Manufacturing Management Trainee - Advanced Drainage Systems

At ADS, no idea is off limits, and we celebrate creativity and bold moves.  For more than 50 years ADS has been manufacturing a variety of innovative and environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional materials.  Headquartered in Hilliard, Ohio, we are a multi-billion dollar stormwater management company, manufacturing pipe and ancillary products. What does that mean? When it storms, we capture rain with our drain basins, convey it with pipe, store it using chambers and finally treat it with our water quality products, before safely returning water back to the environment. We handle, what we call, the entire lifecycle of a raindrop. Our products help prevent flooding, which increases quality of life for people living in large cities, suburbs, and rural towns. We also believe in creating a circular economy and are the largest plastic recycling company in North America. We use plastic shampoo and detergent bottles to create pipe, diverting over 500 million pounds of plastic from landfills every year. ADS operates a global network of over 60 manufacturing plants and 30 distribution centers. 

We have amazing stories to tell, and we need your help getting our story out there. To learn more about ADS, please visit our website at www.adspipe.com.

The successful candidate must bring high level of ethical, intellectual, professional, and personal values that complement the team.

• Strategic Mindset – anticipates future trends and implications accurately
• Decision Quality – relies on a mixture of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgment when making decisions
• Customer Focus – identifies opportunities that benefit the business
• Business Insight – keeps up with current and possible future policies, practices, and trends in the organization, function, and in the marketplace
• Plans and Aligns – breaks down objectives into appropriate initiatives and actions
• Optimizes Work Processes – seeks ways to improve processes, from small tweaks to complete reengineering
• Ensures Accountability – establishes clear responsibilities and processes for monitoring work and measuring results
• Collaborates – works cooperatively with others across the organization to achieve shared objectives
• Develops Talent – develops others through coaching, feedback, exposure, and stretch assignments
• Builds Effective Teams – forms teams with appropriate and diverse mix of styles, perspectives, and experience
• Drives Vision and Purpose – talks about future possibilities in a positive way
• Courage – faces difficult issues and supports others who do the same

The ADS Manufacturing Management Trainee will participate in an 18-month structured training program which includes overall plant operations, safety, quality, service, productivity, administrative and financial performance, employee development, staffing, project management and annual operating budget preparation. Trainees will be required to relocate at 9-month rotation intervals during the program and must be willing to relocate to one of the locations in our network upon completion of the program.

This opportunity gives Management Trainees the skills needed grow a career as future senior leaders in manufacturing.  The program is designed to develop leadership and functional skills in our actual manufacturing plants.  This training experience is designed to promote rapid growth through hands-on experience in key plant operations.  The diverse rotations include Material & Quality Management, Production, Safety, Inventory & Logistics, Project Management, Financial & Human Resources Management. This program allows trainees to grow and learn in an accelerated development program designed to lead to into a full-time Management position within 18 months.  Skilled instructors, mentors and senior leaders engage with Management Trainees throughout the program which sets them up for long-term leadership success.

Primary Job Responsibilities:

• Proactively manage and navigate a comprehensive training plan and coordinate with plant leadership teams to execute training tasks
• Through on-the-job training learn and perform the various manufacturing and yard positions, including supervisory roles
• Leverage background and education to make suggestions and implement ways of working that leads to process improvements at the rotation location 
• Identify, prepare and implement solutions on a small, medium and large scale that positively improves efficiency, safety and/or culture in the manufacturing environment.
• Identifies, builds and implements large-scale network-wide solutions for real work challenges.
• Ability to prepare, present and gain alignment of identified strategic initiatives from senior leaders with the purpose of implementing scalable on solutions that drive improved results.
• Learn and perform the various management positions in the plant to include, Production Manager Quality Manager, Yard Manager, Inventory Manager and Freight Manager roles
• Learn plant financial and human resource management processes
• Learn key safety & quality management processes and techniques
• Demonstrate a solid understanding of overall plant operations; including manufacturing, inventory& logistics and customer service
• Learn key predictive and preventive maintenance strategies and techniques
• Actively participates and acts as a member of the plant management team
• Successfully acts and has the authority to lead as a backfill for leader absences
• Participate in various continuous improvement projects
• Provide leadership and set an example for other employees
• Learn, understand and practice ADS CORE VALUES

 Ideal candidate should possess these job skills:

• Ability to multi-task with excellent time management skills
• Strong Computer skills and applications (internet, Microsoft Office Suite)
• Quick learner with Initiative and self-discipline
• Strong interpersonal skills and problem solving skills
• Ability to effectively communicate and problem solve with customers
• Ability to communicate with different levels within the organization
• Leadership skills
• Strong decision making skills

Education:

• Four year business or technical degree, with 0 to 2 years experience in a manufacturing or industrial work environment preferred

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ADS supports an inclusive workplace that values diversity of thought, experience, and background. We celebrate the power of our differences to create better solutions for our customers by ensuring employees can be their authentic selves each day. ADS is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, pregnancy, veteran status, marital status, creed, status with regard to public assistance, genetic status or any other status protected by federal, state or local law.