Operations Manager

Ashland; Kenedy (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Ashland in Kenedy, TX is seeking an Operations Manager to lead production operations. The position involves managing budgets, production schedules, and ensuring compliance with operating standards. Candidates should have a BS in Mechanical or Chemical Engineering and 5-8 years of experience in manufacturing within the chemical industry.

The role emphasizes leadership, communication, and data-driven decision-making, promoting a culture of continuous improvement. Join a forward-thinking team where innovation and efficiency are prioritized.

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 and delivering results.

Responsibilities

• Maintain budget for the Production department and ensure compliance.
• Drive root cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Plan and organize day-to-day operations to exceed customer expectations.

Skills

Manufacturing experience in a chemical or process industry

Leadership experience in production or operations

Communication skills

Organizational and time management skills

Education

BS degree in Mechanical or Chemical Engineering

Tools

ERP/MRP systems (SAP preferred)

Lean/Six Sigma methodologies

Job description

Ashland Specialty Ingredients, GP

Are you the kind of person that is always thinking, sketching, seeking, and adjusting? Who needs to understand how things work and then figure out how they can work better? Are you a passionate, tenacious, solver who loves to work with others who share your drive? Are you positive, constructive, and ingenious? Are you always solving? Then we’d like to meet you and bet you’d like to meet us.

Ashland LLC has an exciting opportunity for an Operations Manager to join our team at our Kenedy, TX location. This position will report to the Plant Manager.

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, assets 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 (eg: 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

Preferred Skills

• 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

Third-party recruiters and agencies (“Agency”) should not contact Ashland employees or employees of its subsidiaries directly. Any resumes submitted by an Agency to a hiring manager, recruiter, or Ashland’s career portal are considered unsolicited and property of Ashland. Ashland will not pay a fee for any placement unless the Agency has a signed contract with Ashland’s Human Resources/Procurement department. Verbal and written approvals will not be considered a valid contract for service.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Ashland is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer Minorities/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.

NOTE: We do not accept resumes from external staffing agencies or independent recruiters for any of our openings unless we have a signed recruiting agreement in place to fill a specific position.