Plant Manager

The Plant Manager provides strategic and hands-on leadership for all aspects of plant operations, ensuring a safe, compliant, efficient, and high-performing facility. This role serves as the site leader with full accountability for safety, environmental stewardship, quality, productivity, employee engagement, and operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities include:

• Ensure compliance with all corporate, environmental, safety, and operational policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.

• Lead and uphold a strong safety culture, ensuring adherence to all Zero Harm principles and promoting continuous improvement in workplace safety and environmental compliance.

• Manage relationship with union and union employees.

• Serve as the site's primary point of contact for all plant-related matters, including coordination with corporate departments such as Safety & Environmental (Zero Harm), Engineering, Human Resources, Procurement, Logistics, and Sales.

• Provide effective leadership to direct and indirect reports, driving daily operational performance while building a culture of accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.

• Develop, implement, and monitor operational plans and key performance indicators (KPIs) for safety, environmental compliance, production output, quality, cost control, and efficiency.

• Set and communicate clear expectations around safety, quality, environmental performance, and production targets.

• Manage plant budgets, including capital and operating expenditures, ensuring alignment with broader business goals and financial performance targets.

• Oversee talent development initiatives, including performance management, coaching, training, and succession planning.

• Collaborate with external customers, regulatory agencies, and internal stakeholders to support business needs and maintain strong working relationships.

• Ensure alignment and active participation in corporate initiatives including ISO 9001, ISO 9002, RC 14001, and Process Safety Management (PSM) standards.

• Drive plant-wide engagement in Zero Harm Management System and foster a culture where safety and operational excellence are core values.

• Lead or support continuous improvement, lean manufacturing, and operational excellence initiatives across the site.

• Perform other related duties and special projects as assigned by senior leadership.

Candidate Qualifications/ Requirements

Required and Preferred Background Education, Experience, Skills and Knowledge

(To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the experience, education, knowledge, skill, and/or ability required and preferred.)

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Operations Management, or a related technical discipline is required; an MBA, Masters in Chemical Engineering, or other advanced degree is strongly preferred.

• Minimum of 7-10 years of progressive experience managing salaried and hourly/unionized employees in a manufacturing or industrial environment.

• At least 10 years of relevant production or engineering experience; prior experience in chemical processing, carbon materials, or a related industry is preferred.

• Experience leading a plant capital program.

• Demonstrated success in leading high-performing teams with integrity, transparency, and a commitment to safety and compliance.

• Proven experience developing, implementing, and leading effective safety programs.

• Strong financial acumen with experience developing and managing capital and operational budgets.

• Proven ability to lead change, foster collaboration, and build a culture of engagement and accountability.

• Exceptional organizational, planning, analytical, and communication skills.

• Experience interacting with regulatory agencies, customers, and corporate functional partners.

• Knowledge of environmental, health, and safety regulations and ISO or PSM systems is highly desired.

• Lean, Six Sigma, or other continuous improvement methodology experience is a plus.