Production Manager

Bluestar Silicones; York (SC); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Bluestar Silicones in South Carolina seeks a hands‑on Production Manager to lead our Production Department, steward safety, quality, and efficiency, and drive site performance across two manufacturing sites.

You will build front‑line leadership, implement Lean/Six Sigma programs, manage budgets, and coordinate with maintenance, engineering, HSSE, and supply chain to deliver sustainable improvements and ensure operational excellence.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of manufacturing experience in chemical, process, or industrial environments.
• 8+ years of leadership experience managing production operations through front‑line supervisors.
• Proven ability to set goals, establish accountability, and drive performance improvements.
• Experience with budgeting, labor planning, and cross‑functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Production Department across two sites, ensuring safe, reliable, and compliant operations.
• Develop front‑line leaders and build a high‑performing, accountable culture.
• Partner with maintenance, engineering, quality, supply chain and others to drive continuous improvement.
• Deliver results in safety, quality, productivity, and cost.

Skills

Leadership experience

Operations management

Process improvement

Cross-functional collaboration

Strategic planning

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering / Chemistry / Operations Management / Manufacturing / Business

Tools

SAP

Microsoft Office

Job description

We are seeking an experienced manufacturing leader who is passionate about developing people, building strong teams, and driving operational excellence. In this leadership role, you will lead our Production Department, develop front-line leaders, strengthen organizational capability, and deliver results across a 24/5 manufacturing operation.

The ideal candidate is a visible, hands‑on leader who excels at developing people, building high-performing teams, and creating a culture of accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement. They bring strong operational and business acumen, effectively coach and develop front-line leaders, and are comfortable making decisions in a fast‑paced manufacturing environment. Success in this role requires the ability to align people, priorities, and resources to achieve operational goals and drive sustainable performance improvements.

DESCRIPTION

The Production Manager has overall responsibility and accountability for the safe, reliable, compliant, and efficient operation and performance of the Production Department across two manufacturing sites. This role provides leadership to Production Supervisors, Production Engineering Supervisors, and other assigned production support personnel while maintaining accountability for departmental performance across safety, quality, productivity, service, inventory accuracy, cost, compliance, employee engagement, and business results.

Success in this role requires strong leadership, operational discipline, and the ability to develop high‑performing teams. The Production Manager establishes operational priorities, develops departmental goals and operating plans, allocates resources, manages performance, drives accountability, and leads continuous improvement and organizational change initiatives that support both short‑and‑long‑term business objectives. The individual will lead production performance management processes, workforce planning efforts, leadership development initiatives, and operational excellence programs to improve manufacturing performance and organizational capability.

The Production Manager will partner closely with Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, HSSE, HR, Finance, and other functions to strengthen process discipline, improve operational performance, support capital investments, enhance manufacturing capabilities, and ensure successful execution of business growth initiatives.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Chemistry, Operations Management, Manufacturing, Business, or a related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of manufacturing experience within chemical, process, or industrial manufacturing environments, including at least 8 years of leadership experience managing production operations through front‑line supervisors.
• Proven experience leading multiple manufacturing teams and developing supervisors while driving performance in safety, quality, productivity, service, cost, inventory management, and employee engagement.
• Demonstrated success establishing operational goals, performance expectations, accountability processes, and systems that improve manufacturing performance and support business objectives.
• Strong business acumen with experience utilizing operational metrics, KPIs, forecasting, capacity planning, labor planning, and financial data to support decision‑making and operational improvement.
• Demonstrated experience leading continuous improvement initiatives, organizational change efforts, process standardization, and operational excellence programs.
• Experience managing departmental budgets, labor planning, staffing strategies, workforce planning, succession planning, and resource allocation in a manufacturing environment.
• Working knowledge of manufacturing operations, process safety, quality systems, inventory controls, SAP transactions, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Proven ability to build collaborative relationships and effectively partner with Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, HSSE, HR, Finance, and other cross‑functional teams.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and SAP.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work cooperatively in a diverse team environment.
• Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or Operational Excellence certification preferred.
• Experience within silicone, specialty chemical, batch manufacturing, or other process manufacturing environments preferred.

We will conduct a background check post‑offer to confirm the information provided by candidates during the recruitment process. Additionally, a post‑offer physical, including substance screening, is required. Relevant candidates will be informed of this if it applies.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer – M/F/Veteran/Disabled and if you are an individual with a disability, who requires an accommodation, please contact us.

About Bluestar Silicones

Bluestar Silicones is a world‑leading, fully integrated silicone manufacturer, harnessing more than 80 years of silicone chemistry experience and application development expertise. The company delivers innovative, essential silicone solutions across a broad range of industries, including mobility, safety, electronics, energy, aerospace, healthcare, personal care, construction, textile and release coatings. With 11 manufacturing sites across four continents and about 3,500 employees worldwide, including around 400 research and development scientists, Bluestar Silicones combines global scale and market proximity, with stellar application expertise and innovation capabilities, to help its customers around the world meet their next technical and sustainability challenges. Bluestar Silicones is committed to enabling its people and partners to live the difference and opening brighter horizons ahead.