Research Manager Jobs in Colony, KS (NOW HIRING)

At Russell Stover, not only do we love chocolate, but we love our jobs! Every day we go to work exhibiting our values of excellence, innovation, entrepreneurship, responsibility, and collaboration. Working at Russell Stover you’ll be part of the leading manufacturer of boxed, seasonal, and sugar-free chocolates. For over 100 years, Russell Stover Chocolates, Whitman’s, and Pangburn’s have been crafted with the finest ingredients to bring happiness to generations. Today, we produce over 55 million pounds of chocolate annually, and our legacy brands can be found in 13 company-owned stores and over 9,000 wholesale accounts. Join our team and let’s continue making chocolate lovers happy!

As the Manager, Environment, Health & Safety (EHS), you will be a key driver in fostering a zero-incident safety culture through practical, people-focused solutions. Your focus will be to enhance the Safety & Health of our employees and advance site Environmental Sustainability – You will partner with colleagues at all levels to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations while embedding EHS practices into daily operations and driving continuous improvement.

In this role, you will contribute to the continuous improvement of our Safety Culture, be an active leader and resource to the operating departments, Safety Pillar, Safety Committee, and relevant teams. You will also educate employees on safety principles and research, communicate, and partner with operations for the resolution of safety inquiries and help identify and correct hazardous workplace conditions. You will provide safety accounting and loss intelligence to the facility not limited to compliance, risk, and accidents. As the EHS Manager, you will ensure employees receive medical treatment as appropriate and manage Workers’ Compensation Claims. You will be directly reporting to the Plant Manager with a dotted line to the Director, Environment, Health, & Safety.

• Develop and lead the implementation of technical and administrative direction on all EHS policies and programs applicable within the manufacturing plant.
• Champion local Safety Pillar team; driving continuous improvement and fostering a proactive safety culture
• Oversee and ensure full compliance with all OSHA, EPA, and other regulatory requirements including, but not limited to, Hearing Conservation, Respiratory Protection, Hazard Communication, CPR, First Aid and AED requirements.
• Review and update internal policies and procedures to ensure they remain current, effective, and aligned with current regulations and company standards.
• Conduct hazard and risk assessments, and ergonomic evaluations; develop or revise policies and procedures as needed.
• Lead incident investigations and evaluations, ensuring thorough evaluation and corrective action follow-through
• Track and analyze incident reports, case studies, and trends to identify root causes and implement corrective actions.
• Prepare and deploy training materials and programs to support compliance and promote safety awareness
• Collaborate with operations and engineering to improve operational efficiencies and reduce regulatory compliance-related cost.
• Provide strategic and day-to-day and EHS support to plant leadership and staff.
• Manage Worker’s Compensation claims, reports, and transitional/ restricted duty assignments.
• Supervise the 2nd shift Health & Safety Supervisor
• Adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) guidelines to ensure product quality and uphold food safety standards.
• Learn to identify and address potential workplace and food safety hazards, process deviations, or non-conformities, while maintaining proactive communication with supervisors.
• Document workplace and food safety and quality procedures, maintaining detailed records of monitoring, verification, and corrective actions.

This job posting is not all inclusive and other duties may be assigned.

(Basic Qualifications)

• Bachelor’s degree in an EHS related program or 4 years of experience in an EHS role
• 5 years’ experience in a manufacturing environment
• Knowledge of EPA and OSHA regulations and compliance program management
• Proven track record in delivering results by influencing and working with cross-functional teams and various initiatives
• Ability to establish networks of peers in the factory to lead without direct authority
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to speak, read, and write English fluently, with or without accommodation

(Preferred Qualifications)

• Experience in food manufacturing environment
• Professional certifications in EHS related fields (ASP, CSP, CIH, OHST, etc.)
• Transformational safety experience
• PSM/RMP experience with anhydrous ammonia
• RCRA hazardous waste compliance and hazardous materials handling experience

• SafetyFirst: Your well-being is our value, and workplace safety is a shared responsibility we take seriously. You will join us in our goal of a zero-incident culture through regular safety check-ins and continuous improvement. On day one, you’ll dive into safety and food safety training, and we’ll keep you on your toes with safety tips to ensure you’re always in the know!
• Surroundings: Get ready to work alongside a variety of equipment like automated packing machines, forklifts, electric pallet jacks, and those irresistible chocolate candy banks/steels – it’s a dynamic environment where every day brings something new!
• Active & Engaging Work: Whether you’re on your feet for extended periods, moving around, climbing ladders, or lifting up to 50 lbs, there’s never a dull moment. This is a place where you’ll stay on the move!
• Comfortable Climate: In most roles, you will be comfortable year-round with our climate-controlled environment.
• Appealing Smells: The air is filled with sweet aromas of chocolate, and by the time your shift ends, you might just leave smelling like chocolate!
• Dress to Impress (Food Safety Style): A simple yet important dress code ensures safety and hygiene, following Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) to keep everything running smoothly.
• Allergens: You will be exposed to a variety of ingredients that may be considered food allergens.

At Russell Stover Chocolates, we don’t just accept difference — we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products, and our community. Russell Stover Chocolates is proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace.

We provide equal employment opportunities to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, religion, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, protected medical condition, genetic information, military service, veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by law.

Employment by Russell Stover Chocolates is contingent upon I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification, passing the urinalysis drug screen, education verification, and satisfactory reference and background checks.

Make Happy. Work Happy.