Team Leader Natural Surfactant

PT Unilever Oleochemical Indonesia; Sumatera Utara; On-site; IDR 150,000,000 - 270,000,000; Full time

Job summary

PT Unilever Oleochemical Indonesia is seeking a Team Leader Natural Surfactant to oversee safe, efficient manufacturing in the Natural Surfactant area. You will lead frontline shifts, ensure safety, quality and production targets, and support continuous improvement with cross-functional teams.

The role emphasizes strong leadership, adherence to SOPs, and driving a high-performance culture in Sei Mangkei, North Sumatra. 24/7 operations and involvement in specialized processes are expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in chemical, mechanical engineering or similar.
• 3+ years in chemical, oleochemical, petrochemical, or manufacturing plant operations.
• Experience in shift operations or team leadership in manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of process operations incl. distillation, surfactant production or amidoamine.
• Knowledge of safety management systems, risk assessment and HSE compliance.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day shift manufacturing operations in Natural Surfactant area.
• Ensure safety procedures, operating standards and regulatory requirements are followed.
• Promote safety culture with hazard identification and risk management.
• Coordinate production activities to meet safety, quality, productivity targets.
• Oversee processes including amidoamine and betaine production, distillation, loading/dispatch.
• Ensure SOPs and controls are followed across shifts.
• Conduct routine operational and safety inspections; resolve issues.
• Lead incident response; report investigations and corrective actions.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to improve plant reliability.
• Coach operators and production staff; provide performance feedback.
• Support CI initiatives to improve safety, efficiency, quality and cost.

Skills

Team leadership

Safety management

Shift operations

Continuous improvement

Operational excellence

Education

Bachelor's degree in chemical/ mechanical engineering

Tools

SAP

Production reporting tools

Job description

Unilever Oleochemical Indonesia is looking for a passionate and results-driven Team Leader Natural Surfactant to lead and oversee safe, efficient, and high-quality manufacturing operations across our Natural Surfactant production area.

This role is responsible for providing frontline leadership during shift operations, ensuring adherence to safety standards, operational discipline, production targets, and product quality requirements. The successful candidate will play a key role in driving operational excellence, supporting continuous improvement initiatives, and fostering a high-performance culture within the manufacturing team.

Working closely with Production, Engineering, Quality, SHE, and Supply Chain teams, this position will contribute to delivering reliable plant performance while maintaining the highest standards of safety, quality, and compliance.

Responsibilities

Lead and supervise day-to-day shift manufacturing operations within the Natural Surfactant production area.

Ensure compliance with all safety procedures, operating standards, and regulatory requirements.

Drive a strong safety culture by promoting proactive hazard identification, risk management, and safe work behaviors.

Coordinate and monitor production activities to achieve agreed safety, quality, productivity, and operational performance targets.

Oversee specialized manufacturing processes, including Amidoamine production, Betaine production, distillation processes, and loading or dispatch operations.

Ensure effective execution of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and operational controls across all shift activities.

Conduct routine operational and safety inspections, ensuring timely resolution of identified issues.

Lead incident response activities, reporting investigations, and follow-up corrective and preventive actions.

Collaborate with cross-functional teams to resolve operational challenges and improve plant reliability.

Provide coaching, guidance, and performance feedback to operators and production personnel.

Support continuous improvement initiatives aimed at enhancing safety, efficiency, quality, and cost effectiveness.

Ensure accurate shift documentation, production records, and communication during shift handovers.

Accountabilities

Deliver safe and efficient manufacturing operations while maintaining compliance with company and regulatory standards.

Achieve production targets while ensuring product quality and operational reliability.

Maintain a strong safety culture and ensure adherence to HSE requirements across all shift activities.

Ensure timely escalation and resolution of operational issues that may impact production performance.

Develop and strengthen team capability through coaching, engagement, and effective people leadership.

Drive operational excellence through continuous improvement and disciplined execution of manufacturing processes.

Ensure accurate reporting and effective communication of operational performance and key shift activities.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or other relevant Engineering disciplines from a reputable university.

Minimum 3 years of experience in chemical, oleochemical, petrochemical, or manufacturing plant operations.

Experience in shift operations, production supervision, or team leadership roles within a manufacturing environment.

Strong understanding of process operations, preferably including distillation, surfactant production, or amidoamine manufacturing processes.

Good knowledge of safety management systems, risk assessment, and HSE compliance requirements.

Strong problem-solving, analytical, and decision-making capabilities.

Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

Fluent in English, both written and spoken.

Willing to be based in Sei Mangkei, Simalungun Regency, North Sumatra.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in oleochemical, specialty chemical, surfactant, or related process manufacturing industries.

Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, TPM, Continuous Improvement, or Operational Excellence methodologies.

Experience leading frontline production teams in a 24/7 manufacturing environment.

Familiarity with process troubleshooting, production planning, and plant performance optimization.

Demonstrated capability in driving safety culture and operational performance improvement initiatives.

Experience working with SAP, manufacturing execution systems, or production reporting tools.

PT. Unilever Oleochemical Indonesia (UOI) was established on January 3rd, 2012 and is wholly owned by Unilever Netherland.

UOI is one of the biggest Olechemical factories in the world and has been built on an area of 18 hectares, located in Special Economic Zone (KEK) Sei Mangkei, Blok M, N, R, S Huta VI District of Bosar Maligas, Simalungun, North Sumatra, Indonesia, where 30% of equipment manufacturers using domestic products, the plant is designed to process CPKO (Crude Palm Kernel Oil) and 95% of the products will be used by Unilever factories around the world.

PT. Unilever Oleochemical Indonesia (UOI) was established on January 3rd, 2012 and is wholly owned by Unilever Netherland.

UOI is one of the biggest Olechemical factories in the world and has been built on an area of 18 hectares, located in Special Economic Zone (KEK) Sei Mangkei, Blok M, N, R, S Huta VI District of Bosar Maligas, Simalungun, North Sumatra, Indonesia, where 30% of equipment manufacturers using domestic products, the plant is designed to process CPKO (Crude Palm Kernel Oil) and 95% of the products will be used by Unilever factories around the world.