Manager Contract Manufacturing

Lamb Weston • Eagle Harbor, MI

7d

About The Position

The Manager Contract Manufacturing will serve as the main point of contact to locate and develop worldwide manufacturing capabilities. It is critical this person has their finger on the pulse of the worldwide food manufacturing industry, to proactively see opportunities and gaps LW can use to drive innovation. Develops and maintains relationships with strategic/ high spend / high risk contract manufacturers and manages performance to Lamb Weston standards and requirements associated with Quality, Service, Food Safety and Cost within requirements of the contracts. Manages strategic / high value / high risk projects associated with assigned relationships, and Business Unit initiatives in order to drive, the right product at the right cost. Leads projects to develop department processes and systems to support consistent approach to work and high performance. This position will work mainly with the dedicated discovery innovation team. This team is focused on the identification of expansion opportunities beyond current boundaries (e.g., new markets, new technological advancements, and new business models), proposition development through building, buying, and/or partnering, and incubation/optimization of the innovation solution to a final recommendation.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Project Management, Supply Chain, or related field required
• 5 years of food manufacturing operational experience, specifically in co-manufacturing required.
• Food ingredient/packaging materials/processing expertise
• Procurement / Purchasing expertise
• Demonstrated business acumen – Leader of self: Information savvy, end to end supply chain, continuous improvement
• Broad external network, able to act on past relationships across broad product manufacturing categories
• TPM experience (problem solving / root cause analysis experience).
• Ability to interact with academia/government/start-ups
• Early adapter for technology and future thinking
• Visionary thinker
• Working knowledge of Intellectual Property protection and processes.
• Ability to translate findings into application.
• Demonstrated problem solving skills
• Capital expenditure costing and startup P&L forecasting experience
• IP/Patent experience
• Negotiation lead
• Cross functional team experience – extended team leadership
• Expertise in Microsoft Excel, Office, project management software, Salesforce and SharePoint
• Some travel may be required, up to 50% of the time (domestic and international)
• Ability to obtain a Passport and Visas necessary for international travel.
• Valid Driver’s License and driving record that meets Lamb Weston Driving standards.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree preferred

Responsibilities

• Innovation Collaborates with other team members to generate new product and packaging ideas.
• Creates external network of potential technology sources and links in strategic areas.
• Assists with identifying external sources of new technologies for use in potato product or processing.
• Translates findings to potential applications and opportunities.
• Primary liaison between Discovery team and COMAN.
• Attends trade shows/technical meetings inside and outside industry to discover new technologies for application in potatoes.
• Identifies and fosters external relationships with potential co-packing companies.
• Ensures the entire value chain, key strategies and potential risks to optimize company returns are calculated and communicated.
• Business Acumen Negotiates access to manufacturing assets for scale up validation, business terms and access to external technologies for initial validation/proof of concept.
• Ability to understand and leverage business opportunities, company strategies and key metrics in making decisions which deliver results.
• Validates external manufacturing locations for new products and packaging.
• Evaluates potential Co-packer for fit with LW (culture, quality, food safety).
• Liaison with the Operations function for internal manufacturing to align with Company manufacturing strategy to maximize leverage between Contract Manufacturing, Marketing, Innovation, Quality, Manufacturing, Procurement and Logistic departments.
• Work with the Procurement function to help develop manufacturing and capacity strategies that are consistent with the current and future sourcing strategies.
• Commercialization Partners with Commercialization team to manage project handoffs from pilot through full-scale execution to ensure specifications are established prior to production and all parameters are achieved during the qualification, verification and commercialization steps.
• Ensure adequate technical representation (Quality, Innovation and Procurement) is present during project phases.
• Primary liaison between internal and Co-Packer resources to ensure alignment and effective communications.
• Ongoing Maintenance & Continuous Improvement Establish and report KPI's for co-manufacturers on quality, food safety, customer service and financial reporting.
• Develop and execute strategies to improve performance.
• Conduct regular Operational Improvement reviews with Contract Manufacturers to improve production efficiency and reduce production cost.
• Analyze manufacturing best practices within facilities and drive implementation of these practices into the key strategic Contract Manufacturers.
• Serve as the primary function for obtaining operational savings at Contract Manufacturer facilities and ensure that savings are tracking according to expectations through validation to implementation.
• Provide focus and coordination around resolving and communicating immediate business issues (i.e., recalls, product going on hold, or other significant unusual occurrences).
• Accountable for engaging business partners and establishing a communication flow across all functional groups in the management of the capital strategy for both short and long term goals.
• Manage inventory discrepancies and claims for excess losses or supplier issues between Contract Manufacturer and Corporate functions to control costs and ensure quick resolution of outstanding issues.

Benefits

• Health Insurance Benefits - Medical, Dental, Vision
• Flexible Spending Accounts for Health and Dependent Care, and Health Reimbursement Accounts
• Well-being programs including companywide events and a wellness incentive program
• Paid Time Off
• Financial Wellness – Industry leading 401(k) plan with generous company contributions, Financial Planning Services, Employee Stock purchase program, and Health Savings Accounts, Life and Accident insurance
• Family-Friendly Employee events
• Employee Assistance Program services – mental health and other concierge type services

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees