Production Manager - Chemical Manufacturing

The Production Manager at Ecolab in Joliet is responsible for leading the entire Production Department. This involves overseeing production operations, ensuring compliance with safety standards, maintaining high product quality, and collaborating with various teams to enhance manufacturing processes. You’ll also be tasked with fostering team engagement, creating staff strategies, and monitoring key performance metrics.

To qualify for the Production Manager role at Ecolab, candidates need a Bachelor’s Degree and a minimum of 5 years of manufacturing experience, including at least 2 years in a direct supervisory role. Experience across multiple operational areas such as Production, Distribution, and Quality is also essential. Candidates with a degree in engineering or chemistry and TPM experience are preferred.

Ecolab provides a competitive benefits package for its Production Managers, including comprehensive health coverage, retirement plans, and performance-based annual bonuses. They commit to meeting the needs of their associates and their families, ensuring that you have access to resources to support your well-being and professional growth.

Ecolab emphasizes the importance of a supportive and engaged team culture for its Production Managers. This is achieved through effective communication strategies, establishing clear team goals, and promoting a collaborative atmosphere, allowing team members to participate actively in creating a positive work environment.

As a Production Manager at Ecolab, you will monitor key performance metrics related to safety, product quality, and operational efficiency. This involves conducting loss analysis to drive improvement projects, assessing team performance, and implementing strategies that support continuous enhancement of the production processes.

When discussing your leadership style, highlight how you engage your team, encourage open communication, and set clear goals. Emphasize your focus on collaboration and continuous improvement to foster a productive work environment.

Share a specific example of an improvement project you initiated, detailing your role, the challenges faced, and the positive outcomes. Focus on metrics that demonstrate the project’s impact on productivity, safety, or quality.

Discuss your approach to workplace safety, including regular training sessions, safety audits, and open channels for reporting safety concerns. Highlight any initiatives you’ve implemented to sustain a safety-first attitude within your teams.

Talk about the importance of open communication and team-building activities. Share your ideas on how you would create a culture of trust and support where employees feel valued and engaged.

Describe your method for developing comprehensive onboarding processes that include hands-on training, mentorship programs, and team integration practices. Mention how these efforts can enhance retention and team cohesion.

Detail your familiarity with key performance indicators relevant to production, explaining how you track, analyze, and act on these metrics to drive operational improvement and success.

Provide a step-by-step approach to conflict resolution, emphasizing your commitment to understanding both perspectives, facilitating dialogue, and finding a mutually agreeable solution while maintaining a positive team dynamic.

Discuss how collaborative efforts among team members enhance productivity, foster innovation, and improve problem-solving. Use examples to illustrate how you've successfully promoted teamwork in your past roles.

Share your strategies for staying informed, such as attending industry conferences, participating in webinars, reading relevant publications, or networking with other professionals. Highlight your commitment to continual learning and adaptation.

Discuss your hands-on experience with Total Productive Maintenance or Toyota Production Principles and how you’ve successfully applied these methodologies to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and enhance product quality in your previous roles.