Production Team Leader (Melamine/Urea Unit)

Cornerstone Chemical Company•Waggaman, LA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Production Team Leader (PTL) leads Process Operators during a designated work shift and oversees operations within the Melamine/Urea Unit. This role provides direct supervision and leadership to operators, ensuring effective shift handover, workforce coverage, and execution of daily production activities. The PTL enforces safety, work control, and housekeeping standards; monitors operational, quality, and cost performance; and responds to plant upsets to mitigate risk and restore stable operations. The position coordinates staffing, overtime, training compliance, and resource availability while partnering with maintenance, logistics, and operations leadership to meet production targets. Through active participation in Tier meetings and regular performance reporting, the Shift Team Leader drives accountability, continuous improvement, and effective communication across all levels of the organization. This role provides direct coverage to a manufacturing facility that operates 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. This role will be required to work a predetermined rotating shift schedule (days & nights) and an occasional off-schedule shift when needed to provide coverage through continuous plant operations.

Requirements

Demonstrates a high commitment to safety in actions and words at all times.
Critical thinker and effective problem solver.
Committed to continuous improvement and driving to world class performance. Able and willing to hold subordinates accountable for actions.
Engages subordinates in participative management process.
Excellent verbal and written communications skills.
Able to lead and motivate subordinates to outstanding performance.
Continuously available to respond to plant needs.
High customer focus and places high value on continued learning.
Innovative and results oriented, able to meet objectives despite obstacles.
3+ years of experience in chemical manufacturing, refinery or other related industrial environment.
MINIMUM REQUIRED: HIGH SCHOOL OR EQUIVALENT.

Nice To Haves

7-10 years of experience in chemical manufacturing, refinery or other related industrial environment.
Supervisory experience in a manufacturing environment.
PREFERRED: PREVIOUS OR CURRENT QUALIFICATIONS HELD IN OPERATIONS INCLUDING DCS BOARD QUALIFICATION. EXPERIENCE IN LEADING, COACHING, AND DEVELOPING WORKGROUP MEMBERS.

Responsibilities

Serve as the Team Leader for the assigned shift ensuring proper carryover of production activities and requirements from the previous shift.
Prioritize and campaign the importance of training to ensure all team members are sufficiently skilled, enabled, and motivated to succeed in alignment with production priorities.
Provide positive recognition to employees.
Monitor, enforce, and ensure employee compliance with all site policies, procedures, and operational standards during assigned shifts.
Monitor, manage, and address employee performance and employee relations issues in partnership with Human Resources, ensuring appropriate accountability.
Complete daily PTL Reports and make adequate shift relief.
Supervise daily production processes and performance within the assigned unit.
Prepare and deliver regular updates on plant and process performance to Operations Management.
Undertake resource monitoring and coordination to ensure operators are equipped to meet daily and weekly targets.
Manage employee schedule by creating and posting schedules and communicating daily operator tasks.
Enforce employee schedules by monitoring call-ins, tracking absenteeism, and issuing occurrences or applicable corrective actions.
Manage overtime (OT) hours in accordance with contractual requirements, including tracking, scheduling coverage, and entering OT data into the HRIS.
Lead Tier 1 Meetings and actively participate as a member in daily Tier 2 meetings, Maintenance Meetings, and OMC meetings, maintaining open, effective, and collaborative working relationships.
Verify compliance through day-to-day monitoring of key chemical manufacturing metrics including production, quality, costs, and personnel.
Monitor training status in the company’s training information system (LITMOS) and enforce expectations for the completion of training.
Assist Operators with Safe Work Permits, Hot Work or Confined Space, and LOTO Process
Audit and enforce the shift teams’ completion of: operator rounds, LIMS sample documentation, daily operator log, unit checklists, procedure reviews, and procedure checkoffs.
Enforce effective shift-to-shift communication and production activity handover.
Audit and enforce the importance of housekeeping.
Delegate responsibility to operators immediately in response to a plant upset to mitigate issue.
Coordinate with maintenance teams in advance to align operational priorities with maintenance activities to ensure Operators are equipped to meet daily and weekly targets.
Assist in the execution of maintenance PMs and the Work Execution Management Process.
Verify compliance with safety and environmental metrics through daily monitoring.
Follow proper communication process for incident reporting by notifying upper-level leadership, gathering pictures/statements/ documentation, communicate with Parksite PTL for external response (governmental agencies, etc.), and entering Dakota site alert.
Take immediate incident command until EOC is activated and present then continue to work in conjunction with the incident commander as a resource to address unit-specific issues.
Lead coordination of spill management/ mitigation and spill cleanup.
Partner with the HSSE team regarding their coordination with waste dumpsters.