Unit Production Specialist

Ashland Inc.; Hopewell (VA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Team recognition rewards

Sponsored lunches and monetary Incent

Comprehensive Benefit package starting

401(k) plan with company match

Referral bonus plan

Flexible office location – Remote/Hybr

Other Ashland perks

Job summary

Ashland Inc. in Hopewell, VA is seeking a Unit Production Specialist to lead and optimize operations within the Specialty Additives unit.

You will partner with shift teams, engineers, and maintenance to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient production, applying leadership and problem-solving skills daily. The role emphasizes coaching, cross-shift consistency, and adherence to quality and energy control procedures, with opportunities to influence process moves, training, and administrative

Qualifications

• A minimum of a high school or GED degree.
• 8 years+ working in a refining, chemical, or pharmaceutical manufacturing environment.
• Proven leadership results and ability to connect with people.
• High initiative and problem solving capabilities.
• Demonstrated responsible and ethical behavior at all times.

Responsibilities

• Model and exemplify excellence leadership behaviors.
• Develop shift team members and coach operators for cross shift consistency.
• Provide informal coaching/mentoring and build a high accountability culture.
• Facilitate effective union/company relationships and engage with Supervisors/Engineers.
• Plan/Develop/Direct operational tasks for major process moves and manage contractors.
• Gatekeeper of initial work order entries and ensure validity and scope.
• Develop energy control and decon procedures and communicate scopes via drawings.
• Develop systems to manage operations schedule, trainings, and workflows.

Skills

Leadership

Problem solving

Coaching

Communication

Teamwork

Education

High school diploma or GED

Job description

## Unit Production SpecialistApply: US-VA-HOPEWELL: Full time: Posted Today: 2026 - 0639Ashland Specialty Ingredients, GPAre 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 has an exciting opportunity for a Unit Production Specialist to join our Specialty Additives business at our Hopewell, VA location. This is a very visible, significant role within the Company and the SA function. This position will report to Unit Operations Leader.**The responsibilities of the position include, but are not limited to, the following:**Leader - Culture change/developer* Model and exemplify excellence leadership behaviors* Develop shift team members to \"Get our Good Day\"* Key input into Tier 1, 2, and 3 meetings* Provide informal coaching/mentoring, create a high accountability culture* Exhibit adhereance to stewardship and quality rules* Provide feedback regarding policies/rules that don't appropriately fit operational capabilities* Facilitate effective union/company relationship Technical Assessor/Risk Evaluator* Primary operational contact point for Shift Supervisors, Engineers, and Maintenance/Work Ex* Provide key troubleshooting on process and / or equipment* Coach / mentor operators for cross shift consistency and best practices Coordinator* Plan/Develop/Direct operational tasks for major process moves (ie SD, major product changes)* Manage/facilitate contractors while performing work in the unit* Act as the job contact for certain jobs Operations/Maintenance Integrator* Gatekeeper of initial work order entries - vet for validity, redundancy, minimum expectations, and process moves needed to execute - provide suggested scopes as needed* Develop energy control and decon procedures - partner with Training to manage the system* Utilize systems (ie drawings) to convey scopes and plans Operations Scheduler - Developer* Develop systems to consistently manage operations schedule, trainings, and ways of working Operations Representative* Operations rep for PHA, Project Reviews, MOC's, Task Force Teams, Outages* Key communicator with the Operations Team on status of projects* Provide occasional temporary supervisory backfill Administrator* Govern and develop adminstrative workflows within the unit and provide feedback/suggestions to needed participants on improvement**In order to be qualified for this role, you** ***must possess*** **the following:*** A minimum of a high school or GED degree* 8 years+ working in a refining, chemical, or pharmaceutical manufacturing environment* Proven leadership results, ability to connect with people* High initiative and problems solving capabilities* Demonstrated responsible and ethical behavior at all times* The ability to help the company drive greater value through understanding the business, making complex decisions and creating the new and different**The following skill sets are** ***preferred*** **by the business unit**:* 15 years+ working in a refining, chemical, or pharmaceutical manufacturing environment* Lean manufacturing knowledge and application* Previous supervisory experience \\*Third party recruiters and agencies **(“Agency”)** should not contact employees of Ashland or its subsidiaries directly. Any resumes sent by an Agency to a hiring manager, recruiter or submitted to Ashland’s career portal are considered unsolicited and property of Ashland. Ashland will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume, unless the Agency has a signed contract with Ashland’s Human Resources/Procurement department in advance of submitting a candidate for consideration. Verbal and written approvals will not be considered a valid contract for service.**Perks of working at Ashland:** * Team recognition rewards, sponsored lunches and monetary incentives based on performance* Comprehensive Benefit package, Medical, Dental and Vision starting on Day 1 for you AND your family* 401(k) plan with company match* Referral bonus plan – get a job with us and get paid to refer your friends* Supporting work/life balance, we offer Flexible office location – Remote/HybridIn more than 100 countries, the people of Ashland LLC. (NYSE: ASH) provide the specialty chemicals, technologies and insights to help customers create new and improved products for today and sustainable solutions for tomorrow. Our chemistry is at work every day in a wide variety of markets and applications, including architectural coatings, automotive, construction, energy, personal care and pharmaceutical. Visit www.ashland.com to see the innovations we offer. At Ashland our vision is to be a leading, global specialty chemicals company whose inspired and engaged employees add value to all we touch. In fact our people, employees, customers and vendors define who we are. They are the driving force behind everything we do. Not only do we value our customers but we value our employees, and we work to offer them a dynamic and challenging environment. We hold ourselves to high standards at Ashland, and we value integrity and honesty. Ashland has a history of attracting the best people and keeping them. The reasons are simple: industry competitive salary and benefits, pay-for-performance incentive plans and a diverse work environment where employees feel challenged and valued. People come to Ashland and stay. As a growing Fortune 500 specialty chemicals company, we offer opportunities for development and advancement throughout our global organization. Our values define who we are and what we care about as a company. If you are looking for a relationship with a company instead of simply a job, this may be a great fit.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.