As the largest pureplay adhesives company in the world, H.B. Fuller’s (NYSE: FUL) innovative, functional coatings, adhesives and sealants enhance the quality, safety and performance of products people use every day. Founded in 1887, with 2024 revenue of $3.6 billion, our mission to Connect What Matters is brought to life by more than 7,500 global team members who collaborate with customers across more than 30 market segments in over 140 countries to develop highly specified solutions that enable customers to bring world-changing innovations to their end markets. Learn more at www.hbfuller.com.
The Operations Manager reports to the Plant Manager and has primary responsibility for the Houston, TX site.
The Operations Manager is responsible for leading the Houston team to attain a “Best-in-class” Safety, Continuous Improvement and Operational Discipline culture. Success will be achieved when every employee has a singular focus on meeting customer requirements and working in a system of prevention each day. This position will also work with the other functional leaders, regional and global roles to design, implement and maintain local systems and processes to raise Houston to best-in-class levels for the adhesives business.
Primary Responsibilities
- Lead and manage Site Production supervisors and operators, work alongside Site Engineers, Maintenance Manager and Warehouse Manager.
- Understand, apply and drive safety as a value.
- Ensure compliance with all applicable safety, health and environmental procedures, regulations, and rules.
- Lead and drive continuous improvement in housekeeping and 5S.
- Develop and mentor plant leadership and field experts to ensure a best-in-class and engaged workforce is built and maintained.
- Create and implement vision for the Houston site in alignment with HB Fuller’s overall vision.
- Develop and execute organizational strategy for the Houston site in alignment with HB Fuller’s strategic priorities.
- Ensure effective management systems are utilized to manage and measure Houston site performance.
- Set and maintain standards that ensure on-time delivery of quality products that meet customer needs.
- Control costs through close management of operational expenses by identifying, prioritizing, and pursuing continuous improvement projects.
- Build and maintain strong working relationships with commercial, marketing, operations, supply chain, HR, Finance and R&D partners. Facilitate collaborative teamwork within the facility and with external partners. Manage stakeholder expectations. Prioritize work to effectively focus on critical items and deliver quality results by deadline.
Minimum Requirements
- BS in Chemical or Mechanical Engineering.
- 10+ years of progressive operations and operations management with proven track record of success.
- Demonstrated expertise in managing significant change within a manufacturing operating environment.
- Demonstrated success in organizational development and team building.
- Analytical interpretation and advanced problem-solving skills - able to prioritize and align the organization on priorities with an ability to bring successful closure to the defined goals.
- Demonstrated track record of successfully driving change management.
- Proactive, effective coach, communicator and collaborator with team, peers, senior leaders, and external partners.
- Ability to escalate and/or address conflicts/disagreements effectively.
- Fluent in English.
Preferred Requirements
- Process Safety Management experience required.
- Knowledge of SAP or similar ERP database management systems.
- Six Sigma certification, (Green or Black Belt).
- Exposure to applications using continuous improvement techniques; TQM, Problem Solving DMAIC, Fault Tree Analysis, FMEAs, Lean Manufacturing, 5S, Value Stream mapping
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Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to education, work experience, certifications, and geographic location.
The salary for this role is $130,000 - $160,000.In addition to your salary, H.B. Fuller offers employees a competitive total rewards package including comprehensive benefits, incentive and recognitions programs, health & wellness benefits, 401K contributions, paid time off and paid holidays. Eligibility may vary.
H.B. Fuller is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and proud to have created a collaborative culture where employees around the world are seen, heard, and respected. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability, or marital status or status as a protected veteran, or any other legally protected classification.
H.B. Fuller does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or staffing firms. To conduct business with H.B. Fuller, a written service agreement must be executed by Human Resources prior to submitting any information relating to a potential candidate. Without a signed service agreement, H.B. Fuller shall not be obligated for payment of any fee or compensation.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, or related field
- 5+ years of leadership experience in a multi-shift manufacturing environment
- Experience using ERP systems and Microsoft Office applications
- Experience leading projects or process improvement initiatives
- Authorization to work without employer sponsorship
H.B. Fuller Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about H.B. Fuller and has not been reviewed or approved by H.B. Fuller.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is considered market-competitive and often characterized as fair for the role rather than top-tier. Positioning appears middle-of-the-market, which feels reasonable for many roles.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage is described as comprehensive, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, wellness initiatives, and EAP support. Some roles also receive company support that can significantly offset employee-premium costs.
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Retirement Support — The retirement program combines a 401(k) with employer matching and additional non-elective company contributions. This design provides support beyond a standard match to bolster long-term savings.
H.B. Fuller Insights
What We Do
H.B. Fuller is a leading global adhesives provider focusing on perfecting adhesives, sealants and other specialty chemical products to improve products and lives. Your day probably begins and ends with us. Just about everywhere you look – including the windows through which you see and the magazines you read – you’ll find industrial adhesives and sealants produced by H.B. Fuller. Most likely, we made the glue holding together your cereal box, the seals that keep your refrigerator airtight, and the specialty adhesive in your baby’s disposable diaper. While our products are virtually invisible, they play a vital role in ensuring the quality and convenience of modern life. We take pride in working with our customers to add value. At H.B. Fuller, we are committed to connecting what matters, bringing together people, products and processes that answer and solve some of the world's biggest adhesion challenges. Through our reliable, responsive technical service, we create lasting, rewarding connections with customers in the packaging, hygiene, electronic and assembly materials, automotive, paper converting, woodworking, construction, general assembly and consumer goods industries. And, we are committed to building an environment where employees are engaged, challenged and given an opportunity to drive superior results. We firmly believe that our employees drive the success of the company. With long-term, profitable growth as the ultimate goal, we strive to cultivate an environment that offers stimulating and financially rewarding opportunities
