MUST be US Citizen due to busines of Specialty Chemicals Manufacturing
The Opportunity
A well-established specialty chemicals manufacturer is seeking a Plant Manager to lead its Memphis, TN production site. This is a full P&L role with total site accountability — operations, maintenance, engineering, quality, HR, purchasing, accounting, and laboratory functions all report directly or indirectly to this position.
The site has a strong track record in safety, reliability, and customer service. The next Plant Manager will be expected to protect that record while driving the site through a period of business growth and new program integration. This is a change-management role as much as an operations role.
Site profile:
- Approximately 60 employees
- Unionized workforce
- Roughly 8 direct reports
- Multi-million dollar annual maintenance, variable cost, and capital budgets under direct control
What You'll Own
Safety, Health & Environment (~20%)
- Set the tone for a "zero is possible" culture and make safety a lived plant value, not a poster
- Ensure full compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations plus internal corporate standards
- Lead behavior-based safety observations personally and hold direct reports to the same standard
- Drive timely, transparent reporting of all incidents and near-misses
Operations (~50%)
- Ensure safe operating procedures and practices are in place, current, and actually followed
- Maintain and improve the mechanical integrity of all plant assets for safe, efficient operation
- Deliver production volumes that meet demand requirements set by S&OP planning
- Ensure training programs support safe and efficient operation across all shifts
Financial (~10%)
- Prepare and own the fixed, variable, and capital budgets
- Monitor and control spend to hit budget commitments
Human Resources (~10%)
- Oversee hiring, promotion, staffing, and compensation decisions with professionalism and consistency
- Maintain an environment of open communication across all levels of the plant
External Relations & Development (~10%)
- Serve as the site's face with local authorities and the Community Advisory Panel
- Build close working relationships with plant personnel; coach and develop both individual and team performance
What You Bring
Required
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Chemical or Mechanical)
- 15+ years of progressive manufacturing experience spanning plant operations, process design, and engineering
- Leadership experience in a specialty chemicals
- MUST have experience in H202 (or other peroxide) production
- Demonstrated success leading continuous improvement initiatives
- Working knowledge of current safety and environmental regulations
- Proficiency with SAP (or comparable ERP), accounting systems, and Microsoft Office
Preferred
- Experience in both large and small integrated process manufacturing environments
- Lean or Six Sigma certification
- Experience leading a unionized workforce