unilever |  Benefits, Learning, & Wellbeing | Latest News About Unilever #WC123

Pay: The pay range for this position is $98,300 to $147,500. Unilever takes into consideration a wide range of factors that are utilized in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to, skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, qualifications and education, and other business and organizational needs.
Bonus: This position is bonus eligible.
Long-Term Incentive (LTI): This position is LTI eligible.

Benefits: Unilever employees are eligible to participate in our benefits plan. Should the employee choose to participate, they can choose from a range of benefits to include, but is not limited to, health insurance (including prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage), retirement savings benefits, life insurance and disability benefits, parental leave, sick leave, paid vacation and holidays, as well as access to numerous voluntary benefits. Any coverages for health insurance and retirement benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents.

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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.