Magnolia - Business Technical Manager

Milliken & Company is a global manufacturing leader whose focus on materials science delivers tomorrow’s breakthroughs today. From industry-leading molecules to sustainable innovations, Milliken creates products that enhance people’s lives and deliver solutions for its customers and communities. Drawing on thousands of patents and a portfolio with applications across the textile, flooring, chemical and healthcare businesses, the company harnesses a shared sense of integrity and excellence to positively impact the world for generations. Discover more about Milliken’s curious minds and inspired solutions at Milliken.com and on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

The Business Technical Manager reports directly to the Location Manager at the Magnolia Finishing Plant.

Duties include, but are not limited to the following:

1.         Ensure that all management and production associates that report to them have received adequate training to perform their required duties.

2.         Ensure that all management and production associates that report to them have received the resources necessary to perform their required duties.

3.         Ensure that all management and production associates that report to them promote the continuous improvement of the safety process at Magnolia Finishing by ensuring that their associates support and participate in associate driven safety committee activities and that corrective actions assigned to their people by these committees are addressed in a timely manner.

4.         Assist the Location Manager in ensuring that all management and production associates that report to them clearly understand the overall plant goals and initiatives along with business goals and initiatives and that the associate understands the role that both they and their processes play in achieving those goals.

5.         Work with their associates to ensure sound processes are followed with regards to developing specifications and                    procedures for their processes within the established ISO, EMS and MPS framework.

6.         Ensure that their management associates are educated to use statistical techniques to identify and quantify variation in their process key measures.

7.         Assign specific projects to their associates that seek to eliminate special cause variation and reduce common cause variation. These Focused Improvement projects should be conducted using established MPS and DMAIC    methodologies to achieve maximum benefit.

 8.          Work with the Supply Chain function to understand the plants delivery position and ensure that the associates who report to them understand those issues and that plans are executed to meet customer orders including the disposition of reworked sets and the replacement of off-quality product.

9.           Responsible for the management of the Returns and Allowances process.  Investigate root cause of R&A, and implement countermeasures for the prevention of R&A.

10.         Work with the Inspection and Lab Testing functions to understand customer issues and improve on the requirements for customer satisfaction.

11.         Work with Customer Support to understand any current issues with customer satisfaction. These issues should be clearly relayed to their associates and plans developed to exceed customer expectations. The Business Technical manager may be asked by the Location Manager to visit specific customer sites on occasion, to better understand how Magnolia Products are performing and how they might need to be changed or improved.

12.         Provide regular feedback to their associates regarding their job performance including any annual review and               develop plans for improving weak areas through further training and education.

13.         Ensure that all associates reporting to them understand the plants environmental aspects and impacts and that any process changes that may be undertaken are reviewed with the locations Environmental Specialist first. These changes may include but are not limited to; specification changes that may affect permit standing as well as the addition of new dyes and chemicals.

14.         Ensure that they and all associates under their responsibility perform within the guidelines of the Magnolia Locations Environmental Management System and that all process changes are communicated following the designated procedure documented in the EMS manual.

Qualifications - Required:

• Bachelor’s degree from accredited institution 
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint
• Textile Experience Preferred

The successful candidate will demonstrate strengths in the following:

• Leadership skills
• Ability to manage multiple activities and use resources creatively
• Analytical/problem-solving skills
• Communications skills – verbal, written, and group presentations
• Ability to be an effective team player 
• Ability to lead a team of managers

Milliken is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition, including but not limited to lactation), sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression (including transgender status), ancestry, national origin, citizenship, age physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran or military status or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.