Converting Superintendent

About the role

The Converting Superintendent is the senior leader of the converting department. This role owns the full-shift, full-line performance of converting operations — safety, output, quality, downtime, cost, and people — across all shifts and all converting equipment. The Superintendent directly manages and develops the Converting Supervisors, sets the standard for accountability and performance, and is the primary link between converting operations and plant leadership.

Responsibilities

• Safety Leadership:
  • Own the safety culture of the converting department — set the standard, model the behavior, hold supervisors accountable.
  • Review all shift safety observations and near-miss reports daily; ensure corrective actions are assigned and closed on time.
  • Lead or co-lead incident investigations for any recordable injury or significant near-miss originating in converting.
  • Conduct monthly department-level safety walk with supervisors; document findings and follow-through.
  • Ensure all converting operators are current on LOTO certification, machine-specific safety training, and forklift/material handling requirements.
  • Escalate unresolved hazards to the General Manager same day — no open safety items age more than 24 hours without a documented interim control.
• Production Performance:
  • Own converting department MSF output, run rates, and makeready targets across all shifts — not just your shift.
  • Review daily production reports from all three supervisors; identify shift-to-shift variance and drive root cause analysis.
  • Monitor machine utilization and unplanned downtime trends at the department level; escalate chronic equipment issues to Maintenance with supporting data.
  • Cook with Scheduling on order mix, capacity constraints, and priority changes that affect converting throughput.
  • Drive consistent shift handoff discipline across all supervisors — open orders, equipment status, crew issues, material shortages must be communicated clearly every shift.
  • Identify and eliminate the top recurring production losses each month; track actions and results.
• Quality Accountability:
  • Own converting-process quality at the department level — setup compliance, in-process inspection, and hold management.
  • Review quality hold log daily; ensure holds are dispositioned within the required timeframe and root cause is documented.
  • Distinguish and correctly code converting process waste versus bad-board waste originating from the corrugator — cross-department accuracy matters for cost and accountability.
  • Develop and execute corrective action design for repeat quality failures; verify that fixes are implemented and validated, not just documented.
  • Track customer-complaint-linked quality events back to shift and setup; use data to drive targeted coaching with the responsible supervisor.
  • Ensure all supervisors enforce setup approval before production release — no exceptions.
• Supervisor Development & Accountability:
  • Directly supervise, coach, and evaluate the Converting Supervisors across all shifts.
  • Conduct structured one-on-one with each supervisor at least biweekly; focus on KPI performance, specific behavioral feedback, and development priorities.
  • Review each supervisor's shift reports for completeness and accuracy; provide direct feedback when standards are not met.
  • Hold supervisors accountable to the KPI scorecard — celebrate wins explicitly, address misses directly and promptly.
  • Identify skill gaps in the supervisor team and build targeted development plans; not all development is formal training.
  • Support the General Manager in performance management actions involving converting supervisors when warranted.
• Training & Workforce Development:
  • Own the converting department training matrix — know who is qualified on what equipment, and where the gaps are.
  • Ensure all new operators complete machine-specific onboarding before running unsupervised; no operator runs a job without documented qualification.
  • Partner with supervisors to develop cross-training plans that reduce single-point-of-failure risk on critical equipment.
  • Identify and develop high-potential operators for future supervisory roles; build the bench.
  • Ensure all training records are current, accurate, and accessible — not stored in someone's head.
  • Participate in new hire orientation and onboarding for converting department personnel.
• Downtime & Maintenance Coordination:
  • Review converting downtime logs across all shifts daily — reason code completeness, response time, and recurring patterns.
  • Identify the top chronic downtime contributors in converting each month; bring data to the maintenance/operations review.
  • Work with Maintenance to prioritize converting equipment PM schedules and ensure operator-level PM tasks are being completed.
  • Escalate defects that are aging without resolution; do not allow known equipment issues to persist without a documented plan.
  • Ensure supervisors and operators understand the defect tagging process and use it consistently.
• Reporting & Communication:
  • Present converting department performance in the daily operations meeting — output, downtime, quality, and people issues.
  • Provide the General Manager with a weekly converting summary: shift-by-shift KPI trends, top issues, and actions in progress.
  • Flag any issue that will affect customer delivery commitments or plant cost targets to the General Manager same day.
  • Maintain department records: training matrices, corrective actions, incident reports, and supervisor performance documentation.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED; associate degree or technical training preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in corrugated or packaging manufacturing, with at least 2 years in a supervisory or lead role overseeing converting operations.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and develop frontline supervisors — not just operators.
• Strong working knowledge of flexo folder gluer, die cutter, bundler, stitcher, and related converting equipment operations.
• Ability to read production data, identify trends, and drive data-informed decisions.
• Clear, direct communicator — up, down, and across the organization.
• Track record of building accountability without creating a blame culture.

Preferred

• 7+ years in corrugated manufacturing with multi-shift supervisory responsibility.
• Experience implementing or sustaining operator-level PM programs, downtime logging, or OEE tracking.
• Familiarity with quality hold management processes and corrective action frameworks.
• OSHA 10 or 30 certification; forklift and LOTO train-the-trainer experience a plus.
• Experience working in a plant turnaround or continuous improvement environment.
• Bilingual English/Spanish a plus given workforce composition.

Attributes for Success

• Hard work – tackle each task with determination, passion and creativity; the willingness to put in whatever effort is required to successfully complete the job at hand.
• Pursuit of Excellence – strive to consistently exceed expectations in our day-to-day work and outperform our competitors in the marketplace, regarding work and company achievements as a collaborative goal with the desire to go above and beyond.
• Integrity - treat the company and teammates with upmost respect, operating on strong moral codes to drive company values and culture.
• Sense of Urgency – drive forward each day with speed, agility, and flexibility to capture unrealized opportunities and avoid potential risks for the business.
• Entrepreneurial Spirit – act like an owner, challenging the status quo, asking the right questions, and actively seeking ways to innovate and improve.
• Adaptability – be fluid with ND Paper’s continuous evolution while driving change in a fast-paced environment, equipped with the ability to acclimate quickly.
• Servant Leadership – set an example by implementing meaningful leadership with heart, empathy, foresight and stewardship.

Benefits

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes: Medical, dental, and vision insurance as well as voluntary benefits such as accident insurance, hospital indemnity, and critical illness for you and your family. Financial protection benefits, including life insurance, disability insurance, and business travel accident insurance. Tax advantaged accounts such as Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA). Paid holidays, personal days, and vacation days to support work-life balance. A 401K retirement plan with a company match and annual fixed contribution Wellness programs with incentives and an on-site clinic available at our Rumford and Biron location. Enjoy competitive salaries, comprehensive health benefits, and paid time off. Discover more about our benefits and how we support our team by visiting 2026 Benefits.