Lead Operator Quality Tech

Airgas•Canton, OH

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Lead Operations/Quality Technician provides operational leadership at the facility and assists the Plant/Facility Manager in the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of the site. The role manages processes that ensure products and services meet high quality standards, and includes operational and routine maintenance work, process troubleshooting, and plant and process decisions. The technician maintains site-specific operating procedures and technical documentation, conducts acceptance tests and pre-startup safety reviews with Operations and Maintenance, and ensures maintenance work orders are accurate and complete. The role also supports contractors and visitors through site-specific training and escorts, promotes compliance with safety policies, participates in facility safety meetings and audits, and loads and unloads cryogenic transports as needed. The position collaborates with facility technicians on daily needs, records and administrative tasks, CMMS entries and work orders, training, schedules, and task assignments as directed by the Plant Manager. It includes vacation and emergency shift coverage and participation in a rotational on-call schedule, including nights and weekends. The technician supports health, safety, environmental, quality, and regulatory compliance, including applicable FDA, OSHA, EPA, and DHS requirements. The position is based in Canton, Ohio. The posted schedule is Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with on-call duties as needed. The role may require rotating shifts, occasional regional travel, and moderate overnight travel for training or site support.

Requirements

Associate degree desirable; technical training or equivalent experience required.
At least 5 years of related operations experience.
Experience in quality assurance in a processing environment.
Working knowledge of food safety programs.
Trained to operate and calibrate analyzers.
Ability to perform minor maintenance and preventive maintenance activities and maintain local spare parts.
Ability to perform ASU/NLU/LCO2/HPN cold plant startup (H2 warm) and routine VSA startup, if applicable.
Ability to monitor, understand, and explain facility KPIs and update downtime in SAP and/or LIRE when required.
Ability to apply process safety programs, including Management of Change, to operations.
Ability to understand plant interlock schedules, including triggers, shutdowns, and resulting actions.
Detailed understanding of P&IDs and ability to draw a plant process schematic from memory.
Ability to participate in root-cause analysis for incidents, near misses, and Good Catches, and troubleshoot equipment abnormalities.
Ability to perform board operations, start-ups, and shutdowns independently or direct activities involving multiple technicians; basic plant troubleshooting skills.
Ability to coordinate major maintenance activities.
Ability to complete complex safe-work permitting and Lock Out Tag Out (LOTO).
Ability to manage alarms and troubleshoot subsystems to identify root causes of abnormal situations.
Willingness and ability to work rotating shifts as assigned, provide on-call coverage, and cover vacations and emergency shift relief.
Ability to wear required PPE, including hardhat, safety glasses, safety shoes or boots, ear protection, and possibly a respirator.
Ability to lift 60 pounds.
Willingness to travel for training or to support other sites.
Reliable, appropriate transportation for visits to Airgas and customer sites.

Responsibilities

Provide operational leadership and assist the Plant/Facility Manager in safe, reliable, and efficient facility operations.
Participate in operational and routine maintenance tasks while maintaining customer product deliveries.
Make plant and process decisions and troubleshoot processes and equipment.
Maintain site-specific standard operating procedures, P&IDs, process flow diagrams, and other technical documentation.
Conduct acceptance tests and pre-startup safety reviews with Operations and Maintenance.
Ensure maintenance work orders are accurate and complete, identify immediate maintenance needs, document them, and report them to appropriate personnel.
Prepare site-specific training documentation for contractors, vendors, guests, and visitors; escort them through the facility as needed.
Help ensure contractors, visitors, coworkers, and others comply with safety policies and procedures.
Participate in facility safety meetings, inspections, and audits, and help lead these activities.
Support facility operations and customer relations, and load and unload cryogenic transports as needed.
Foster communication among facility technicians about best practices, operational needs, safety concerns, shift or departmental conflicts, and operational knowledge.
Assist Level 1–4 Technicians with daily facility needs, administrative tasks delegated by the Plant Manager, recordkeeping, CMMS input, and work-order generation.
Provide direction to Level 1–4 Technicians as assigned, including coverage, training, schedules, and daily task assignments.
Follow procedures for notifying the facility about planned time off and provide vacation or emergency shift-relief coverage as needed.
Participate in the rotational on-call schedule, including support during nights and weekends.
Support, complete, and maintain facility health, safety, environmental, and quality policies, procedures, and documentation.
Comply with applicable regulatory requirements, including FDA, OSHA, EPA, and DHS requirements.
Pursue personal growth and career development through initiative and available resources.