Production Manager

Evonik; Reserve (LA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Evonik Reserve site is seeking a Production Manager to lead 24/7 operations, drive safety, and ensure quality in partnership with site teams. The role focuses on operational excellence, process optimization, and cross-functional leadership across production, logistics, and maintenance.

The ideal candidate will have a chemical/ mechanical engineering background with 5–8 years in chemical manufacturing, plus 3–5 years of supervisory experience and strong RCA capabilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in chemical or mechanical engineering or related field.
• 5–8 years in chemical manufacturing, production, or process operations.
• 3–5 years of supervisory or leadership experience in production/operations.
• Experience leading Root Cause Analysis to identify and resolve issues.
• Strong cross-functional leadership and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead 24/7 production and logistics operations meeting production, quality, and customer requirements.
• Promote a safety-first culture and ensure compliance with EHS policies and regulations.
• Lead incident investigations and RCA with timely corrective actions.
• Coordinate production scheduling, resources, workflows, and priorities with Supply Chain and Production Planning.
• Oversee warehousing, inventory management, and shipment activities.
• Drive continuous improvement and operational excellence (OEE, yield, cycle-time).
• Support New Product Development, scale-up, and capital improvement projects.
• Develop and lead production teams with accountability and teamwork across functions.

Skills

Leadership

Root Cause Analysis

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Safety leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in chemical or mechanical engineering

Mechanical Engineering degree

Job description

What we offer

At Evonik, you're part of a global chemical company working in many sectors that go beyond chemistry. From lipids for tomorrow's medicines, biosurfactants for green detergents, additives for plastics recycling or membranes to help drive forward the energy transition, you'll play an essential part in helping the world's most essential industries succeed.

Our success hinges on a diversity of ideas powered by people, not egos. Whether you're a scientist or engineer, new to the team or established, in business, production, or anything in between - we cheer each other on. Because we believe we can do anything. Explore everything. And Be Part of Something Special!

The Production Manager ensures the safe, efficient, and reliable operation of the production department at the Evonik Reserve site. This role provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for all aspects of production, including safety, environmental, and health compliance in collaboration with the Site EHSS Manager. The Production Manager is responsible for delivering high-quality products that meet customer requirements while optimizing production processes and maintaining compliance with company policies and federal, state, and local regulations.

This position drives operational excellence by fostering a culture of safety, quality, and continuous improvement across production and logistics functions. The Production Manager leads and develops a high-performing team, including the Production Supervisor, Logistics Supervisor, and Production Engineer, while ensuring effective coordination with site support functions such as Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, Supply Chain, and R&D. As a key member of the site leadership team, the Production Manager contributes to organizational development, strategic planning, and cross-functional collaboration to ensure the long-term success of the site.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead safe, efficient, and reliable 24/7 production and logistics operations while meeting production, quality, and customer requirements.
• Promote a safety-first culture and ensure compliance with company EHS policies and applicable OSHA, EPA, DOT, PSM, RMP, RCRA, and other regulatory requirements.
• Lead incident investigations and Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and ensure timely implementation of corrective and preventive actions.
• Manage and optimize production scheduling, resources, workflows, and operational priorities in coordination with Supply Chain and Production Planning.
• Oversee logistics, warehousing, material handling, packaging, loading/unloading, inventory, and shipment activities.
• Partner with Engineering and Maintenance to improve equipment reliability, minimize downtime, and coordinate planned and emergency maintenance.
• Ensure standard operating procedures (SOPs) are maintained and followed for process changes, new products, and equipment modifications.
• Drive continuous improvement and operational excellence through OEE, yield improvement, cycle-time reduction, process optimization, and performance analysis.
• Support New Product Development (NPD), scale-up, trial production, process optimization, and capital improvement projects to ensure operational readiness.
• Develop and lead production teams while fostering accountability, teamwork, quality, environmental stewardship, and continuous improvement across the operation.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 5-8 years of progressively responsible experience in chemical manufacturing, production, or process operations, preferably within a complex chemical processing environment.
• 3-5 years of supervisory or leadership experience in a production or operations environment, with direct responsibility for personnel and day-to-day operating activities.
• Demonstrated success in departmental management and leadership roles, including experience managing cross-functional teams.
• Comprehensive knowledge of chemical manufacturing processes, including troubleshooting, optimization, and operational improvements.
• Proven ability to lead and participate in Root Cause Analysis (RCA) to identify and resolve operational issues.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to drive initiatives from concept to completion.
• Demonstrated teamwork and team-building skills, with the ability to foster collaboration and alignment across diverse teams.
• Superior interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively across cultural boundaries and communicate with individuals from a broad range of backgrounds and experience levels.
• Effective leadership skills, including the ability to motivate a team and create a positive work environment characterized by mutual respect, trust, accountability, and open commun