Production & Maintenance Specialist: Safety & Efficiency

Stepan Company; Illinois; On-site; USD 86,000 - 116,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary Bonus

Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance

401K with Match

Profit Sharing

PTO

STD/LTD

Dependent Care FSA

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Adoption Assistance

Recognition Program

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Job summary

Stepan Company in Illinois is seeking a Production Specialist to facilitate planning and execution of production, maintenance and capital projects. You will own and develop work instructions and train hourly personnel.

The role requires strong problem-solving, safety leadership, and ability to coordinate across Operations, Maintenance and Projects. Salary range is $86,000–$116,000 per year with comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• 5 years chemical processing experience required.
• Solid comprehension of chemical and unit operations.
• Ability to facilitate troubleshooting efforts and lead team meetings.
• Effective problem-solving skills and demonstrated planning skills.
• Talented in organizing information and multi-tasking.
• Available to respond to on-call emergencies and shutdowns.

Responsibilities

• Provides work permits.
• Audits area maintenance and construction activities with the area EH&S Generalist.
• Develops and coordinates safety plans with EH&S prior to special activities.
• Supports behavior-based safety initiatives in the area by demonstrating safety expectations and participates in EHS investigations where applicable.
• Performs process or equipment troubleshooting alongside the Production Day Leader and hourly representative.
• Serves as a key production participant in maintenance area team meetings.
• Contributes to prioritization of daily and weekly maintenance activities.
• Plans, communicates, and executes equipment preparation for planned maintenance and capital project work with the production team.
• Works with the maintenance planner and team leader to coordinate emergency repair plans for process equipment.
• Provides backup support to the Production Day Leader as needed.
• Coordinates PSSR plans for turnarounds.
• Participates in area team meetings (Safety, Quality, etc.).
• Oversees, coordinates, and reports on training for new employee qualification testing.
• Oversees and coordinates work instruction development, improvements, and revalidation in cooperation with area Production Engineers.
• Oversees and coordinates training, skills development, and certifications for hourly area personnel.
• Supports PLAS and MOS systems and processes through implementation of meeting tactics, completion of follow-up actions, and coordination of improvements with engineering teams.
• Facilitates meetings to coordinate construction and other activities with plant personnel.
• Participates on capital project teams for scope development, evaluation of alternatives, and identification of cost savings opportunities.
• Develops, implements, and documents plans to reduce construction activity costs.
• Communicates with personnel, customers, and outside contractors.
• Participates in cross-functional collaboration across the organization.
• Investigates and tracks spending in SAP and CMMS.
• Implements maintenance prioritization processes.
• Coordinates and plans efforts between Operations, Maintenance, Projects, and PPIC.
• Participates in and maintains compliance-related activities, including internal and external audits for applicable standards and certifications such as ISO 9001:2015, EFfCI, FSSC 22000, Kosher, Halal, RSPO, ISCC+, and others.

Skills

Chemical processing experience

Supervision

Equipment troubleshooting

Problem solving

Planning

Team facilitation

On-call readiness

Communication

Education

High School diploma or equivalent (Associate's or Bachelor's preferred)

Job description

Stepan Company in Illinois is seeking a Production Specialist to facilitate planning and execution of production, maintenance and capital projects. You will own and develop work instructions and train hourly personnel.

The role requires strong problem-solving, safety leadership, and ability to coordinate across Operations, Maintenance and Projects. Salary range is $86,000–$116,000 per year with comprehensive benefits.