Senior Materials Recovery & Waste Operations Specialist

Overview

Do you want to join a team that's changing the world? Do you have a strong background as a Senior Material Control Coordinator? Then we're looking for you! Check out the job description and apply now! Put your skills to meaningful use, gain unique experience, and work with world-class team members with diverse backgrounds and expertise who share the same vision. Join the PECNA team today!

Responsibilities

Senior Material Control Coordinator

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Meet the Recruiter: Anh Martin

Summary: 

Join us at Panasonic Energy as we expand to De Soto, Kansas, where we’re building the world’s largest lithium-ion battery factory. This is an exciting opportunity to grow your career while contributing to the future of electric vehicles. As part of our team, you’ll help push the limits of battery technology, enhancing performance and efficiency in sustainable transportation.

Our state-of-the-art facility, just outside the Kansas City Metro, will be a hub for innovation in green energy solutions. If you're passionate about sustainability and eager to contribute to the electric vehicle revolution, we invite you to be part of our dynamic team. Join us and make a meaningful impact on the future of energy and transportation.

Job Summary: 

The Senior Material Control Coordinator oversees the management, tracking, recovery, and disposition of waste and recyclable materials generated throughout manufacturing operations. This position leads waste and recycling activities to ensure materials are properly identified, segregated, documented, recovered, and disposed of in a safe, efficient, and cost-effective manner. The role serves as the primary liaison with waste and recycling service providers while partnering closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, Environmental Health & Safety, and other stakeholders to ensure accurate material accountability and compliance. In addition, the Sr. Coordinator collaborates with the IT function to develop the necessary systems and dashboard capabilities that support real-time tracking, reporting, and reconciliation of waste and recycling activities. The role also ensures that Operations teams strictly adhere to correct waste handling and disposal practices, enabling proper waste management from generation through final treatment. Furthermore, the position plays a key role in leveraging FTZ (Foreign Trade Zone) capabilities by ensuring the precise management and documentation of valuable waste for complaint and reliable transfer, recovery, and disposition. A significant focus of this position is maintaining reconciliation between production data, inventory transactions, waste streams, and recyclable material outputs to support operational accuracy and financial integrity. This role drives continuous improvement initiatives that reduce waste, increase recycling and material recovery, improve reporting accuracy, and support sustainable manufacturing operations.

Essential Duties:

Functional Leadership & Operations:

• Oversee day-to-day waste and recycling operations across the manufacturing facility
• Ensure waste streams are accurately identified, labeled, segregated, stored, and managed in accordance with established procedures
• Establish and maintain standards for waste categorization, collection, storage, and handling across production and support operations
• Monitor waste accumulation areas, collection processes, containers, signage, and material flow activities
• Coordinate waste collection, recycling services, and material recovery activities to support uninterrupted facility operations
• Review waste-management operations and utilization trends to optimize efficiency and reduce costs
• Monitor waste-management expenditures and support cost-control initiatives through effective vendor management, recycling recovery, and process optimization
• Serve as the primary point of contact for waste and recycling service providers and contractors

Strategic Alignment & Continuous Improvement:

• Develop and implement strategies that improve waste reduction, recycling effectiveness, landfill diversion, and material recovery performance
• Analyze operational and production data to identify opportunities for process improvements and cost reduction
• Lead initiatives that improve waste segregation accuracy, reporting reliability, and operational controls
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators related to waste generation, recycling performance, recovery rates, and waste-management costs
• Support sustainability initiatives through increased material recovery and improved resource utilization
• Drive continuous improvement activities utilizing Lean, Six Sigma, or similar problem-solving methodologies

Team Development & Knowledge Sharing:

• Provide guidance and subject matter expertise regarding waste management, recycling processes, material recovery, and waste-stream controls
• Train and coach employees on appropriate waste segregation, labeling, recycling procedures, and material-handling requirements
• Promote awareness of waste reduction initiatives and best practices throughout the facility
• Develop standardized work instructions and training materials to support operational consistency and compliance
• Foster a culture of accountability, environmental stewardship, and continuous improvement

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement:

• Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, Warehouse, Finance, Procurement, and Environmental Health & Safety teams to ensure effective waste-management practices
• Reconcile waste and recyclable material quantities against production transactions, inventory activity, and operational records
• Investigate discrepancies between production outputs, waste generation, supplier-reported quantities, and inventory transactions
• Review supplier invoices, weight tickets, manifests, recycling reports, and related documentation for accuracy and resolution of discrepancies
• Support audits, reporting activities, and business reviews through accurate documentation and performance reporting
• Collaborate with suppliers and internal stakeholders to enhance service performance and material recovery opportunities

Quality, Safety, Compliance, & Risk Management:

• Ensure waste-handling activities comply with company policies, environmental standards, and applicable regulatory requirements
• Partner with Environmental Health & Safety to maintain safe and compliant waste-management processes.
• Conduct routine inspections and audits of waste accumulation, segregation, storage, and documentation practices
• Lead corrective actions to address nonconformances, contamination concerns, process deficiencies, and compliance issues
• Maintain documentation supporting audits, financial reconciliation activities, operational reporting, and compliance requirements
• Monitor risks associated with waste handling, storage, transportation, and disposal activities and implement appropriate mitigation measures

Travel Requirement:

• Minimal local travel may be required to support nearby facility operations or to support training, supplier meetings, or business-related operational needs

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Requirements:

• To ensure the health and safety in the workplace and for the protection of our employees, wearing PPE is a possibility and may include equipment such as a full Tyvek suit, safety shoes, gloves, safety glasses, face mask, bump cap, and a full hazmat suit that includes a respirator.

The foregoing description is not intended and should not be construed to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills and efforts or work conditions associated with the job. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the general nature and level of the job.

Qualifications

Requirements - Required and/or Preferred

Education, Certifications, and Licenses:

Required:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Management, Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Engineering, Business, Industrial Technology, Sustainability, or a related field
• Relevant experience may be substituted for required education

Preferred:

• Lean Six Sigma certification or comparable continuous improvement certification

Essential Qualifications:

• 4+ years of experience in waste management, recycling operations, materials management, manufacturing operations, environmental services, or a related field
• Experience managing waste streams, recycling programs, material recovery operations, or related manufacturing support functions
• Experience analyzing operational, inventory, production, or financial data and translating findings into actionable process improvements
• Demonstrated experience reconciling physical material flows with production, inventory, operational, or financial system data
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and root-cause investigation skills
• Experience collaborating with suppliers, contractors, or service providers and driving performance improvements
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and experience utilizing operational, inventory, production, or financial data to support decision-making
• Ability to communicate effectively and collaborate across multiple business functions and organizational levels
• Must have working-level knowledge of the English language, including reading, writing, and speaking English
• Alignment to Panasonic’s seven (7) core principles (contribution to society, fairness and honesty, cooperation and team spirit, untiring effort for improvement, courtesy and humility, adaptability, gratitude)

Preferred Qualifications:

• 6+ years of experience in waste management, materials recovery, manufacturing operations, environmental programs, or related industrial operations
• Experience within a high-volume manufacturing environment
• Experience with SAP, MES, WMS, or other manufacturing execution and transactional systems
• Experience with waste-management, environmental-management, or sustainability reporting systems
• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement methodologies
• Experience developing KPIs, dashboards, performance reporting, and operational controls
• Familiarity with environmental compliance requirements, waste documentation, and recycling program administration
• Experience with supplier invoice reconciliation, cost analysis, and operational financial reporting

Physical Demands:

Physical Activities: Percentage of time (equaling 100%) during the normal workday the employee is required to:

• Sit: 40%
• Walk: 30%
• Stand: 30%

Required Lifting and Carrying: Rare (<1%), Occasional (1-33%), Frequent (34-66%), Continuous (67-100%)

For this position, the required frequency is:

• Up to 10 lbs.: Continuous
• Up to 20 lbs.: Occasional
• Up to 35 lbs.: Occasional
• Team-lift only (over 35 lbs.): Rare

Benefits & Perks - What's In It For You:

Panasonic Energy prioritizes total well-being and offers comprehensive benefits options to support physical, emotional, financial, social, and environmental health:

• Health Benefits – Offering medical, dental, vision, prescription plans, plus Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account options.
• Voluntary Benefits – Life, accident, critical illness, disability, legal, identity theft, and pet insurance.
• Panasonic Retirement Savings & Investment Plan (PRSIP) – 401(k) plan with company matching contributions and immediate vesting.
• Paid Time-Off Benefits – Vacation, holidays, personal days, sick leave, volunteer, and parental & caregiver leave.
• Educational Assistance – Tuition reimbursement for job-related courses after six months of service.
• Health Management and Wellbeing Programs –Lifestyle Spending Account, EAP, virtual health management, chronic condition, neurodiversity, tobacco cessation, substance abuse support, and life stage and fertility resources. Available to eligible employees starting the first day of the month following your start date. Eligibility for each benefit may vary based on employment status, location, and length of service.
• Employee Recognition Program - High5 employee recognition and awards platform, quarterly and annual employee recognition
• Annual Bonus Program - Opportunity for an annual performance-based bonus.
• On-site Food Options: Several on-site cafes, plentiful snack and beverage kitchens, revolving on-site vendor visits and employee events.

Where You'll Be:

For our onsite roles, Panasonic Energy is committed to fostering an ideal working environment that goes beyond the conventional. We understand the significance of moments that matter in your onsite experience, and we prioritize creating a workspace that not only promotes productivity but also ensures a fulfilling and positive work atmosphere. Join us at Panasonic Energy, where your onsite presence is valued, and we strive to make each moment count in your professional journey.

Who We Are:

Meet Panasonic Energy! At Panasonic Energy, you'll do work that matters as we are dedicated to transforming the world through the acceleration of sustainable energy. By producing safe, high-quality lithium-ion batteries, you become part of a team that plays a crucial role in creating technologies that move us.

Our journey began in 2017, and now, as the world's largest lithium-ion battery factory, we are expanding operations to De Soto, Kansas, providing you with the opportunity to experience career growth in more ways than one.

As an innovative thinker, you'll thrive here, as we continually push the boundaries of lithium-ion battery technology and production capabilities to enhance efficiency and performance in EVs.

Being part of Panasonic Energy means positively contributing to society, aligning with our commitment to building a better world through sustainable energy solutions.

We care about what you care about, fostering an environment where your contributions make a meaningful impact on the future of energy and transportation. Join us and be part of a team that values your work, encourages innovation, and actively contributes to a positive societal impact.

In addition to an environment that is as innovative as our products, we offer competitive salaries and benefits.

We Take Opportunity Seriously:

At Panasonic Energy, we are committed to a workplace that genuinely fosters inclusion and belonging. Fairness and Honesty have been part of our core values for more than 100 years and we are proud of our diverse culture as an equal opportunity employer.

We understand that your career search may look different than others and embrace the professional, personal, educational, and volunteer opportunities through which people gain experience. If you are actively looking or starting to explore new opportunities, submit your application!

Supplemental Information:

Pre-employment drug testing is required.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law. All qualified individuals are required to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation.

Due to the high volume of responses, we will only be able to respond to candidates of interest. All candidates must have valid authorization to work in the U.S. without restriction.

Thank you for your interest in Panasonic Energy Corporation of North America.

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