Sr. Material Control Coordinator

Panasonic•De Soto, KS

6d•Onsite

About The Position

Join Panasonic Energy as we expand to De Soto, Kansas, building the world’s largest lithium-ion battery factory. This is an exciting opportunity to grow your career while contributing to the future of electric vehicles. As part of our team, you’ll help push the limits of battery technology, enhancing performance and efficiency in sustainable transportation. Our state-of-the-art facility, just outside the Kansas City Metro, will be a hub for innovation in green energy solutions. If you're passionate about sustainability and eager to contribute to the electric vehicle revolution, we invite you to be part of our dynamic team. Join us and make a meaningful impact on the future of energy and transportation. The Senior Material Control Coordinator oversees the management, tracking, recovery, and disposition of waste and recyclable materials generated throughout manufacturing operations. This position leads waste and recycling activities to ensure materials are properly identified, segregated, documented, recovered, and disposed of in a safe, efficient, and cost-effective manner. The role serves as the primary liaison with waste and recycling service providers while partnering closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, Environmental Health & Safety, and other stakeholders to ensure accurate material accountability and compliance. In addition, the Sr. Coordinator collaborates with the IT function to develop the necessary systems and dashboard capabilities that support real-time tracking, reporting, and reconciliation of waste and recycling activities. The role also ensures that Operations teams strictly adhere to correct waste handling and disposal practices, enabling proper waste management from generation through final treatment. Furthermore, the position plays a key role in leveraging FTZ (Foreign Trade Zone) capabilities by ensuring the precise management and documentation of valuable waste for complaint and reliable transfer, recovery, and disposition. A significant focus of this position is maintaining reconciliation between production data, inventory transactions, waste streams, and recyclable material outputs to support operational accuracy and financial integrity. This role drives continuous improvement initiatives that reduce waste, increase recycling and material recovery, improve reporting accuracy, and support sustainable manufacturing operations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Management, Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Engineering, Business, Industrial Technology, Sustainability, or a related field
Relevant experience may be substituted for required education
4+ years of experience in waste management, recycling operations, materials management, manufacturing operations, environmental services, or a related field
Experience managing waste streams, recycling programs, material recovery operations, or related manufacturing support functions
Experience analyzing operational, inventory, production, or financial data and translating findings into actionable process improvements
Demonstrated experience reconciling physical material flows with production, inventory, operational, or financial system data
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and root-cause investigation skills
Experience collaborating with suppliers, contractors, or service providers and driving performance improvements
Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and experience utilizing operational, inventory, production, or financial data to support decision-making
Ability to communicate effectively and collaborate across multiple business functions and organizational levels
Must have working-level knowledge of the English language, including reading, writing, and speaking English
Alignment to Panasonic’s seven (7) core principles (contribution to society, fairness and honesty, cooperation and team spirit, untiring effort for improvement, courtesy and humility, adaptability, gratitude)
Up to 10 lbs.: Continuous
Up to 20 lbs.: Occasional
Up to 35 lbs.: Occasional
Team-lift only (over 35 lbs.): Rare

Nice To Haves

Lean Six Sigma certification or comparable continuous improvement certification
6+ years of experience in waste management, materials recovery, manufacturing operations, environmental programs, or related industrial operations
Experience within a high-volume manufacturing environment
Experience with SAP, MES, WMS, or other manufacturing execution and transactional systems
Experience with waste-management, environmental-management, or sustainability reporting systems
Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement methodologies
Experience developing KPIs, dashboards, performance reporting, and operational controls
Familiarity with environmental compliance requirements, waste documentation, and recycling program administration
Experience with supplier invoice reconciliation, cost analysis, and operational financial reporting

Responsibilities

Oversee day-to-day waste and recycling operations across the manufacturing facility
Ensure waste streams are accurately identified, labeled, segregated, stored, and managed in accordance with established procedures
Establish and maintain standards for waste categorization, collection, storage, and handling across production and support operations
Monitor waste accumulation areas, collection processes, containers, signage, and material flow activities
Coordinate waste collection, recycling services, and material recovery activities to support uninterrupted facility operations
Review waste-management operations and utilization trends to optimize efficiency and reduce costs
Monitor waste-management expenditures and support cost-control initiatives through effective vendor management, recycling recovery, and process optimization
Serve as the primary point of contact for waste and recycling service providers and contractors
Develop and implement strategies that improve waste reduction, recycling effectiveness, landfill diversion, and material recovery performance
Analyze operational and production data to identify opportunities for process improvements and cost reduction
Lead initiatives that improve waste segregation accuracy, reporting reliability, and operational controls
Establish and monitor key performance indicators related to waste generation, recycling performance, recovery rates, and waste-management costs
Support sustainability initiatives through increased material recovery and improved resource utilization
Drive continuous improvement activities utilizing Lean, Six Sigma, or similar problem-solving methodologies
Provide guidance and subject matter expertise regarding waste management, recycling processes, material recovery, and waste-stream controls
Train and coach employees on appropriate waste segregation, labeling, recycling procedures, and material-handling requirements
Promote awareness of waste reduction initiatives and best practices throughout the facility
Develop standardized work instructions and training materials to support operational consistency and compliance
Foster a culture of accountability, environmental stewardship, and continuous improvement
Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, Warehouse, Finance, Procurement, and Environmental Health & Safety teams to ensure effective waste-management practices
Reconcile waste and recyclable material quantities against production transactions, inventory activity, and operational records
Investigate discrepancies between production outputs, waste generation, supplier-reported quantities, and inventory transactions
Review supplier invoices, weight tickets, manifests, recycling reports, and related documentation for accuracy and resolution of discrepancies
Support audits, reporting activities, and business reviews through accurate documentation and performance reporting
Collaborate with suppliers and internal stakeholders to enhance service performance and material recovery opportunities
Ensure waste-handling activities comply with company policies, environmental standards, and applicable regulatory requirements
Partner with Environmental Health & Safety to maintain safe and compliant waste-management processes.
Conduct routine inspections and audits of waste accumulation, segregation, storage, and documentation practices
Lead corrective actions to address nonconformances, contamination concerns, process deficiencies, and compliance issues
Maintain documentation supporting audits, financial reconciliation activities, operational reporting, and compliance requirements
Monitor risks associated with waste handling, storage, transportation, and disposal activities and implement appropriate mitigation measures

Benefits

Medical, dental, vision, prescription plans
Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account options
Life, accident, critical illness, disability, legal, identity theft, and pet insurance
401(k) plan with company matching contributions and immediate vesting
Vacation, holidays, personal days, sick leave, volunteer, and parental & caregiver leave
Tuition reimbursement for job-related courses after six months of service
Lifestyle Spending Account, EAP, virtual health management, chronic condition, neurodiversity, tobacco cessation, substance abuse support, and life stage and fertility resources
High5 employee recognition and awards platform, quarterly and annual employee recognition
Opportunity for an annual performance-based bonus
Several on-site cafes, plentiful snack and beverage kitchens, revolving on-site vendor visits and employee events