Global Director Of Manufacturing, Life Sciences

Are you the kind of person that is always thinking, sketching, seeking, and adjusting? Who needs to understand how things work and then figure out how they can work better? Are you a passionate, tenacious, solver who loves to work with others who share your drive? Are you positive, constructive, and ingenious?

Are you always solving?

Then we’d like to meet you and bet you’d like to meet us.

Ashland has an exciting opportunity for a Global Director, Manufacturing to join our Ashland Life Sciences business in a remote role. This is a very visible, significant role within the Company and the Manufacturing function. This position will report to the VP of Manufacturing.

**This role will be remote with preference to someone living on the East Coast**

The responsibilities of the position include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Ensure technical expertise and consistency on a global basis and optimize division profitability by improving process techniques, new product lines, manufacturing implementation, plant upgrades, and proper maintenance programs on a continuous basis.
• Team includes approximately 900 global employees
• Institute strategic planning to ensure processes and capabilities are in a state of readiness to handle the introduction of new products and increased customer demand for custom orders
• Responsible for the safe operations of 12 manufacturing sites
• Will be responsible to deliver P&L goals
• Manage the business capital plan, develop and implement capital projects which will improve efficiency, product quality, warehousing, safety, environmental issues, and customer service as well as major engineering products
• Accountable for all aspects of on-going production execution and participates on the Business Unit Global Leadership Team

In order to be qualified for this role, you must possess the following:

• Experience developing diverse talent and building efficient & collaborative teams.
• Strong leadership in plant supervision/management, process engineering and financial systems. Experience leading in union environment preferred.
• Manufacturing Process Knowledge - Able to analyze manufacturing and business processes toward optimization using continuous process improvement tools (ie., Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing Practices.)
• Must be willing and able to travel in the US and Internationally
• BS degree in technical field required.
• Creative, adaptability, and the ability to provide world class operational excellence in a rapidly changing, multi-tasking environment
• Chemical Process Expertise - Possess strong chemical and process (technical) knowledge and skills focused on production operations at a plant.
• Business Knowledge and Acumen - Understand the drivers that impact performance and growth of a business.
• Employee and Labor Relations – Skilled in working within a unionized and non-unionized environment. Knowledgeable of collective bargaining agreements and informal and formal grievance procedures, mediation and arbitration. Experienced in working with works councils.
• Ability to think strategically and operate within the complexities of a fast-paced, customer-demanding, business-driven environment required.
• Solid people development skills and the ability to provide proper direction and guidance to a global operation and engineering management team
• Financial and Statistical Knowledge and Aptitude - Ability to interpret and analyze statistical data, information and financial reports. Understand financial statements, costing methodologies and various methods of cost/benefit analysis.
• 5-10 years of Plant Management experience in both the US and globally with multiple sites in a regulated industry such as pharma/nutrition/agriculture/food
• Regulatory Compliance Knowledge – Understand and able to work within various local and regional regulatory safety, environmental, quality and financial regulations, standards and laws as required for specific location, region or country.

Third party recruiters and agencies (“Agency”) should not contact employees of Ashland or its subsidiaries directly. Any resumes sent by an Agency to a hiring manager, recruiter or submitted to Ashland’s career portal are considered unsolicited and property of Ashland. Ashland will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume, unless the Agency has a signed contract with Ashland’s Human Resources/Procurement department in advance of submitting a candidate for consideration. Verbal and written approvals will not be considered a valid contract for service.