Start-Up Leader, North Chicago Plant

About this role

Job Location NORTH CHICAGO PLANT Job Description

The Start-Up Leader at our North Chicago Plant is a critical role responsible for owning and leading the overall change management, successful start-up, and validation of initiatives and projects within their area of responsibility. This individual will drive project execution from the Definition/Strategy & Commitment Phase through to post-start-up closeout, ensuring alignment with plant-level leadership and adherence to corporate standards. The Start-Up Leader will play a pivotal role in optimizing plant reliability, productivity, and the efficient delivery of all changes, significantly contributing to the plant's overall Continuous Business Needs. This role requires intimate knowledge of the technology, organization, and systems pertinent to project execution and change management.

Key Responsibilities -

Project Leadership & Execution : • Own the charter for project/initiative start-up teams and lead site/module/initiative start-up team(s).

• Lead the GSUM+ (Global Start-Up Management) work processes for all small and large projects, ensuring timely completion of all GSUM+ tasks on the Change Dashboard.

• Chair and lead the DDS (Daily Direction Setting) process and communication with operations regarding progress against GSUM+ tasks, deliverables, and results.

• Be accountable for all tasks on the GSUM+ Initiative Roadmap (or GSUM+ tracker) being completed on time.

• Support core operations as required and act as the single point of contact for issue resolution and alignment with operations during pre and post-start-up.

• Develop and give presentations to various audiences and levels in the organization as the "voice of the project," providing updates and project reviews.

Change Management & Validation: • Lead and own overall change management, start-up, and validation of initiatives and projects.

• Responsible for the development and execution of validation (Installation Qualification/Operational Qualification/Performance Qualification) and change control for assigned projects.

• Qualify as a Validations practitioner for Installation Qualification/Operational Qualification/Performance Qualification.

Planning & Strategy: • Align with plant-level leadership (Engineering, Operations) on project-specific start-up success criteria, ensuring alignment with Platform or Sector Technical Readiness Success Criteria.

• Establish pre-production budget and own the tracking of costs.

• Define and deploy a detailed TT&T (Training, Transfer & Tracking) plan.

• Define and deploy an Integrated Start-Up Plan and schedule.

• Initiate and lead manufacturing readiness (Operations Assessment and Manufacturing Deliverables).

• Initiate and lead PR (Process Risk) risk assessment and coordinate plant-level risk mitigation plans.

• Own the GSUM+ Initiative Roadmap and the development/tracking of the Integrated Action Plan for the change.

• Own identifying the number of systems and their contents to prepare required documentation and support start-up.

• Own start-up charter and population/alignment of the PACE model for the Start-Up Work Process phases and project deliverables.

• Establish a communication plan for the start-up team.

Risk Mitigation & Problem Solving: • Own pre and post-start-up list mitigation plans.

• Coordinate plant-level risk mitigation plan with external partners and operations, reflecting these in integrated action plans and start-up plans.

Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration: • Enable early manufacturing involvement and input in project steps prior to start-up (e.g., Design review, Vendor Acceptance Test, Operational Readiness Assessment, Failure Mode, Effects, and Criticality Analysis).

• Own the staffing and resourcing assignments/start-up support.

• Support the integration of initiative deliverables into plant standard systems (e.g., Proficy, TrackWise, RTCIS, AM (Autonomous Maintenance) standards, PM (Preventive Maintenance) standards).

• Own plant-level start-up team/operations safety plan for change after construction turnover.

• Participate in activities supporting continuous improvement of project execution (e.g., PLAT, LFE).

Monitoring, Reporting & Continuous Improvement: • Own reporting results and tracking for the Start-Up Work Process through to the end of Initial Verification and for the overall completion of project deliverables to close out (month 2 after Standard Operating Procedure), including GSUM+ Initiative Start-Up Success Criteria and Results Control-Based Assessment.

• Own updates for the masterplan, in-process measures, and output measures to the Change Masterplan and Dashboard over the life of their project(s).

• Attend or lead PSU (Pre-Start-Up) follow-up meetings.

• Act as a resource supporting the quarterly Site GSUM+ SWP (Start-Up Work Process) Healthcheck & IM (Integrated Manufacturing) Pillar Annual Assessment.

• Support GSUM+ training sessions, both formal classroom and informal one-to-one/small group training.

• Own the peer review process for initiative/project start-up plans.

Job Qualifications

Education:   Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, or a related technical field is preferred.

Experience & Expertise (0-5yrs): • Proven experience in project management, manufacturing operations, change management, and/or validation within a fast-paced manufacturing environment, preferably at the North Chicago Plant.

• Experience in operations or supporting launch, delivery, or start-up initiatives.

• Familiarity with IWS (Integrated Work System) and plant-specific systems relevant to the initiative.

• Intimate knowledge of manufacturing technology, organizational structures, and systems relevant to project execution and change management within the plant.

• Ability to dedicate 50%+ of time to the role, depending on initiative complexity.

Certifications & Training: • Qualified as GSUM+ (Global Start-Up Management) Intermediate practitioner (or demonstra

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