Packaging Department Manager bei Salas O’Brien

Packaging Department Manager
Founded in 1975, Salas O’Brien is an employee-owned engineering and professional services firm
focused on achieving impact for our clients, our team, and the world. We know that tomorrow’s
requirements are today’s opportunities, and we are here to design lasting solutions for pressing
challenges.
We work across a variety of industries providing integrated engineering and consulting services. Salas
O'Brien's Process and Manufacturing (P&M) business unit engineers provide transformative solutions for
industrial processes from concept to implementation. As part of ‘one’ Salas O'Brien, a multi-disciplinary
engineering and architecture firm, the P&M business unit ensures a seamless, comprehensive service
experience through a "local everywhere" approach. We integrate specialized expertise across a
spectrum of markets, including:
 Agribusiness
 Chemical/Petrochemical
 Consumer Products
 Food and Beverage
 Material Handling & Processing
 Pharmaceutical
 Power & Utilities
 Process & Manufacturing
We have dedicated team members who guide our customers through unique business needs, from
start-up and commissioning to design, construction, and connecting facilities through automation and
digital solutions. We are also committed to sustainability, integrating eco-friendly practices into our
designs to optimize resource efficiency and environmental impact.
Job Responsibilities:
Reporting to the Director of Automation and Digital, the Packaging Department Manager is responsible
for developing packaging project operations, building and mentoring internal staff, and delivering
packaging scope for our customers. The Packaging Department Manager builds and retains quality
relationships with team members and clients and represents the company, both internally and
externally, in such a way that embodies the company's values and beliefs. The Packaging Department
Manager is counted on to provide leadership within the company and encourages those same qualities
in other team members.
The Packaging Department Manager and the team members will work together to achieve new team
member development and job satisfaction. The Packaging Department Manager ensures that each team
member in their department has the training and resources necessary to fulfill assigned responsibilities
and goals.
All Department Managers work as a team to review and evaluate resource needs for projects. The
Department Managers collaborate with Project Managers to determine the best resource assignments
for projects based on the optimal overall resource allocation for the company and team member career
objectives.
The responsibilities listed below are fundamental to the position and must be performed successfully to
achieve the key performance objectives of the role. Other responsibilities may be assigned.
1. Program Responsibilities:
 Engage in Seller-Doer sales model and Selling Boldly (and/or other sales initiatives as rolled
out by Salas O'Brien) by building relationships with key customers and counterparts.
 Develop great relationships with clients and partner to develop future opportunities to help
them achieve their business goals.
 Understand our markets and those immediately adjacent to our core competencies. Bring
developed ideas for growth to be evaluated by leadership.
 Work with Business Development to build a pipeline of projects containing packaging
content.
 Stay abreast of advances in all areas of packaging components and manufacturing
processes.
 Assist Marketing Department in preparation of marketing documents.
 Supervise packaging project execution to achieve time, cost, functionality, and performance
objectives.
 Oversee the execution of multiple simultaneous complex, high priority projects.
 Assist in development of solutions that consider the impact to the customer’s packaging
budget, ergonomics and packaging materials.
 Ensure Packaging Equipment Layout solutions developed by team members account for
material staging and optimal material & personnel flow.
 Assist in development of processes to support customer operations and/or use of
equipment.
 Ensure quality of detailed packaging equipment and assembly procedure specifications.
 Provide assistance to team members when diagnosing packaging line bottlenecks and
providing recommended solutions to eliminate them.
 Assure team quality project execution through all project phases of Definition, Detail Design,
Procurement, Factory/Vendor Acceptance and Testing, and Construction/start-up support.
2. Project Responsibilities:
 Responsible for creation of Scope/Deliverable/Assumptions (SDAs) and estimates for the
department. Coordinate delegation to others as appropriate. Review and approve all
estimates for the department.
 Assign team members to projects as appropriate.
 Attend scheduled Forecast Meetings and revise assignments as necessary.
 Provide Department Forecast to Project Support by assigned deadline. Ensure forecasts
include the total anticipated needs to complete active projects, and not just the next few
weeks' assignments or a simple spread of remaining budget hours.
 Monitor budget of all projects in department. Responsible for notifying Project Manager and
Director of Automation and Digital of potential budget problems.
 Monitor schedule of all projects in department. Responsible for notifying Project Manager
and Director of Automation and Digital of potential schedule problems.
 Monitor scope and deliverables of all projects in department. Responsible for notifying
Project Manager and Director of Automation and Digital of changes in project scopes or
deliverables.
 Ensure all customer deliverables are checked prior to issue/release. Overall responsibility for
technical quality of work in the department. Ensures that technical concepts employed on
projects are sound.
 Works with peers to develop and maintain a Quality Assurance Plan for the department.
3. Team:
 Evaluate Department forecast and make recommendations to the Director of Automation
and Digital when additional resources are needed.
 Define job descriptions.
 Evaluate resumes as they are received for potential fit.
 Interview potential new hires.
 Ensure that new team members understand the policies, procedures, and expectations of
the company.
 Mentor to new team members to assist in on-the-job training and communicating company
standards.
 Develop and grow a team of packaging engineers/team members to deliver packaging
project scopes within time, cost, functionality and performance objectives.
 Know and understand each team member’s goals, objectives, and career interests.
 Collaborate with direct reports to have them establish and document Specific, Measurable,
Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound (SMART) goals that align with business strategies and
objectives. Review and discuss with direct reports at least once per quarter.
 Collaborate with direct reports to have them establish and document career and training
plans that align with business objectives.
 Inspire and encourage team members to succeed.
 Recognize and reward team member accomplishments.
 Demonstrate a genuine interest in team members’ well-being and develop a relationship of
trust with the team.
 Encourage good team member relations and assist in resolving conflicts.
 Provide input to the Director of Automation and Digital for the annual salary and bonus
plans as applicable.
 Maintain awareness of and coordinate vacation and sick leave schedules. Ensure that
vacations are forecasted.
 Approve team member’s time sheets (overhead hours), expense reports, and all overtime.
 Review and manage team member general administration time. Assign billable work or
meaningful company work.
 Submit team member training requests to Director of Automation and Digital for approval.
 Determine tools and equipment necessary for team members to perform assignments.
 Assist in keeping off-site team members current on company activities and news.
 Give team members regular feedback regarding performance. Hold and document monthly
1-on-1 discussions with each direct team member.
 Solicit feedback from others concerning team member performance.
 Conduct formal team member Performance Appraisal annually.
 Create and document a succession plan for each key position within the department, listing
candidates who are ready to take over now, or ready in 1-2 years, in 3-5 years, or further
out.
 Identify team member(s) with poor performance and inform Human Resources.
 Develop and document a corrective action plan and discuss with identified team members
(training, new assignment, work habits, etc.).
 Continually monitor progress of team member with corrective action plan.
 If necessary, begin team member termination discussions in conjunction with the Director of
Automation and Digital and Human Resources.
4. Personal Growth
 Collaborate with the Director of Automation and Digital to establish and document own
SMART goals that align with business strategies and objectives. Review and discuss with
Director of Automation and Digital at least once per quarter.
5. Other
 Good interpersonal communication (verbal and written) skills.
 Strong organizational, prioritization and time management skills to handle multiple tasks
and various managers in a fast-paced environment.
 Ability to handle confidential data.
 Commitment to excellence and high standards.
 Self-motivated / Accountable / Responsible work ethic.
 Critical thinker / Ability to analyze unique situations and develop appropriate responses.
 Experience managing customer-focused teams in related fields.
Education and Experience:
 Bachelor’s degree in engineering, or equivalent technical degree.
 15+ years of experience with High Speed Packaging in the Food and Beverage Industry,
Consumer Products, and/or Pharmaceutical Industry.
 Strong working knowledge of packaging control hardware, instrumentation, and software.
 Knowledge of and experience with primary and secondary packaging, and package design.
 Ability to perform BVOA (Best Value Option Analysis)
o Knowledge of packaging master planning activities and evaluation of options to
meet OEE objectives.
 Knowledge of vision, bar code, and other identification or inspection systems.
 US work authorization (Required).
Software:
 Experience and knowledge with PACKML and other industry standard packaging automation
software.
 Experience with Rockwell Arena and Emulate3D software is a strong plus.
 Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Access, and PowerPoint.
 Fundamental experience with Microsoft Project.
 Preferred – Deltek Vantagepoint accounting system experience.
Physical Requirements:
 Frequently required to sit at a desk/workstation for long period of time.
 Ability to work at a computer terminal for extended periods of time.
 Light Lifting to 30 lbs.
 Ability to speak to and listen to team members/clients via phone or in person.
 Body motor skills are sufficient to enable unencumbered movement around an office
environment.
Location:
 Position is based out of Cincinnati, OH regional area.
 Work-From-Home (WFH) hybrid arrangement is available after the initial onboarding period.
However a reliable commute to Cincinnati, OH office is desired.
 Salaried position, 40 hours per week; may require additional hours including evening and
weekends depending on business needs.
 Work typically performed in an indoor office setting/client site.
Travel:
The nature of our business requires travel; estimate of travel is minimal to 30%, understanding in some
circumstances a higher amount of travel may be required for the execution of the business. Salas
O’Brien is committed to keep business travel to a reasonable nature as required for the execution of the
business.
Equal Opportunity Employment Statement
Salas O’Brien provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment
and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex,
national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity
or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state/provincial, or local laws. Salas
O’Brien will accommodate the disability-related needs of applicants as required by law.