ANGELA NIETO
West Des Moines,IA
Summary
Experienced manufacturing industry leader with a proven track record of success spanning 20 years. Adept at leading critical projects, driving efficiency, and boosting profitability for businesses. Trusted with overseeing assets worth several million dollars across diverse organizations. Recognized for relationship-building ability, passionate mentoring, and impactful volunteer work. Skilled at developing team strengths to enhance productivity and fostering creative change for sustainable growth. Fluent in Spanish, English, and Portuguese.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
8
8
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Workforce and Community Development Manager
John Deere
9 2023 - Current
- Collaborate with factory and local community leaders to significantly increase the enrollment of high school students in registered apprentice programs
- Lead the establishment and expansion of High School Apprentice programs
- Pioneer apprentice programs in Accounting, Supply Management and Engineering.
- Strategize and execute impactful community outreach initiatives across Central US company locations
- Coordinate team representation at key manufacturing events to showcase a unified and impactful presence.
Factory Manager
John Deere Paton
02.2023 - 09.2023
- Implemented several impactful safety initiatives, resulting in a 70% reduction in OSHA recordable rate
- Cultivated a continuous improvement culture within the factory, driving an increase of 262% in CI projects
- Strategically planned operations to align with established schedules, integrating order demands and business forecasts, resulting in an improvement of more than 200% in OpsX from FY22 to FY23
- Surpassed corporate and factory metric goals for exceptional productivity by more than 15%
- Articulated factory operational needs, objectives, and performance standards to senior leadership, securing their support and alignment.
Strategy Delivery Lead
John Deere
11.2020 - 02.2023
- Executed important strategic projects for P&PA and SA&T, aligning with business objectives to propel long-term profitability and sustainable growth
- Led a transformative growth strategy to “Win in Brazil” to increase market share, drive company expansion, and enhance profitability
- Led cross-functional teams to identify and execute strategic and tactical initiatives to improve underperforming product lines (Fix)
- Cultivated collaborative and mutually beneficial relationships with stakeholders, fostering trust, engagement, and alignment across key areas of the business to drive collective success
- Demonstrated strong organizational and time management skills while managing multiple projects.
Business Unit Leader - Application Equipment
John Deere
03.2019 - 11.2020
- Led 350+ employees in the manufacturing execution of a multi-shift operation
- Achieved a 25% reduction in OSHA recordable incidents and a 30% decrease in Defects per Unit
- Led initiatives to drive exceptional productivity in the business unit, resulting in a 7% improvement, surpassing corporate and factory-level goals
- Supported initiatives that resulted in an average of 7% higher incentive earnings for the CIPP teams
- Managed an $11M operating budget, meeting the 10% accuracy goal every month
- Defined capital requirements to support asset replacement and future capacity
- Supported and directed the continuous improvement activities for the business unit
- Led the resource planning and development of hourly and salaried employees.
Fabrication Operations Manager
John Deere
05.2018 - 03.2019
- Managed CNC machining, welding, and paint operations on a 3-shift basis with 180+ employees
- Reduced the OSHA recordable rate by 27%
- Increased the business unit productivity by 8.61%
- Managed a $20M operating budget, finishing 6% under budget for the year
- Led the execution of components for new product programs across three distinct product line portfolios
- Collaborated with Manufacturing Engineering to define capital requirements, supporting asset replacement and future capacity needs.
Quality Manager
John Deere
10.2016 - 05.2018
- Exceeded Initial Product Quality goals for Cotton, Application, and Tillage models
- Achieved a 30% average reduction in Failures per Machine across all models
- Drove a 40% average reduction in Critical and Major defects at Pre-Delivery Inspections and Product Audits, elevating quality standards and customer satisfaction levels
- Cultivated and fortified relationships across functional leadership areas, ensuring seamless alignment and synergy for interconnected and impactful quality improvement plans
- Led efforts to increase recruitment and promotion of women and people of color in the Quality organization by 120%, actively driving diversity and inclusion through dedicated recruitment, mentoring, and professional development initiatives.
Education
Systems Engineering Certificate - Systems Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Cambridge 08.2021 - 08.2022
MBA -
Clarke University
Dubuque, IA 08.1999 - 05.2001
Bachelor of Science - Engineering Management
Escuela De Ingeniería De Antioquia
Medellin, Colombia 01.1994 - 07.1999
Skills
Operations and Team Leadership
Strategy & Transformation
Financial Management
Product Development
Project Management
Mentoring and People Development
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Employee Resource Groups
- Waterloo WomenREACH
- Women in Manufacturing
- John Deere SWE, SHPE
- HOLA and HLLC
Mentoring And People Development
· Developed the innovative "Wage Internship" program.
· Mentors over 10+ women and minorities across global locations including the U.S., Brazil, Germany, Mexico, and India.
· Championed multiple mentoring initiatives tailored for women and Hispanic employees.
Awards
Manager of the Year
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
Timeline
Factory Manager
John Deere Paton
02.2023 - 09.2023
Systems Engineering Certificate - Systems Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
08.2021 - 08.2022
Strategy Delivery Lead
John Deere
11.2020 - 02.2023
Business Unit Leader - Application Equipment
John Deere
03.2019 - 11.2020
Fabrication Operations Manager
John Deere
05.2018 - 03.2019
Quality Manager
John Deere
10.2016 - 05.2018
MBA -
Clarke University
08.1999 - 05.2001
Bachelor of Science - Engineering Management
Escuela De Ingeniería De Antioquia
01.1994 - 07.1999
Workforce and Community Development Manager
John Deere
9 2023 - Current