Operations Manager

Ashland Specialty Ingredients, GP; Kenedy (TX); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Ashland Specialty Ingredients, GP is seeking a production manager to oversee operations in Kenedy, TX. The ideal candidate will have 5–8 years of experience in manufacturing within the chemical industry, along with a BS degree in Mechanical or Chemical Engineering.

Responsibilities include maintaining the production budget, ensuring adherence to production schedules, and driving improvements in safety, quality, and efficiency. A collaborative approach with cross-functional teams is essential.

Qualifications

• 5–8 years of manufacturing experience in a chemical or process industry.
• 2–3 years of leadership experience in a production or operations environment.
• Proven track record of managing production teams.

Responsibilities

• Maintain budget for the Production department.
• Ensure production schedules are completed.
• Drive root-cause analysis for production losses.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Organizational skills

Data-driven decision making

Education

BS degree in Mechanical or Chemical Engineering

Tools

SAP

Job description

Location

Kenedy, TX

Responsibilities

• Maintain budget for the Production department and assist in monitoring compliance to the budget
• Ensure production schedules for both the Aquaflow and Derivatives production groups are completed
• Ensure training completion and qualification of personnel on procedures and operating standards
• Coordinate system downtime with maintenance needs
• Plan, organize, direct and run optimum day‑to‑day operations to exceed our customers’ expectations
• Increase production, asset capacity and flexibility while minimizing unnecessary costs and maintaining current quality standards
• Drive root‑cause analysis and corrective actions for recurring production losses, downtime, and quality issues
• Allocate resources effectively and fully utilize assets to produce optimal results
• Collect and analyze data to find places of waste (e.g., labor utilization, bottlenecks, process variation, performance losses)
• Develop systems and processes that track and optimize productivity and standards, metrics and performance targets to ensure effective return on assets
• Participate in management of change (MOC) reviews for process, equipment, or procedural changes
• Support capital projects, startups, shutdowns, and commissioning activities
• Lead incident investigations, corrective actions, and follow‑up on safety observations
• Address employees’ issues or grievances and administer collective bargaining agreements
• Promote a culture of accountability, operational discipline, and continuous improvement across the production organization

Qualifications

• 5–8 years of manufacturing experience in a chemical or process industry
• BS degree in Mechanical or Chemical Engineering
• 2–3 years of leadership experience in a production or operations environment
• Proven track record of managing production teams and delivering results across safety, quality, cost, and throughput
• Experience with batch and/or continuous processing systems (bulk solids handling and polymer chemistry preferred)
• Demonstrated experience working cross‑functionally with maintenance, engineering, and EH&S teams
• Good written and oral communication skills are required
• Strong organizational and time‑management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills with the ability to build high‑performing teams and drive accountability
• Experience working in a union environment
• Ability to make data‑driven decisions using operational metrics
• Proven capability to lead safety culture initiatives, incident investigations, and continuous improvement efforts
• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence across functions and manage competing priorities
• Working knowledge of Process Safety Management (PSM), Management of Change (MOC), and GMP requirements
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems (SAP preferred), including production scheduling and inventory control
• Training in Lean/Six Sigma methodologies and structured problem‑solving

Equal Opportunity Employer

Ashland is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer Minority/Women/Veterans/Disabled/Gender Identity/Sexual Orientation. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.