Title:  Service and Operations Manager

At Graphic Packaging International, we produce the paper cup that held your coffee this morning, the basket that transported those bottles of craft beer you enjoyed last weekend, and the microwave tray that heated your gourmet meal last night. We’re one of the largest manufacturers of paperboard and paper-based packaging for some of the world’s most recognized brands of food, beverage, foodservice, household, personal care and pet products. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, we are collaborative, diverse, innovative individuals who create inspired packaging while giving back to our communities.

With over 25,000 employees working in more than 130 locations worldwide, we strive to be environmentally responsible in our industry and in the communities where we operate. We are committed to workplace diversity and offer compensation and benefits programs that are among the industry’s best to reward the talented people who make our company successful.

If this sounds like something you would like to be a part of, we’d love to hear from you.

A World of Difference. Made Possible.

Position Summary:

The Service and Operations Manager is responsible for strategic management and tactical coordination for the Mississauga customer service and production control team. This is a key position within the Mississauga leadership team. The Services Operations Manager provides a critical point of contact for both external customers and internal operations and is tasked with leading world class customer service and production control. The candidate is capable of quickly assessing processes and implement changes to improve/reduce waste within the frontend workflow. 

The Services Operations Manager is a skilled leader capable of providing direction to a team of employees consistent with the company’s values: ensuring team compliance with all standard work practices and processes. The Services Operations Manager promotes an environment dedicated to exceeding customer expectations while at the same time fully aligned with the business, financial and operational objectives of the company.

Position Responsibilities:

• Acts as liaison between sales, service, manufacturing, and plant operations, while also supporting company initiatives in the areas of productivity, quality, on-time delivery and cost savings initiatives.
• Effective leadership of customer service and production control teams ensuring high levels of coordination between team members.
• Partner with site leadership teams to ensure front-end production control, order entry, purchasing, and customer service standards are met or exceeded.
• Train, develop, and evaluate customer service and production control teams using company performance management process.
• Develop and manage/oversee Vendor Managed Inventory programs (Excel-based VMI).
• Develop and manage/oversee production schedule (Excel based).
• Develop and manage/oversee board ordering VMI (Excel based).
• Develop succession planning framework for long-term consistency of department.
• Monitor and manage the workload of the customer service and production control teams.
• Manage responsiveness and relationships with all internal and external customers.
• Ensure compliance with all company policies, procedures and processes.
• Oversee the timely arrival of inputs, including raw materials required to process orders in a timely fashion.
• Communicate production improvements to production control team.
• Coordinate and manage finished goods inventories to ensure all financial commitments are balanced against service needs.
• Maintain positive relationships between Customer Service, Operations Management, Sales, Suppliers, and the Customer.
• Initiate/lead/manage projects that improve customer satisfaction and/or reduce costs.
• Review and communicate customer commitments to shipping and other department to meet customer needs.
• Monitor raw materials ordering process with purchasing to ensure raw materials are timely ordered to meet delivery dates.
• Maintain inventory records.
• Maintains adequate working capital resources, meeting defined goals.
• Prepare reports, as needed, by management.
• Travel as required…less than 30%.

Production Control & Scheduling/Planning Specifics:

• Actively monitor, maintain, and control work schedule and back-log for all plant processes (including quotes).
• Complete plant projects while fully coordinating with customer, sales, customer service, manufacturing design, and plant manufacturing groups as required for on time delivery of product.
• Manage production materials (e.g., board, tooling, cello, coating, glue, etc.).
• Manage Third party vendors for outsourced production, while handling purchasing for tooling, materials, and vendors.
• Run and distribute reports and communication to various levels of leadership.
• Function as an effective global leader and focal point for plant related details and general communication. Produce materials to support the communication process when required. 
• Prepares plant capacity and demand plans.

Customer Service Specifics:

• Collaborate with sales team and customers for timely delivery of communication to customers.

• Interact with customers to resolve issues in a timely manner.

• Maximize daily order entry throughput and efficiency of order workflow to reduce errors and lost time.
• Ensure effective delivery date confirmation is in place with customers meeting 48-hour target.
• Ensure onboarding of new business is efficient and effective.
• Ensure roles and responsibilities of customer service team are clear and concise.

Other Qualities:

• Action oriented and self-motivated: enjoys working hard and acts with the right amount of planning.  Seizes opportunities to achieve goals and improve the process.
• Establishes clear expectations and inspects the expectations to ensure they are being met.
• Ability to hold employees accountable in a positive principled manner and confront them as needed to ensure policies are followed and performance goals are met.
• Adheres to the corporate core values and beliefs during good times and bad.
• Ability to provide current, direct, complete, and “actionable” positive and corrective feedback to others.
• Creates a climate in which people want to do their best and invites input from employees.
• Ability to lead efforts to react quickly to changing requirements and new processing developments.

Required Competencies:

• Customer Focus – Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.

• Composure/Diplomacy – Can negotiate skillfully in tough situations with both internal and external groups; can settle differences with minimal noise. Win consensus without damaging relationships, can be both direct and forceful as well as diplomatic. Gains trust quickly of other parties to the negotiations and has a good sense of timing.

• Integrity and Trust – Is widely trusted. Is seen as direct, truthful individual. Can present the unvarnished truth in an appropriate and helpful manner. Keeps confidences. Admits mistakes. Doesn’t misrepresent him/herself for personal gain.

• Action Oriented – Enjoys working hard; is action oriented and full of energy for the things he/she sees as challenging; not fearful of acting with a minimum of planning; seizes more opportunities than others.

• Time Management – Uses his/her time effectively and efficiently. Has a strong value on time of others. Concentrates his/her efforts on the more important priorities and gets more done in less time than others. Can attend to a broader range of activities.

• Microsoft Excel – Proficient in Excel using pivot table, complex spreadsheets, and other formulas.

• Written Communication – Is able to write clearly and succinctly in a variety of communication styles and settings. Can get messages across that have the desired effect.

• Team Player – Focuses on solving conflict; not blame; maintains confidentiality; listens without interrupting; keeps emotions under control; remains open to others’ ideas and tries new things

• Business Acumen - Understands business implications of decisions; displays orientation to profitability.

• Hands-on – Willing to be hands on as required in ERP systems

Experience & Education Requirements:

• 5+ years customer service and production control management experience.
• 5+ years of proven experience effectively leading diverse teams to exceed goals.
• Strong level of understanding and experience using ERP business applications.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills is a must.
• Bachelor’s degree in related field.
• Experience and/or certification in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, 5S, Kaizen and value stream mapping.
• Bilingual English and French (asset)
• Manufacturing experience is a plus.

Graphic Packaging is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to inclusive barrier-free recruitment and selection processes. We are pleased to accommodate individual needs in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. Should you require accommodation at any time, please advise Human Resources.