Hot End Manager

Koch Industries, Inc; Eastern Province; On-site; SAR 300,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

Guardian Glass is seeking a Hot End Manager to lead all Float Line Hot End operations, providing strategic direction for safety, quality, and efficiency. You will drive continuous improvement, develop the team, and partner with maintenance, quality, and commercial functions to meet site objectives.

You will champion process optimization, equipment reliability, and disciplined problem solving while aligning with Guardian's vision to be the preferred partner for customers in a global float glass

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in a relevant technical field.
• Experience leading manufacturing operations in a continuous process industry.
• Experience developing supervisors, engineers and frontline staff.
• Proven ability to improve safety, quality, productivity and cost performance.
• Strong knowledge of float manufacturing processes and process control systems.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and strategic direction for all Hot End operations.
• Drive safety culture and ensure EH&S and regulatory compliance.
• Lead and develop supervisors, engineers and operators.
• Champion operational excellence through standardization and CI initiatives.
• Monitor KPIs: safety, quality, throughput, energy and cost.
• Lead root cause analysis for deviations and equipment issues.
• Collaborate with Maintenance, Quality, Supply Chain and Commercial teams.

Skills

Safety leadership

Operations management

Continuous improvement

Team development

Data-driven decision making

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or related

Tools

Process control systems

Safety and regulatory compliance

Job description

As a Hot End Manager you will provide leadership technical expertise and strategic direction for the safe and efficient operation of the Float Line Hot End including ECS Batch House Furnace Tin Bath Lehr Float Quality and Laboratory operations You will be responsible for creating value through operational excellence process optimization team development and reliability improvements while supporting Guardian s vision of becoming the preferred partner for our customers In this role you will leverage your knowledge and experience to improve safety performance product quality manufacturing efficiency and asset utilization while developing capabilities within the organization You will work closely with cross-functional teams to identify opportunities remove barriers and drive continuous improvement across the float manufacturing process

Our Team

Guardian Glass is a global leader in float and fabricated glass products Our Float Operations Team is focused on creating value by safely producing high-quality glass while continuously improving our processes capabilities and competitive position We are a principle-based company that relies on teamwork innovation ownership and challenge processes to continuously improve our business

What You Will Do

Provide leadership and direction for all Hot End operations including ECS Batch House Furnace Tin Bath Lehr Float Quality and Laboratory Drive a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with environmental health safety and regulatory requirements Lead and develop supervisors engineers and operators through coaching mentoring and capability building Champion operational excellence through process optimization standardization and continuous improvement initiatives Monitor and improve key performance indicators including safety quality throughput yield energy consumption and cost Develop and implement strategies to improve furnace performance forming stability equipment reliability and operational discipline Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for process deviations quality incidents equipment failures and operational upsets Partner with Maintenance Quality Engineering Supply Chain and Commercial teams to achieve site and business objectives Support capital projects technology implementation process upgrades and operational readiness activities Utilize risk-based thinking and participate in Management of Change MOC Process Hazard Analysis PHA FMEA and other risk assessment activities Identify opportunities to create value through productivity improvements waste reduction energy optimization and asset effectiveness Develop succession plans and build organizational capability to support future business needs Drive decision-making using data analysis Travel may be required for training benchmarking startup support technical reviews vendor visits and participation in Guardian or Koch manufacturing networks

Who You Are (Basic Qualifications)

• Bachelor's Degree or higher in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Experience leading manufacturing operations in a continuous process industry.
• Experience leading and developing supervisors, engineers, and frontline operations personnel.
• Demonstrated ability to improve safety, quality, productivity, and cost performance.
• Strong knowledge of float manufacturing processes, process control systems, and operational excellence principles.
• Proven problem-solving, troubleshooting, and decision-making skills.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and influencing capabilities.

What Will Put You Ahead

• Experience in float glass manufacturing.
• Experience managing Furnace, Tin Bath, Lehr, or Batch House operations.
• Knowledge of glass melting, combustion systems, glass forming, refractory management, and thermal process optimization.
• Experience leading furnace campaigns, major repairs, rebuilds, or cold repair projects.
• Experience managing departmental budgets and capital projects.
• Track record of creating measurable value through operational improvements, yield enhancement, quality improvements, and energy reduction initiatives.