Sr. Manager, Operations Manufacturing Strategy

Company Overview

Why Choose Us?

Novolex is a leading manufacturer of food, beverage, and specialty packaging that supports multiple industries including foodservice, restaurant delivery and carryout, food processing, grocery and retail, and industrial sectors. Novolex manufacturing and sourcing expertise spans a diverse range of substrates including resin, paper, molded fiber, aluminum and more. We provide customers a broad array of stock and customized solutions with 120 product categories, 250 brands and over 39,000 SKUs.

Our Sustainability Commitment

The Novolex sustainability vision is built upon three pillars: our products, our operations and our people. Each is critically important to our growth and future as a business. These pillars form the foundation of our company-wide commitment to sustainability, helping us achieve our ambitious goals through our wide-ranging initiatives.

Job Description

This role will execute the modeling and analytical work required to optimize the enterprise end-to-end network for cost efficiency, service performance, scalability, and sustained competitiveness. It supports network strategy development, advanced modeling, and continuous improvement initiatives while ensuring the organization makes well-supported, financially sound capital and expense decisions. This role combines advanced analytical capabilities, financial acumen, and manufacturing expertise to support strategic decisions related to manufacturing footprint, capacity planning, capital allocation, production optimization, and operational transformation. The position will partner closely with Operations, Manufacturing Engineering, Finance, Supply Chain, Procurement, and other cross-functional teams to identify opportunities, evaluate strategic alternatives, and develop data-driven recommendations that maximize operational performance and return on investment.

Key Responsibilities

• Manufacturing Strategy & Optimization: Develop and evaluate strategies to optimize the manufacturing footprint, production network, facility utilization, and capacity allocation to improve cost efficiency, service performance, flexibility, and scalability.
• Advanced Modeling & Scenario Analysis: Build and leverage advanced statistical, mathematical, operational, and financial models to evaluate manufacturing scenarios, identify optimization opportunities, assess capacity constraints, and quantify the impact of operational and strategic changes.
• Capital Investment & Business Cases: Develop comprehensive, defensible business cases for manufacturing capital investments, equipment upgrades, facility expansions, automation, capacity additions, and process improvements, including ROI, payback, and total-cost-of-ownership analyses.
• Financial Planning & Resource Allocation: Develop and review capital and operating expense projections, multiyear manufacturing forecasts, sensitivity analyses, and scenario-based financial plans to support investment prioritization and resource allocation.
• Cross-Functional Strategic Leadership: Lead cross-functional working groups with Manufacturing, Operations, Engineering, Finance, Supply Chain, and Procurement to assess strategic alternatives, resolve trade-offs, mitigate risks, and drive alignment on recommendations.
• Strategic Communications & Executive Recommendations: Translate complex manufacturing data, operational models, and financial analyses into clear, compelling recommendations for senior leadership, including investment priorities, implementation considerations, risks, and expected business outcomes.
• Conduct hands-on network and cost analyses, partnering with Finance, Operations, Engineering and Procurement to build comprehensive total-cost and savings models that inform strategic recommendations.

What We Need from You

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, Supply Chain, Finance, Business, or a related field. Master’s degree preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in manufacturing strategy, operations strategy, manufacturing engineering, operational excellence, supply chain optimization, or a related analytical field, with demonstrated experience leading complex, cross-functional initiatives.
• Experience evaluating manufacturing operations across multiple facilities, including production capacity, facility utilization, manufacturing costs, and capital investment opportunities.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills, with experience developing advanced models, conducting scenario analyses, and evaluating operational and financial trade-offs.
• Demonstrated financial acumen, including capital and operating expense forecasting, ROI and payback analysis, cost-benefit modeling, and multiyear investment planning.
• Expertise in network modeling tools preferred (e.g., Optilogic, Llamasoft, Coupa, Blue Yonder, Supply Chain Guru, or similar).
• Demonstrated ability to translate analytical findings into financial and strategic implications.
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex analytical findings into actionable operational strategies and clear recommendations for senior leadership.
• Excellent executive communication, problem-solving, project leadership, and stakeholder management skills.

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Company Benefits

What You'll Get From Us

Benefits

With safety as our top priority and a commitment to employee well-being an important focus, we offer comprehensive and competitive benefits that include medical, dental and vision insurance as well as a variety of other well-being resources focused on mental, physical and financial health. Specific benefits and well-being programs may vary depending on where you work.

Community Engagement

At Novolex, giving back to the local communities that support us is important. Our Focused Giving Program prioritizes support for organizations whose missions promote sustainability initiatives or address food and hunger needs. We also encourage facility level support of activities in the communities where our employees live and work.

Training and Development

We offer constant opportunities for advancement. From skills development to advanced education programs, training and development programs and courses are available through MyLearning. Programs include company and industry training curricula, support for formal education through the Tuition Reimbursement Program (Non-Union), and a Learning Management System that supports and enhances employee skills at all levels of the organization.

Novolex is committed to providing equal employment opportunity in all employment practices, including but not limited to selection, hiring, promotion, transfer, and compensation to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to age, race, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, handicap or disability, genetics, citizenship status, service member or veteran status, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law. Any individual who, because of his or her disability, needs an accommodation in connection with an aspect of the Company's application process should contact myHRservices@novolex.com.

Formerly Pactiv Evergreen