Our client, a chemical manufacturer in the Baton Rouge, LA area, is seeking a Production Manager. The Production Manager provides leadership to assure the safe, environmentally sound and cost-effective production of goods that meet or exceed customer expectations. In addition, the Production Manager is responsible for satisfactorily achieving all production performance metrics, including safety, environmental, quality and productivity.
Job Duties:

• Ensures compliance with Company policies and practices, as well as governmental regulations.
• Directly manages Production employees and through subordinate managers and/or supervisors in a Continuous Improvement and Operational Excellence environment.
• Acts as a liaison between Operation and Business
• Develops a manufacturing strategy to optimize available resources to deliver the quality and quantity required.
• Prepares and maintains long- and short-range plans, objectives and budgets for facility success and works to improve variable costs, fixed costs, and output/capacity increases via more efficient/effective operations.
• Collaborates with all other site and business functions for new product introduction and optimization.
• Has a high degree of initiative and ingenuity to work with production, contractors engineering, maintenance and other site and off-site functions.
• Supports an aggressive quality program which instills personal accountability for accuracy, consistency and completeness for all operations and departments.

• Education: Minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering preferred or 4-year degree with work related experience. MBA a big plus.
• Experience: Minimum of 10 years of experience in chemical plant production. Five or more years of experience directly managing employees.
• Computer Skills: Proficient with Microsoft Office 365, ERP experience required
• Certifications & Licenses: not required
• Supervisory Responsibilities: Responsible for all Production and Shipping Leads (3-5 direct reports) plus 30 plant employees and 20 contractors.
• Other Requirements:
• Ability to build relationships, lead with authority and collaborate with other leaders to achieve results
• Knowledge and ability to drive Manufacturing Excellence
• Critical Thinking
• Intellectual Curiosity
• Passion for improvement
• Strong Dynamic Leadership
• Change Management skills
• Ability to manage multiple complex assignments with proven ability to assess and organize competing priorities
• Must have excellent troubleshooting and problem-solving skills
• Excellent Project Management skills including planning, logistics and scheduling.
• Ability to initiate project approval and manage vendors and contractors
• Working knowledge of chemistry principles, applications and safety