Production Manager

Kraton; Panama City (FL); On-site; USD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance & TeleDoc

Dental & Vision Insurance

Health Advocate support

Life Insurance

401k with matching

Employee Assistance Program

Disability & Critical Illness Coverage

Job summary

Kraton in Panama City, Florida, is seeking a Production Manager to lead operations, drive safety, quality and cost improvements, and coordinate across Production, Operations, Business and Supply Chain. This role requires extensive experience in chemical manufacturing, union experience, and strong leadership.

The ideal candidate will manage throughput, product quality, and regulatory compliance, while coaching a team of engineers and supervisors in a collaborative, safety-focused environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering or related field required.
• 10+ years in chemical manufacturing or related industry.
• Experience with unionized workforces.
• Strong people management and leadership skills.
• Knowledge of process safety management and environmental, health & safety compliance.

Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with policies, OSHA, and quality standards.
• Promote environmental targets and sustainability goals.
• Drive production throughput, quality, and cost improvements.
• Lead production activities and ensure safety, quality, and customer satisfaction.
• Coordinate between Production, Operations, Business, and Supply Chain to meet targets.
• Oversee plant shutdowns, startups, and shift-to-shift communication.
• Implement Lean, daily management, and root cause analysis to drive improvements.
• Mentor and develop engineers and supervisors; manage budget and costs.

Skills

Union experience

People management

Process safety

Lean manufacturing

Cross-functional leadership

Industrial IT / SAP / PI

Education

Bachelor's in Chemical Engineering

Master's degree preferred

Tools

PI System

DCS

SAP

Microsoft Office

EJS systems

Job description

Make a +Difference at Kraton!

At Kraton, we make a +Difference , and we are looking for individuals who are also looking to make a difference in their jobs, for our customers and to the world. We are looking to hire a key member of our Operations team at our Panama City, Florida location.

We believe in making a +Difference , as a global manufacturer of sustainable specialty polymers and biobased pine chemicals, delivering innovative, high-performance solutions.

We’re proud to offer benefits that meaningfully support you—at work, at home, and everywhere in between. Some of the benefits offered are:

• Medical Insurance, including TeleDoc - multiple plans available with Flexible Spending Account & Health Savings Account options
• Dental & Vision Insurance
• Health Advocate – free support to help you understand your coverage and answer questions
• Life Insurance – base coverage paid for by Kraton with option for additional coverage
• 401k – Kraton provides matching contributions based on enrollment level
• Employee Assistance Program – provided at no cost to employees
• Accident, Disability, and Critical Illness Insurance

The Production Manager will effectively and safely and effectively manage operations output levels, product quality, production cost and other company assets associated with the manufacturing operations processes and ensure that the manufacturing of products meets or exceeds key performance targets and customer expectations.

The Production Manager is member of the plant’s Lead Team and may serve as the Acting Plant Manager in his/her absence.

Key Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with company policies and procedures as well as legal requirements in areas such as workplace environmental, health, and safety/OSHA, and Quality standards.
• Understand and implement actions to meet environmental targets and sustainability goals
• Promote risk-reducing initiatives and mentor shift supervisors and hourly employees in risk assessment
• Drive the optimization of production throughput/outputs and product quality.
• Lead production activities and establish priorities to ensure personal safety, quality, Loss of Primary Containment (LOPC) reduction and process safety, customer satisfaction, productivity, cost control/management, employee engagement.
• Ensure coordination between the Production, Operations, Business, and the Supply Chain area to achieve the targets & goals, always seeking to improve on the operations.
• Ensure effective plant shutdowns through compliance with safety policies and procedures, and proper operational startup.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives and projects through application of various manufacturing process improvement strategies and techniques like Lean manufacturing, Managing Daily Improvement (MDI), Safety Gemba Walks, Core Problem Solving, Coaching and 5S. Drive improvements in Root Cause Analysis methodology and effectiveness.
• Set and achieve S.M.A.R.T. targets & goals in key performance areas including HSE, Quality, Production, and Cost according the Business direction. Employ and report out on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that influence and drive plant results.
• Employ and report out on key performance indicators (KPIs) that influence plant results.
• Manage department cost, spending, and overall budget/financial activities. Develop and lead cost-reduction initiatives.
• Lead, develop, coach and evaluate process unit engineers, production supervisors, and other production employees (hourly and salaried).
• Foster a positive Union-Management relationship and coach front line leaders on Labor relations
• Manage and understand resource (people, equipment, capital, etc.) requirements, identifying gaps and implementing corrective actions and solutions. oversee and ensure all team members are current on required job training and qualifications.
• Implement systems for cleanliness/housekeeping, operator rounds, Operator Basic Care (as appropriate), and consistent shift-to-shift communication
• Actively participate as a member of the plant’s Lead Team

Required Skills

• 10+ years of relevant work experience in chemical manufacturing or related industry.
• Must have experience with unionized workforces.
• Must possess and demonstrate strong functional expertise and people management skills.
• Must be proficient in the use of a personal computer applications and business information systems such as PI system, DCS, SAP, Microsoft Office Tools, SAP, etc.
• A strong emphasis is placed on team skills and communication between management and labor, both in Maintenance and Operations areas.
• Ability to build relationships amongst peers and across the organization, utilizing influence to drive change.
• The ability to accomplish goals and objectives by identifying complex problems and organizing teams to explore and resolve problems will also be emphasized.
• Process Technology and Chemical Engineering/Manufacturing.
• Process Safety Management (PSM).
• Quality and Process improvement.
• Environmental, Health and Safety Compliance.
• Supply Chain Management Organizational Effectiveness.
• Information Systems.
• Knowledge of chemical engineering processes, maintenance systems and EJS systems.
• Budget Management and Fiscal Administration of Daily Operations and Capital Planning.
• Union Relations and Collective Bargaining.

Education, Certifications & Licenses

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering or other related field of study from an accredited college/university.
• Master’s degree in Business or related field of study preferred.

The statements above are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this classification. Statements are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities and skills required for this position.

Kraton’s internal talent acquisition team manages our recruiting efforts and from time to time works with pre-selected/pre-approved external staffing agencies. We do NOT accept unsolicited resumes or candidate referrals from recruiters and/or agencies who are not pre-selected/pre-approved.

Kraton is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.