Production Supervisor, Paper Mill

You have a choice of where you want to work! We invite you along on our journey to Purify and Protect, with Every Fiber, for a Sustainable World. We aim to attract, retain, and energize passionate people, like you, by investing in your professional development and providing opportunities for personal growth. Do your values align with ours? Accountability, Growth mindset, One team, Care and a fair and inclusive work environment for everyone, everywhere! We strive to meet the highest standards of corporate citizenship by protecting the health and safety of our team, safeguarding the environment, and creating a long-lasting, positive impact on the communities where we do business.  Are you with us?!?

We are seeking an experienced and hands-on Paper Mill Supervisor to provide front-line leadership for our 24/7 paper manufacturing operation. This is an excellent opportunity for a leader who enjoys being close to the operation, developing employees, solving problems, and creating a safe, accountable, high-performing work environment.

The Shift Supervisor reports to the Operations Manager and is responsible for leading safe and reliable execution across the paper mill during the assigned shift. This position sets priorities for the crew, maintains operating standards, coordinates staffing and resources, responds to production and equipment issues, and ensures effective communication and follow-through between shifts.

The role also has significant responsibility for staffing and attendance, shift reporting, safety and quality follow-up, training progress, and escalation of operating issues.

The strongest candidate will be someone who can balance operational knowledge with people leadership. We are looking for a supervisor who does not feel they need to personally solve every problem. Instead, they establish priorities, make expectations clear, empower operators to own their work, verify that standards are being followed, engage the right resources when needed, and make sure issues are carried through to resolution.

Key Responsibilities

Safety Leadership

• Lead the shift with safety as the first priority and reinforce safe work practices and operating procedures.


• Actively engage employees in identifying and addressing safety concerns.


• Respond to safety incidents and ensure appropriate documentation, communication, and follow-up.


• Hold employees accountable for following established safety rules, procedures, and expectations.

Production & Operational Leadership

• Lead day-to-day paper mill operations to support safe, reliable, and efficient production.


• Establish clear shift priorities and ensure employees understand expectations.


• Monitor operating conditions, production performance, downtime, quality issues, and other operational concerns.


• Ensure operators take ownership of routine execution and first-level troubleshooting, while providing appropriate supervisory direction and escalation.


• Engage Maintenance, E&I, process resources, and Operations leadership when issues require additional technical or organizational support.


• Ensure open production or equipment issues are documented and effectively handed off to the next shift.

People & Labor Relations

• Provide direct leadership, coaching, feedback, and accountability to hourly union employees.


• Administer the collective bargaining agreement and established work rules consistently.


• Partner with Human Resources and Operations leadership on employee relations, attendance, performance, and disciplinary matters.


• Build productive working relationships with employees and union representatives while maintaining appropriate management expectations.


• Address employee concerns promptly, professionally, and consistently.

Staffing & Workforce Coordination

• Coordinate shift staffing, absences, vacancies, call-ins, and coverage based on operating needs, employee qualifications, and machine requirements


• Monitor overtime and manpower needs.


• Support employee training, qualification progression, and development.


• Provide follow-up and coaching to probationary or newly qualified employees as needed.

Shift Communication & Administration

• Complete accurate and timely shift reports.


• Review machine, downtime, broke, and other operating reports and follow up when information is incomplete or requires attention.


• Communicate safety concerns, staffing issues, operational problems, quality concerns, and outstanding actions during shift handoffs.


• Maintain accurate timekeeping and required shift documentation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous supervisory or leadership experience in paper manufacturing, pulp and paper, converting, or another continuous-process manufacturing environment.


• Experience supervising employees in a unionized manufacturing environment strongly preferred.


• Working knowledge of labor agreements, progressive discipline, attendance administration, and employee relations.


• Strong safety leadership and demonstrated ability to hold employees accountable to established standards.


• Ability to troubleshoot operating issues and determine when additional technical or maintenance resources need to be engaged.


• Strong decision-making skills and the ability to prioritize competing demands during a fast-moving shift.


• Effective written and verbal communication skills.


• Comfortable leading employees through operational changes and reinforcing consistent expectations across crews.


• Basic proficiency with computerized production, reporting, and timekeeping systems.

Schedule

This position works a 12-hour rotating 2-2-3 schedule, providing a combination of scheduled workdays and days off throughout the two-week rotation. The role requires availability to work the assigned day or night shift, including weekends and holidays that fall within the rotation.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary and benefits package


• Opportunity to work in a stable, essential manufacturing industry


• Collaborative team environment with strong operational support


• Career growth and development opportunities

Ahlstrom is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  Equal opportunity is a sound and just concept to which we are firmly bound. Ahlstrom will not engage in discrimination against, or harassment of, any person employed or seeking employment with our company based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, non-disqualifying disability, status as a protected veteran or other characteristics protected by law.
 
About Us.
Ahlstrom is a global leader in combining fibers into sustainable specialty materials. Our purpose is to Purify and Protect, with Every Fiber, for a Sustainable World. We aim to be the Preferred Sustainable Specialty Materials Company for all our stakeholders. Our Filtration and Life Sciences, Food and Consumer Packaging, and Protective Materials segments, along with the Performance Materials Cluster, address global trends with safe and sustainable solutions. Our net sales in 2025 amounted to EUR 2.9 billion and we employ some 7,000 people. 

Read more at www.ahlstrom.com.