At Russell Stover, not only do we love chocolate, but we love our jobs! Every day we go to work exhibiting our values of excellence, innovation, entrepreneurship, responsibility, and collaboration. Working at Russell Stover you'll be part of the leading manufacturer of boxed, seasonal, and sugar-free chocolates. For over 100 years, Russell Stover Chocolates, Whitman's, and Pangburn's have been crafted with the finest ingredients to bring happiness to generations. Today, we produce over 55 million pounds of chocolate annually, and our legacy brands can be found in 13 company-owned stores and over 9,000 wholesale accounts. Join our team and let's continue making chocolate lovers happy!

A day in the life...

As the Plant Director, you will be the senior onsite leader in our Corsicana, Texas manufacturing facility, and a key member of the company's operations leadership team. You will be accountable for all aspects of plant performance to ensure business, operational, quality, and food safety objectives are achieved. As a dynamic leader, you will prioritize a safe working environment and be an advocate for ensuring talent retention, development, and engagement for the more than 600 employees onsite.

This critical role requires a confident leader with strong technical and communication skills with the ability to build relationships across the organization while balancing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

What you will be doing...

Your mission will be to ensure the production and delivery of quality products on time and in the safest, most efficient, and cost-effective manner. You will be responsible for managing all resources related to production within the plant to ensure products are manufactured in the quantities required within the designated time frames at the most efficient cost without compromising high standards for safety and quality. Specific areas of responsibility include:

• Leading and coordinating production operations, employee health and safety, manufacturing engineering, quality, and continuous improvement efforts for the plant.
• Manage daily operations within the plant to achieve production and business goals.
• Ensure employee safety while improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the plant.
• Partner with Human Resources to develop programs and tools to drive a high-performing and engaging culture within the plant.
• Test and monitor plant performance through production reports and analysis.
• Champion change to develop a culture of continuous improvement.
• Lead the staff to identify and develop present and future capacities through manpower and machinery to ensure the most cost-efficient operations.
• Ensure production is scheduled to meet plans and schedules are executed effectively and on time.
• Establish and maintain an organized system, optimize processes and methods to ensure maximum and steady output, increase efficiency, and reduce waste.
• Develop and improve production and sanitation processes to maintain and improve quality standards as well as minimize waste and inefficiencies.
• Fully understand the Manufacturing budget and manage expectations.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with functional support departments.
• Maintain effective communication of company goals and relevant information to employees.
• Develop and encourage effective working relationships within the department and with support organizations.
• Ensure safety programs are followed in place, and effectively executed.
• Hire, train, motivate, and develop staff and create a high-performing, engaged workforce.

Do you have what it takes?

(Basic Qualifications)

• Bachelor's degree in industrial, mechanical, food science, or business administration or related field.
• Minimum 10+ years of proven experience in a leadership role within a manufacturing environment.
• Proven experience in continuous improvement using lean tools (5S, TPM, Six Sigma, or similar).
• Experience with SAP in a manufacturing environment.
• Training in engineering standards.
  

Do you stand above the rest?

(Preferred Qualifications)

• Advanced Degree
• Experience in a process-oriented, food manufacturing environment
• Training in engineering standards such as "Lean" sanitation, food safety, and regulations

What it's like at the Russell Stover Plants

• Safety. Your safety is important to us, so we provide protective gear. We also go through an in-depth Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) training on your first day and continue to share safety tips daily
• Surroundings. You'll be working around different machines - Schubert's, forklifts, electric pallet jacks, and chocolate candy banks/steels.
• Activity. Some activities may require standing in one place for long periods, walking around, or climbing stairs/ladders, and routinely lift 50 lbs.
• Temperature. You will be comfortable year-round with our climate-controlled environment. Our temperatures are consistently around 63F but could fluctuate depending on your specific role.
• Smell. You will enjoy a variety of deliciously sweet aromas and you may end your day smelling like chocolate!
• Dress code. Relaxed, with a few rules to follow for food safety, personal safety and in guidance with our good manufacturing practices (GMP). Comfortable, closed-toe shoes are required. Leather, imitation leather, rubber boots or shoes must be worn in the kitchen and other areas when working around hot liquid/product or hot water.
• Allergens: You will be exposed to a variety of ingredients that may be considered food allergens.

At Russell Stover Chocolates, we don't just accept difference - we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products, and our community. Russell Stover Chocolates is proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer.

We provide equal employment opportunities to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, religion, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, protected medical condition, genetic information, military service, veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by law.

Employment by Russell Stover Chocolates is contingent upon I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification, passing the urinalysis drug screen, education verification, and satisfactory reference and background checks.

Make Happy. Work Happy.

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