Superintendent-Production

Westlake•Geismar, LA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Westlake makes chemical and plastic products, which in turn make life better for people every day. We are a quality manufacturer and dependable global supplier of petrochemicals, plastics and building products. Our mission is to serve our clients by enhancing daily life through the products and services we provide. The Superintendent – Production (VCM) is responsible for day-to-day production leadership and execution of the operating plan for the assigned VCM operating area. This role provides direct oversight of Area Supervisors, Shift Supervisors, OMC’s, and Production Operators and coordinates closely with the Unit Manager, Production Engineers, Maintenance, Technical, Safety, Environmental, Laboratory, and Engineering resources to achieve safety, environmental, quality, production, reliability, yield, and cost objectives. The Superintendent ensures operating discipline, supports troubleshooting and incident investigation, coordinates planned and unplanned outages, and develops production personnel to maintain safe, reliable, and compliant operations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and a minimum of 7 years of process or production experience in a refinery or chemical plant; or High School Diploma or equivalent with at least 10 years of operating experience in a refinery or chemical plant.
Demonstrated ability to lead production employees in a chemical manufacturing or similar process operating environment.
General knowledge of safety, environmental, quality, production, yield, cost, and reliability performance expectations.
Working knowledge of OSHA PSM requirements, operating procedures, incident investigation, and field operating discipline.
Strong communication, coordination, troubleshooting, and decision-making skills.

Nice To Haves

Chemical Engineering degree.
VCM, chlor-alkali, PVC, or related petrochemical manufacturing experience.
Prior experience supervising operators or serving in a lead operations role.
Experience coordinating outages, maintenance planning, procedure updates, operator training, or production improvement initiatives.

Responsibilities

Performs duties in a manner that protects personal safety and the safety of all personnel on site.
Promotes safe work practices, operating discipline, and compliance with company policies, site procedures, and regulatory requirements.
Promptly reports Safety, Health, Environmental, Quality, or operating incidents or concerns so corrective action can be taken.
Responsible for completion and follow-up of production-related Safety and Environmental action items, including recommendations from process hazard analyses, audits, and incident investigations.
Supports operator certification and training requirements associated with OSHA PSM and site operating procedures.
Responsible and accountable for day-to-day operations of the assigned operating area through direct oversight of Production Supervisor, OMC’s, and Production Operators.
Directs production teams with appropriate operating targets to maintain safe and reliable plant performance.
Monitors daily yields, quality, energy, production, and cost performance against agreed targets.
Assists in establishing the monthly operating plan and provides production input for monthly operating reports.
Ensures standard operating procedures and production schedules are followed and that deviations are escalated and addressed appropriately.
Coordinates with Production Supervisors on scheduled and unscheduled turnarounds, plant outages, non-routine activities, process changes, project implementation, and operating or technical training needs.
Coordinates with Production Engineers and Maintenance to align production priorities, equipment availability, and maintenance execution.
Represents production and technical interests in maintenance scheduling and planning meetings.
Reviews work-order backlog, solicits operating input, prioritizes work, and follows up until completion.
Initiates and follows up on necessary work orders to support safe, reliable, and efficient operations.
Directs training of new operators and ensures production personnel receive the training necessary to achieve safe, compliant, and improved production performance.
Assists in reviewing, rewriting, and generating operating procedures to ensure procedures remain current and effective.
Coaches Production Supervisors, OMC’s and Production Operators on operating discipline, troubleshooting expectations, and escalation practices.
Supports development of production personnel by reinforcing expectations for safety, reliability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
Participates in the investigation of mechanical, process, Safety, Environmental, Quality, and operational incidents or shortcomings in a timely manner.
Helps determine root cause and recommends procedures, corrective actions, or modifications to prevent recurrence.
Ensures solutions are actively pursued for permanent plant improvements.
Recommends appropriate personnel actions when warranted and in coordination with leadership and Human Resources.
Fully supports company goals of continuous improvement and operational excellence at strategic and tactical levels.
Reviews assigned areas for improvement opportunities and initiates projects or communicates ideas to management.
Actively participates on project teams and supports implementation of approved improvements.
Complies with all company policies and procedures.
This position may be required to drive company vehicles from time to time.