Asst Plant Mgr - Petn

AUSTIN POWDER COMPANY; Red Diamond (OH); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Austin Powder Company seeks a PETN Assistant Plant Manager to act as second-in-command for the PETN facility, overseeing manufacturing operations and coordinating with Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, SHES, and Supply Chain. The role drives safety, reliability, and efficiency while supporting site strategy and capital planning.

The candidate will supervise Shift Supervisors and Technicians, lead cross-functional problem solving, and ensure compliance with process safety and regulatory

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, Operations Management, Industrial Technology, Chemical Technology, or a related field.
• Minimum 10 years of manufacturing experience in a Process Safety Management (PSM) or high-hazard environment.
• Minimum 5 years of progressive leadership with production and personnel management.

Responsibilities

• Serve as second-in-command for the PETN facility and act on behalf of the Plant Manager during absences.
• Lead site strategy execution, capital projects, and workforce development.
• Direct and supervise manufacturing operations, maintenance, engineering, quality, SHES, and supply chain.
• Drive safety, environmental, quality, reliability, and cost performance through leadership of the operations team.
• Ensure MOC, PHA, PSSR, incidents investigations, and corrective actions are completed.
• Support audits, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Skills

Leadership

Process safety

Budgeting

Cross-functional leadership

Data-driven decisions

Operational excellence

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering/related field

Job description

Join the Family - Come work for an exciting company offering great benefits, challenging opportunities, and colleagues who feel more like family. Job Summary PETN Assistant Plant Manager The PETN Assistant Plant Manager serves as second-in-command for the PETN facility and acts on behalf of the PETN Plant Manager during absences.

This position is responsible for supporting the safe, reliable, compliant, and efficient performance of the PETN facility through leadership of manufacturing operations and coordination across Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, SHES, and Supply Chain. The role supports site strategy, operational, execution, safety process, capital planning, workforce development, financial performance, customer and regulatory requirements and continuous improvement.

PETN Assistant Plant Manager The PETN Assistant Plant Manager reports directly to the PETN Plant Manager and provides leadership to Shift Supervisors, Technicians, and Operations personnel.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Serve as second-in-command for the PETN facility and act on behalf of the PETN Plant Manager during absences.
• Assist in developing and executing the site's strategic, operational, and capital improvement plans.
• Provide leadership and direction for all PETN manufacturing operations.
• Directly supervise Shift Supervisors and Technicians and provide leadership to Operations personnel.
• Establish operational priorities, performance expectations, and accountability throughout the operations organization.
• Coordinate Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, SHES, and Supply Chain activities to achieve plant objectives.
• Drive compliance with Process Safety Management requirements and all applicable ATF, OSHA, EPA, DHS, and company requirements.
• Lead site performance reviews focused on safety, environmental performance, production, quality, reliability, staffing, training, labor efficiency, cost, and employee development.
• Lead production planning and execution activities and monitor plant throughput, reliability, availability, and operating rate.
• Ensure Management of Change (MOC), Process Hazard Analysis (PHA), Pre-Startup Safety Review (PSSR), incident investigation, and other process safety programs are effectively executed.
• Lead operational readiness efforts for process changes, capital projects, and major maintenance activities.
• Lead cross-functional problem solving for significant operational, quality, reliability, and safety issues.
• Lead incident investigations, root cause analysis, corrective action development, and timely closure of action items.
• Support customer, regulatory, and corporate audits and ensure timely closure of findings.
• Champion workforce development, succession planning, and leadership development for supervisors, technical personnel, and hourly employees.
• Manage departmental budgets and labor planning and monitor manufacturing financial performance and cost control.
• Support development and execution of the plant capital portfolio, including project prioritization, budgeting, implementation, and operational start-up.
• Monitor and improve key plant performance metrics including safety, quality, throughput, reliability, labor efficiency, staffing, training, and cost performance.
• Drive operational excellence initiatives focused on reducing waste, improving reliability and quality, controlling cost, and increasing manufacturing capacity.
• Maintain effective communication with plant leadership, employees, technical resources, external support functions, customers, and regulatory representatives.

Education and Experience Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, Operations Management, Industrial Technology, Chemical Technology, or a related field.
• Minimum 10 years of manufacturing experience in a Process Safety Management (PSM) or high-hazard manufacturing environment.
• Minimum 5 years of progressive leadership experience with responsibility for production and personnel management.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams that include Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, and support functions.
• Demonstrated success leading manufacturing teams and improving safety, quality, reliability, production, workforce capability, and cost performance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience supervising supervisors and developing front-line leaders and technical professionals.
• Experience managing budgets, labor plans, cost control, and departmental financial performance.
• Experience with capital project development, prioritization, budgeting, execution, and operational start-up.
• Experience in explosives, energetic materials, chemicals, mining, petrochemical, refining, defense, or a similar high-hazard manufacturing industry.
• Formal training in incident investigation, root cause analysis, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or Operational Excellence.

Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities

• Strong leadership presence with the ability to set expectations, hold teams accountable, and develop talent.
• Comprehensive understanding of chemical manufacturing operations, process safety principles, and high-hazard regulatory compliance.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing financial performance, budgeting, labor planning, and cost control.
• Ability to balance safety, environmental, production, quality, reliability, cost, customer, and people-development objectives.
• Working knowledge of capital project management, project controls, operational readiness, and start-up activities.
• Ability to interpret operational, financial, reliability, quality, and performance data and convert findings into action.
• Proven ability to lead organizational change and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Strong decision-making, cross-functional problem-solving, incident investigation, and root cause analysis capabilities.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to interface effectively with employees, plant leadership, technical resources, customers, regulators, and external support functions.
• Ability to build high-performing teams, develop leaders, and support workforce succession planning.

Other duties as assigned.

Work Environment

Fast-paced industrial chemical manufacturing environment. Frequent interaction with operational, technical, and business teams. Regular plant floor presence required. Exposure to industrial chemical manufacturing processes and operating environments.

Austin Powder is an Equal Opportunity and Affiant Employer and is committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities for all job applicants and employees. Employment decisions are based upon job-related reasons regardless of an applicant's race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, marital status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by law. Austin Powder also participates in E-Verify. Austin Powder is an Equal Opportunity and Affiant Employer and is committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities for all job applicants and employees. Employment decisions are based upon job-related reasons regardless of an applicant's race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, marital status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by law. Austin Powder also participates in E-Verify. This contractor and subcontractor shall abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-1.4(a), 60-300.5(a) and 60-741.5(a). These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities, and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, and for inquiring about, discussing or disclosing compensation. Moreover, these regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.

SINCE 1833, IMPROVING THE WORLD WE LIVE IN.

Austin Powder has been making explosives for over 190 years and we take great pride in improving the world we live in. In 1833, the Austin family created the company to produce black powder that would help break the rock, mine the minerals and build the canals and railroads to develop the frontier. Initially along the banks of the Cuyahoga River near Akron, Ohio, we grew as the country grew. Today, Austin Powder is a world leader in the industrial explosives industry with a passionate commitment towards safety, a relentless customer focus, a family culture work environment, and a demonstration of respect towards all. As in our early years, our mission continues to be to improve the world we live in through the safe and responsible use of explosives. Our success has been based on our core values and this has proven to be universally true around the globe as the company has expanded to be one of the leading providers of industrial explosives and blasting services in the world.