Renville, Minnesota, USA
3 days ago
Co-Products Manager

Summary of position:

The Co-Products Manager (CPM) is responsible for planning, directing, and coordinating co-product operations and maintenance with responsibility for the storage and distribution of co-products and raw materials at Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative.  The CPM assists SMBSC in reaching its mission and goals by 1) monitoring, inspecting, and managing all co-product, raw material, rail yard, and heavy equipment activities to meet and exceed operational needs and customer expectations, 2) working with customers to ensure uncompromising quality, and 3) coaching and developing employees to create a skilled workforce for current and future needs.  This position is expected to train and become certified in food quality, safety, and food defense topics including but not limited to Preventative Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI), Safe Quality Foods (SQF), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), and heavy equipment operation including Rail Safe.

Essential Functions:

Production and Maintenance Activities

Plans, organizes, and directs co-product and rail yard crew members to optimize day-to-day operations, meeting both the Company’s budgetary needs and raw material requirements and goals as well as the customer’s demands for co-products including but not limited to: molasses, separator molasses soluble (SMS), pellets, shreds, alternative cattle feed, and wet pulp Directs crews to prioritize maintenance needs to insure minimal downtime or equipment failure; oversees special projects in the rail yard and co-products loading areas Performs co-product audits and inspects facilities, machinery, work conditions, and safety equipment to identify and correct potential hazards, ensuring safety and food safety regulatory compliance and conformance; completes necessary paperwork for vendor and customer audits as required Partners with the Quality Assurance Manager and Corporate Director of Technical Services to investigate customer issues and complaints; produces corrective action procedures to reduce and/or eliminate future risk Serves as a back up to the Sugar Warehouse Manager; assists in planning, directing, and coordinating warehouse personnel to insure safe and efficient storage and distribution of sugar Collaborates with the Supply Chain and Procurement Directors to manages co-product and raw material inventories (i.e.: lime rock, coal, anthracite) including storage and rotation; partners with the Supply Chain Director to ensure production-shipping plans are accurate, cost effective, and efficient, including understanding annual, monthly, and day-to-day schedules and constraints Manages employees to ensure zero plant downtime or slowdown due to low inventory levels Communicates closely with the Company’s external marketing/trading partners to insure timely transportation and logistics for co-products and raw materials Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops, reviewing professional publications, and participating in professional societies; shares relevant information to affected employees and customers

Training and Development

Trains all co-product and rail yard/heavy equipment operators to Company-specific programs, policies, and procedures, including but not limited to: good manufacturing practices, master sanitation scheduling, rail yard safety (Rail Safe ©), and fall protection; assists in training sugar warehouse employees to warehouse-specific policies, procedures, and programs as required Coaches, develops, monitors, and evaluates the Shipping Coordinator; assists with goal setting and sets employment expectations through personal and employee accountability

Leadership

Promotes an Employer of Choice environment aimed at a zero-lost time work force with 100% environmental compliance and uncompromising quality Assists in the development and management of the annual operating and capital budgets for the sugar warehouse, rail yard, and co-products areas Attends staff meetings as needed

Core Competencies and Skill Requirements

Commitment to safety, environmental, and quality excellence Ability to work in a responsible, safe manner by adhering to SMBSC’s safety and housekeeping protocol Strong understanding of factory operations including production and maintenance Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods Knowledge of principles and methods for moving goods by rail and road Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources Knowledge of the Sugar Trax program with the ability to teach and train others Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo Knowledge of tools and machines, including their designs, uses, repair and maintenance Strong understanding of transportation, accounting, finance, and economic concepts Knowledge of principles and methods for moving goods by rail, road, and air, which includes understanding relative costs and benefits Proficient analytical and critical thinking skills Ability to gather information by observing, receiving and obtaining information from all relevant sources Ability to identify trends, patterns and anomalies with data to draw conclusions and make recommendations for current and future needs Ability to quantify the characteristics of products and materials used at the Company, which includes estimating sizes and quantities or determining time, costs, resources or materials needed to perform a work activity Ability to inspect equipment, structures or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems and defects Expert understanding of factory equipment and maintenance techniques Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings and models Knowledge of tools and machines, including their designs, uses, repair and maintenance Excellent communication skills Ability to develop constructive and cooperative working relationships with internal and external audiences and maintain these relationships over time to advance the overall public image of SMBSC Ability to document information in a logical, sequential manner which includes entering, transcribing, recording, storing and maintaining information Ability to maintain high attention to detail Proficient in Microsoft Office Ability to import, export, sort, and analyze data in Microsoft Excel Ability to create and edit documents in Microsoft Word Familiarity and comfort using Microsoft Outlook, Access, and PowerPoint Strong conflict management and resolution skills Ability to handle complaints, settle disputes and resolve grievances and conflicts; negotiate with external audiences Ability to maintain a high level of interpersonal skills to handle sensitive and confidential situations Commitment to safety Ability to work in a responsible, safe manner by adhering to SMBSC’s safety and housekeeping protocol Ability to provide guidance and expert advice to employees and other groups based on technical, systems-related or process-related topics in regard to safety

 Required Education and Experience:

3-5 years’ experience working with logistics or supply chains 3-5 years’ experience working in warehousing 3 or more years of experience directly supervising employees, preferred

 Other:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change any time with or without notice.
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