Position: Blow Mold Department Manager

Department: Engineering

Reports To: Director of Engineering

Job Type (DOL Status): Exempt

Location: Burlington NC (Multi-plant manufacturing environment)

Operations Schedule: 24x6

Job Details

Company Background

The company is recognized as a leading manufacturer of aerosol whipped cream, flavored drinks, freeze pops, and bottled water, offering a portfolio of well-known brands. We produce, pack, and ship private labels based on customer specific needs.

An innovative company with proven experience in creating exciting new products that redefine what is possible in the food and beverage manufacturing industry.

Position Opportunity

The Blow Molding Department Manager is responsible for the safe, efficient, and consistent operation of HDPE blow molding across multiple manufacturing plants. This role combines operational leadership with hands-on technical expertise to manage people, processes, and performance.

The Manager owns labor planning, scheduling, and departmental KPIs while driving process stability, continuous improvement, and workforce development.

Key Responsibilities

Operations & People Leadership

• Own daily blow molding operations across multiple plants in a 24x6 production environment
• Lead, coach, and manage a team of up to 25 machine operators, helpers, and technicians
• Develop and manage labor schedules, staffing plans, and coverage to meet production needs
• Ensure consistent execution of safety procedures, standard work, and operating practices
• Support hiring, onboarding, training, and performance management of department personnel
• Serve as an escalation point during off-hours through on-call support

Technical & Process Leadership

• Provide technical oversight of HDPE blow molding processes, including setup, changeovers, and troubleshooting
• Drive process stability, repeatability, and continuous improvement across machines and plants
• Partner with Engineering and Maintenance to improve equipment reliability and process capability
• Ensure operators complete assigned preventive maintenance tasks; coordinate with Maintenance for larger corrective and planned maintenance activities
• Support equipment upgrades, tooling changes, and capital projects related to blow molding

Metrics & Performance Management

• Own and manage departmental KPIs including OEE, uptime, scrap, throughput, and labor efficiency
• Analyze production and quality data to identify trends, root causes, and improvement opportunities
• Lead initiatives to reduce downtime, scrap, and variability while improving safety and productivity
• Communicate performance results and action plans to leadership and cross-functional partners

Qualifications Required

• Minimum 5 years of experience in HDPE blow molding manufacturing
• Strong technical understanding of blow molding processes, materials, and equipment
• Proven experience managing large production teams in a manufacturing environment
• Experience owning labor planning, scheduling, and performance metrics
• Strong working knowledge of safety, quality, and production best practices

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in food & beverage or packaging manufacturing
• Familiarity with Lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, or TPM concepts
• Experience supporting multi-site operations

Skills & Competencies

• Strong people leadership and accountability mindset
• Hands-on technical problem-solving ability
• Data-driven decision-making and performance management
• Clear, direct communication across all organizational levels
• Ability to balance floor-level engagement with managerial and strategic responsibilities

Working Conditions

• Manufacturing environment with exposure to production equipment
• Regular interaction on the production floor
• On-call availability outside standard work hours
• Occasional travel between plant locations

Physical Requirements

• Standing
• Walking
• Sitting
• Use of hands, fingers
• Reaching with hands and arms
• Climb and balance
• Stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl
• Talk and hear
• Distance vision (clear vision at 20 feet or more)
• Color vision (ability to identify and distinguish colors)
• Peripheral vision (ability to observe an area that can be seen up and down or to the left and right while eyes are fixed on a given point)
• Depth perception (three-dimensional vision, ability to judge distances and spatial relationships)