Job Title:  Operations Engineer

Relocation Assistance Offered Within Country
# 156481 - Tonganoxie, Kansas, United States

Who We Are
Colgate-Palmolive Company is a caring, innovative growth company that is reimagining a healthier future for all people, their pets and our planet. Focused on Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care and Pet Nutrition, we sell our products in more than 200 countries and territories under brands such as Colgate, Palmolive, elmex, hello, meridol, Sorriso, Tom’s of Maine, EltaMD, Filorga, Irish Spring, PCA SKIN, Protex, Sanex, Softsoap, Speed Stick, Ajax, Axion, Fabuloso, Soupline and Suavitel, as well as Hill’s Pet Nutrition.

We are recognized for our leadership and innovation in promoting sustainability and community wellbeing, including our achievements in decreasing plastic waste and promoting recyclability, saving water, conserving natural resources and improving children’s oral health.

If you want to work for a company that lives by their values, then give your career a reason to smile and join our global team!
 

Tonganoxie, Kansas, United States (15 minutes from Lawrence, 30 minutes from Kansas City, 30 minutes from Topeka)

SMART FACTORY!  Join an exciting opportunity to be part of a brand new, highly automated facility for Hill's Pet Nutrition! We invite you to apply for our  position at our Tonganoxie, Kansas manufacturing facility.     

What we offer:  

• Merit increase every year based on performance

• Advancement Opportunities

• Great Culture & work environment at a climate controlled facility

• Medical, Dental & Vision Coverage for employee & eligible dependents - Start on Day 1

• Basic Life Insurance for you and eligible dependents at NO Cost

• 3 weeks Paid Vacation 

• Paid Parental Leave

• Paid Holidays

• Saving & Investment Plan with Company Match

• Tuition Assistance - up to $10,000 per year

• Employee Assistance Program

• Access to discounted Company products

• Non-smoking facility

An Operations Engineer (OE) is a position providing experience in both operations and engineering positions.  The OE will initially be assigned the role of either an Operations Team Leader or Project Engineer.  At the appropriate time based on business needs, the OE will be assigned the duties of the alternate role of this position. When performing the Operations Team Leader role, the OE serves as the primary leader for the development and coaching of the operations technicians and operations team in an effective, value driven, performance based environment. When assuming the Project Engineer role, the OE is responsible for managing capital projects, supporting daily plant operations, and managing the technology transfer process for all parts of the raw & processing areas.

Operations Team Leader principal responsibilities: 

• Leads and coordinates the activities of operation technicians engaged in production to ensure safety, increase innovation, technical expertise, analysis, and problem solving skills
• Observes work and monitors processing conditions to ensure that operators adhere to production or processing standards.
  Reads and analyzes KPI’s, charts, work orders, production schedules, and other records and reports to determine plant performance and to evaluate improvement opportunities.
• Plans and establishes work schedules, assignments, and production sequences to meet production goals.
• Confers with other facility leaders to coordinate operations and activities within or between departments.
• Manages team member’s pay through evaluation of eTime data.  Reviews leave data pertaining to vacation, PTO, floating holiday, Voluntary Time Off, overtime and attendance.
• Inspects materials, products, or equipment to detect defects or malfunctions.
• Conducts or coordinates team member training in equipment operations, safety procedures, GMPs, quality, sanitation, maintenance and productivity.
• Interprets specifications, blueprints, job orders, and company policies and procedures for workers.
• Empower teams by way of training, information sharing, coaching, feedback, appraisals and delegation, to ensure the development of people, skills, teams and organizational capabilities.
• Responsible for temporary employee management including: safety policies, GMPs, equipment training, scheduling, and time card approval process
   

Project Engineer principal responsibilities: 

• Help in the development and implementation of process improvements (reliability, waste, product quality, safety, cost per pound) to meet business needs.
• Participate in the design, specification development, installation, start-up, troubleshooting, and technology transfer for new products/equipment and cost saving initiatives.  This includes collaboration with global process engineers to ensure design standardization.
• Responsible for some capital project management:  project definition, project planning, capital expenditure management, and technology transfer associated with capital projects and new products/pkg. 
• Serve as plant lead for diet commissioning including capability assessment, development of processing specifications, coordination of commissioning runs, and test reports.
• Serve as primary resource to operating technicians for trouble shooting issues involving safety, design, production, quality defects, process changes and equipment modification by soliciting feedback and driving continuous improvement.
• Develop and maintain specifications, technical documentation, and procedures for processing and equipment which are consistent with KPI goals and support Quality and EOHS Standards.
• Develops, validates, and transfers factory SOP’s associated with new products and process improvements.
• Accountable for ensuring compliance w/ CP/ Hills, local, state, and federal standards and guidelines related to EOHS, Quality, and Regulatory.
• Responsible for maintaining the plant IDD to accurately reflect dosing capability and use the document to assess new products for capability

Requirements:    

• Bachelors of Science in Engineering, Processing/Packaging Technology, or a related technical field.
• Must be proficient with the following computer programs: Google Suite apps

Preferred qualifications include:     

• Prior experience in manufacturing 
• Previous SAP experience.
• Prior pet food industry experience
• Ability to work any shift, weekends, or holidays and be on call.
   

Compensation and Benefits
Salary Range $64,000.00 - $99,000.00 USD

Pay is based on multiple non-discriminatory, individualized factors including but not limited to experience, job-related knowledge and education, skills and office/market location. In addition to base salary, salaried employees are eligible for annual discretionary bonuses, profit-sharing and, for Executive-level (salary grade 16 and above) roles only, long-term incentives in the form of Restricted Stock Units and/or Stock Options.

Subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable benefits plans then in effect, all salaried employees are also eligible for a competitive benefits package which includes:

• Insurance: Employees (and their eligible dependents) are eligible to participate in Company-sponsored Medical, Dental, Vision, Basic Life Insurance, Accidental Death & Dismemberment and Disability insurance plans.
• Retirement Plans: Employees are eligible to enroll in Colgate's 401(k) plan, which provides for company matching contributions subject to eligibility requirements
• Vacation/PTO: Employees receive a minimum of 15 days of vacation/PTO leave annually
• Paid Holidays: Employees receive a minimum of 13 paid/floating holidays annually
• Paid Sick Leave: Based on location and consistent with applicable state and local law, employees receive a minimum of 40 hours of paid sick leave on January 1st of each year
• Paid Parental Leave: Eligible employees may take up to eight weeks of paid parental leave and 12 weeks of unpaid leave (varies for employees with fewer than 12 months of service and is subject to hours worked requirements)

Our Commitment to Sustainability
With the Colgate brand in more homes than any other, we are presented with great opportunities and new challenges as we work to integrate sustainability into all aspects of our business and create positive social impact. We are determined to position ourselves for further growth as we act on our 2025 Sustainability & Social Impact Strategy.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our purpose starts with our people — ensuring our workforce represents the people and communities we serve —and creating an environment where our people feel they belong; where we can be our authentic selves, feel treated with respect and have the support of leadership to impact the business in a meaningful way.

Equal Opportunity Employer
Colgate is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, marital status, veteran status (United States positions), or any other characteristic protected by law.

Reasonable accommodation during the application process is available for persons with disabilities. Please contact Application_Accommodation@colpal.com with the subject "Accommodation Request" should you require accommodation.

For additional Colgate terms and conditions, please click here.

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