Production Lead

Airgas•Chicago, IL

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Airgas, an Air Liquide company, is seeking a Production Lead in Chicago, IL. This role involves collaborating with and mentoring the afternoon shift team across all facility operations, while actively participating in the blending and analysis of specialty gas mixes. Key responsibilities include coordinating the analysis and blending of specialty gas mixes, filling pure gas cylinders, and preparing cylinders for various applications, all contributing to safe and efficient production. Airgas is a leading U.S. supplier of industrial, medical, and specialty gases, hardgoods, safety products, ammonia products, and process chemicals. The company, with 18,000 associates, fosters a culture of safety, customer success, sustainability, and innovation, empowering employees to share ideas and take initiative. Airgas is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace that values unique perspectives and backgrounds.

Requirements

Associates degree in Chemistry or related field required or 2-3 years of relevant experience in an industrial environment
Ability to read and comprehend Safety Data Sheets (SDS)
Ability to coordinate efforts with multiple departments
Aptitude for high precision work
Ability to perform the essential functions of both a Laboratory and Blending technician
Ability to operate forklift and maintain forklift certifications
Ability to Follow Directions, Make Decisions, Work in a Team, and be Reliable
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret complex instructions such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions and procedure manuals
Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from employees and/or customers
Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists
Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals
Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percentages
Experience with operating vacuum pumps, cryogenic pumps, and compressors
Experience with addressing challenges and performing basic equipment maintenance
Experience with operating production equipment including manual and automated blending systems

Responsibilities

Promotes safety and safety practices among assigned team members
Ensures adherence to company policies including safety and the use of personal protective equipment
Guides shift of plant operators to reach production goals
Collaborates on plant activities to support excellent efficiency and flow of operations for the optimization of production
Provides training and mentorship for associates on prefilling, filling, blending and analytical operations at the plant
Perform analyses of gases using analytical instrumentation
Performs routine production testing and quality control analysis of specialty gas mixtures and pure gases
Contribute to the development, modification, and validation of test methods
Assisting in the set up and maintenance of laboratory instruments and keeping maintenance records for laboratory instruments per Airgas SOPs
Promote quality alignment with standard operating procedure manual requirements
Maintains neat, clean and orderly plant appearance