Assistant Manager Manufacturing Hydrogenation

Unilever PLC; Sumatera Utara; On-site; IDR 600,000,000 - 900,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Unilever PLC seeks a First Line Manager to run the Hydrogenation Plant in Sei Mangkei, North Sumatra, ensuring safe, reliable operations and meeting production targets. You will lead daily production, manage resources, and drive continuous improvements to yield and quality.

Accountable for process safety, equipment reliability, and adherence to international standards, you will mentor a growing team and collaborate with Maintenance, Quality, Planning, and SHE to deliver uninterrupted supply to

Qualifications

• Diploma or bachelor’s degree in chemical/engineering discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience for Diploma graduates or 3 years for bachelor’s degree in manufacturing or related process industry.
• Previous experience supervising operators or leading an operational team.

Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with quality, food safety, environmental, health and safety, and process safety standards.
• Stop plant operations when unsafe conditions arise and manage emergencies.
• Execute daily production plans aligned with S&OP targets.
• Control raw materials, production schedules, and product delivery.
• Maintain safe, reliable Hydrogenation Plant operations and minimize downtime.
• Monitor utilities consumption and maintain process yield within targets.
• Coordinate with Maintenance, Quality, Planning, SHE, and Engineering to resolve issues.
• Develop team competencies through training and mentoring.
• Ensure adherence to ISO, Halal, Kosher, FSSC 22000, GMP standards.

Skills

Hydrogenation technology

Process safety

Quality control

SHE standards

ISO 9001/14001/45001

Team development

Stakeholder management

English proficiency

Operational troubleshooting

Cost optimization

Hydrogenation plant operations

Production planning

Maintenance coordination

Education

Diploma in Chemical Engineering

Bachelor’s in Chemical/Mechanical/Industrial Engineering

Job description

The position will be responsible for executing the daily operations of the Hydrogenation Plant in a safe, reliable, efficient, and sustainable manner as a First Line Manager. The role will manage day-to-day plant operations to ensure products consistently meet required specifications, production targets, and customer requirements, while supporting the smooth and reliable supply of hydrogenated products to Upstream, Downstream, and external customers. The position is also accountable for process safety, production delivery, product quality, operational efficiency, utility consumption, process yield, cost performance, people development, and continuous improvement within the Hydrogenation Plant.

Responsibilities

• Ensure all plant activities comply with applicable requirements for quality, food safety, environmental management, occupational health and safety, and process safety.
• Exercise the authority to stop plant operations whenever unsafe or emergency conditions arise that may endanger people, product quality, equipment, or the environment.
• Support the effective management of operational emergencies and process abnormalities.
• Execute and monitor daily production plans in alignment with Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) targets, including production volume and capacity utilization.
• Ensure effective control of raw materials, product quality, production schedules, and product delivery.
• Maintain safe, stable, and reliable Hydrogenation Plant operations while minimizing production interruptions, unplanned downtime, equipment damage, operational losses, and process risks.
• Monitor and control the consumption of steam, electricity, water, chemicals, and other utilities.
• Maintain Hydrogenation process yield at or above the approved budget target.
• Ensure all products meet the required quality specifications and remain free from contamination.
• Promptly report product-quality deviations and non-conformities to the Manufacturing Manager, Fatty Acid 2 and Hydrogenation.
• Identify, report, and respond to operational incidents.
• Prepare or support incident investigations, root-cause analysis, mitigation plans, corrective actions, and follow-up activities to prevent recurrence.
• Make timely and appropriate operational decisions to prevent accidents, equipment damage, product-quality issues, environmental impact, and production downtime.
• Regularly evaluate Hydrogenation Plant performance and implement corrective and improvement actions to increase efficiency, improve process stability, reduce losses, minimize waste, optimize yield, and improve product quality.
• Coordinate closely with Maintenance, Quality Control, Planning, SHE, Engineering, and other relevant functions to resolve operational issues and ensure smooth day-to-day production.
• Ensure daily operations comply with applicable Quality Management System requirements and standards, including ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, Halal, Kosher, FSSC 22000, GMP, and relevant Unilever standards.
• Develop team competencies through structured training, on-the-job development, work assignments, coaching, and mentoring.
• Ensure team capability development is aligned with the approved training and competency matrix.
• Regularly evaluate subordinate performance, provide constructive feedback and recognition, address performance gaps in accordance with company policies, and support individual career-development plans.
• Conduct and review environmental and safety-impact assessments.
• Maintain a clean, organized, safe, and compliant working environment through effective housekeeping and operational discipline.
• Support the preparation and management of the operational budget and ensure the Cost of Conversion (CoC) remains within target.
• Implement cost-control measures and lead improvement initiatives related to yield optimization, process-loss reduction, waste reduction, product-quality improvement, and utility efficiency.
• Provide clear daily direction to the operational team, establish work priorities and performance expectations, and ensure disciplined execution in a dynamic manufacturing environment.

Qualifications

• Diploma or bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or another relevant engineering discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience for Diploma 3 graduates or 3 years of relevant experience for bachelor’s degree holders in manufacturing, chemical processing, oleochemical operations, or a related process industry.
• Previous experience supervising operators or leading an operational team in a manufacturing environment.

Required Skills

• Good understanding of oleochemical processing and hydrogenation technology, including oil or fatty-acid hydrogenation.
• Knowledge of hydrogen systems, catalyst handling, and the associated operational and process-safety risks.
• Good understanding of process engineering, quality control, utility management, maintenance coordination, and SHE requirements.
• Strong process-safety knowledge and demonstrated safety awareness.
• Familiarity with applicable management systems and standards, including ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, Halal, Kosher, FSSC 22000, and GMP.
• Ability to monitor and improve production volume, capacity utilization, process yield, utilities, losses, product quality, and Cost of Conversion.
• Strong operational troubleshooting, analytical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
• Demonstrated ability to develop team capabilities through structured training, coaching, mentoring, and on-the-job development.
• Disciplined, execution-focused, detail-oriented, and capable of working effectively in a dynamic operational environment.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, presentation, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Good command of spoken and written English.
• Willing to be based in Sei Mangkei, North Sumatra.