Value Stream Leader

SOUTHERN CHAMPION TRAY LLC•Chattanooga, TN

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Value Stream Leader is responsible for safety, quality, delivery, cost, and people performance across an assigned value stream, including Printing, Cutting, and Gluing equipment, supporting processes, and production teams. The role provides end-to-end operational leadership, develops people, improves processes, and builds a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. The leader is accountable for operational performance, customer service execution, employee engagement, technical capability development, and long-term system improvements, partnering closely with Maintenance, Quality, Scheduling, Supply Chain, Engineering, Human Resources, and Commercial teams. The successful candidate spends significant time on the production floor coaching leaders, removing obstacles, developing technical capability, and driving continuous improvement while modeling SCT’s Trustworthy, Servant-Hearted, Relational, and Resourceful values. The position includes direct supervision of Production Leaders and overall direction, coordination, and evaluation of the value stream. Managerial duties include interviewing, hiring, training, assigning and directing work, appraising performance, recognizing or disciplining team members, and addressing complaints and issues in accordance with company policies and applicable laws. The role is based at the Downtown Plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and requires a visible onsite presence. The stated first-shift schedule is 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; the position also requires a minimum of 45 hours per week and routine availability before and after scheduled shift hours. Occasional travel by air and land is required.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
At least 8 years of experience in manufacturing and production operations, including supervisory or leadership responsibility.
Demonstrated ability to coach team members, develop talent, and drive performance.
Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
At least 18 years of age.
Successful completion of a pre-employment drug screen, physical, and background check.
Dependability.
Valid driver’s license and ability to safely operate a motor vehicle.
Willingness to travel occasionally by air and land.
Willingness to train in areas of growth as needed, including meeting specified skill-development targets.
Willingness to complete activities assigned through Leadership Standard Work.
Willingness to work a minimum of 45 hours per week and maintain a visible onsite presence; routine availability before and after scheduled shift hours is required.
Excellent verbal and written interpersonal and communication skills.
Ability to work effectively as a team member and communicate with all levels of the company.
Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
Problem-solving skills and ability to find creative solutions.
Ability to exercise discretion and independent judgment on a customary and regular basis.
Ability to set, adjust, and change daily priorities; manage changing priorities and multiple tasks positively; and manage conflict and resolve issues constructively.
Ability to read, understand, and communicate the meaning of complex documents, and to write legibly in English; ability to understand, speak clearly, and communicate in English.
Ability to perform basic arithmetic with fractions and decimals, solve equations, read measurements, and use formulas to calculate and analyze data.
Ability to solve practical problems with limited standardization and interpret written, oral, diagrammed, or scheduled instructions.
Ability to meet the stated physical demands, including lifting or transporting loads as described in the posting.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree.
Packaging and/or folding carton experience; experience with folding carton equipment, tooling, adhesives, and high-speed converting operations is a plus.
Six Sigma Green Belt and/or Black Belt.

Responsibilities

Establish strong performance in safety, quality, throughput, cost, OEE, labor efficiency, waste reduction, OTIF, and people development across the value stream.
Maintain organization and communication across SCT’s 24/6 production environment.
Establish a scalable operating system, including tiered accountability, daily management, and visual management aligned to safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
Standardize processes and work content to reduce variation, improve yield, enable predictable staffing, and support flexible labor deployment.
Coach and develop Production Leaders through daily Leader Standard Work, Gemba, and structured feedback.
Develop practical tools and structures, such as dashboards, hour-by-hour boards, and skills matrices, to improve visibility, prioritization, and decision speed.
Drive continuous improvement to improve equipment flow, reduce changeover time, control waste, increase labor productivity, and provide value to customers.
Develop technical and leadership competencies across the teams and support succession planning for key positions.
Spend approximately 30% of working time on the production floor, emphasizing continuous improvement, communication, and accountability.
Promote safety through visible leadership, communication, accountability, and hazard elimination.
Lead root-cause investigations and corrective actions addressing safety, quality, and production issues.
Partner with Continuous Improvement, Engineering, Quality, and Maintenance to improve productivity, reliability, and manufacturability.
Develop and maintain technical expertise in equipment, tooling, material behavior, quality systems, changeover practices, and standardized work.
Apply 5S and Lean Manufacturing principles.
Collaborate with Engineering, Maintenance, Continuous Improvement, and other resources on capital purchases and new technology adoption within the value stream.
Foster accountability, ownership, engagement, and respect.
Own equipment reliability and basic care through operator care, preventive maintenance discipline, and partnership with Engineering and Maintenance.
Build working knowledge of equipment, tooling, process settings, material specifications, and common tray quality defects.
Interview, hire, train, assign and direct work, appraise performance, reward and discipline team members, and address complaints and issues as appropriate.
Maintain a visible onsite presence and be available before and after scheduled shift hours to address operational issues, lead projects, collaborate across functions, and execute operations priorities.