Operations Director

As our Director of Operations at Ecolab's manufacturing site in Joliet, IL, you will lead our chemical blend operation to produce the cleaning and sanitation products Ecolab makes for the global market. You are someone who will think bigger than Director of Operations, someone eager to get up every day and come to work, driven to develop a well-oiled machine who craves the opportunity to make a lasting contribution. You will be part of Ecolab’s journey from good to great while we improve in every shape and form to become a World Class Supply Chain. If you thrive in your current role but hunger to leave a legacy, share your own World Class supply chain experience and lead your team on an unforgettable journey, training and coaching them to thrive in a changing Supply Chain culture, this role will be a good match for you. With laser focus on safety, service, and savings, we are in the midst of an integrated project that will create better visibility and better metrics to drive performance and give customers what matters to them most.

Lead your team as you follow Lean strategies and use TPM tools as you drive production to meet our safety, service, and savings goals.  The position requires that you have a keen knowledge of financial measurements of Operations and strong computer literacy.  Gain recognition for your ability to develop and lead a World Class team providing new leaders to fill succession opportunities.

Is this an exciting opportunity?  It is for the driven person who thrives on challenge, is willing to relocate for advancement opportunities, and has experience in World Class operations with a foundation in the pillars of Total Productive Maintenance.  It is the perfect opportunity to share your knowledge, advance your career and leave a lasting legacy with a leading global company recognized as one of the most ethical in the world, devoted to offering solutions to the world’s biggest challenges.

What You Will Do:

• Evolve Ecolab’s World Class manufacturing safety culture; lead by example and manage the transition from safety is important to having a team where 100% of the employees are engaged 100% of the time to achieve zero accidents.
• Provide inspirational leadership to our operating teams as we build a TPM based High Performance Work System, building flexible, stronger, and more engaged operating teams.
• Deliver KPI’s in safety, service, and savings through execution of key projects, programs, loss reduction, and through engaging 100% of our team toward our 2024 vision.
• Inspire the manufacturing team as you embrace Lean practices and use your ability to listen and communicate transparently to encourage every single person to think Lean and act proactively to make changes that will save time and reduce manufacturing waste.
• Lead Autonomous Maintenance pillar activities as a fundamental culture shift in our TPM journey.
• Strengthen and foster front-line leadership capability, impact, and sustainable operations.
• Manage the integration of capital projects with cross-functional team and respond to opportunities for process improvements.
• Integrate business partnership focus in strengthening cross-functional collaboration with RD&E, Logistics, Suppliers, and Key Business leaders.

 
Site Information: As our Director of Operations, you will work at our flagship plant in Joliet, IL. The Director of Operations leads a diverse team Production Supervisors and indirect reports. The plant is a 600,000 sq. ft. site that operates 24/7 and manufactures approximately 1300 SKU’s. Products include Liquid, Powder, and Solid products used by businesses for cleaning and sanitation to promote clean water, abundant energy, and safe food. The role requires willingness to be on call around the clock for critical manufacturing. This is a highly visible role where you will report to the Site Leader and have interaction with divisional business leaders, Global Supply Chain functional leaders, and peers on the plant leadership team to continuously improve and develop the processes in production, safety, quality, planning, procurement, and distribution.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in business, science, technology, engineering, math or related field
• 5+ years manufacturing experience
• 3+ years manufacturing people management experience
• 2+ years in an operations functional area, e.g.: Production, Distribution, Planning, Purchasing, Quality, Engineering, Compliance, Regulatory and/or HR
• 1+ years capital project management experience 
•  Immigration sponsorship not available for this role
   

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Chemical Engineering
• Advanced Technical Degree or MBA
• Labor relations experience
• 3+ years’ experience in a chemical, food & beverage, consumer products or related manufacturing industry
• 3 + years’ experience applying Lean / TPM principals in a manufacturing environment
• 3+ years’ experience in cross-functional project or program management
• Knowledge of supply chain financial measurements of Operations, Capital Management
• Extensive experience using MS Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint), SAP, and other relevant computer software and systems effectively

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Benefits 

Ecolab strives to provide comprehensive and market-competitive benefits to meet the needs of our associates and their families. Click here to see our benefits. 

If you are viewing this posting on a site other than our Ecolab Career website, view our benefits at jobs.ecolab.com/working-here. 

Covid-19 Vaccine Notice

Due to local mandates and customer requirements, applicants for certain customer-facing positions must be fully vaccinated (which in some situations requires a booster if eligible), unless a religious or medical accommodation is requested by the applicant and approved by Ecolab. 

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 

Ecolab will provide reasonable accommodation (such as a qualified sign language interpreter or other personal assistance) with our application process upon request as required to comply with applicable laws. If you have a disability and require accommodation assistance in this application process, please visit the Recruiting Support link in the footer of each page of our career website.  

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
At Ecolab, we believe the best teams are diverse and inclusive, and we are on a journey to create a workplace where every associate can grow and achieve their best. We are committed to fair and equal treatment of associates and applicants. We recruit, hire, promote, transfer and provide opportunities for advancement on the basis of individual qualifications and job performance. In all matters affecting employment, compensation, benefits, working conditions, and opportunities for advancement, we will not discriminate against any associate or applicant for employment because of race, religion, color, creed, national origin, citizenship status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expressions, genetic information, marital status, age, disability, or status as a covered veteran.

In addition, we are committed to furthering the principles of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) through Affirmative Action (AA). Our goal is to fully utilize minority, female, disabled and covered veteran individuals at all levels of the workforce. Ecolab is a place where you can grow your career, own your future and impact what matters.

We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the New York City Fair Chance Act.