Operations Manager

Veolia Group is a global leader in environmental services, operating across all five continents with nearly 218,000 employees. Specializing in water, energy, and waste management, Veolia Group designs and implements innovative solutions for decarbonization, depollution, and resource regeneration, supporting communities and industries in their ecological transformation. Within this framework, Veolia's Water Technology Business brings together a dedicated team of experienced professionals committed to tackling the world’s most complex challenges related to water scarcity, quality, productivity, and energy. Together, we pursue a shared mission to create a more sustainable future.

Job Description

Veolia is a leading environmental services company specializing in industrial water treatment and purification technology. We have an excellent opportunity for an experienced leader to join our team as an Operations Manager.

The Operations Manager oversees all aspects of chemical blending production from start to finish, managing a multi-shift team to deliver safe, high-quality results. This leadership role combines technical expertise in chemical formulations with operational excellence, ensuring that blending, testing, and packaging processes meet strict safety standards and production deadlines. The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong industrial leadership skills while maintaining deep knowledge of complex chemical operations.

This position requires a strategic leader who translates business objectives into actionable programs and processes across operational segments. The Operations Manager applies deep operational expertise to resolve complex challenges, establish performance objectives for self and team members, and deliver measurable impact on both immediate operational targets and long-term business outcomes.

Key Characteristics

• Operational Excellence & Resource Optimization: Drives production efficiency through strategic resource allocation, data-driven decision-making using SAP analytics, and cross-functional coordination to meet customer commitments while controlling costs and maximizing productivity across all operational areas.
• Regulatory Compliance & Quality Leadership: Ensures rigorous adherence to multi-agency regulations (ISO, OSHA, EPA, DOT, DHS) while implementing root cause analysis methodologies and corrective actions to maintain Critical-to-Quality standards and eliminate production disruptions.
• Strategic Workforce Development & Change Management: Builds high-performing teams through effective performance management, succession planning, and talent development while fostering cross-departmental collaboration and demonstrating readiness to assume full plant leadership responsibilities.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Oversee workforce management including attendance tracking, performance evaluations, and employee relations for production staff within designated operational areas
• Ensure all personnel understand and adhere to Veolia WTS standards, governmental regulations, customer specifications, and relevant organizational policies and procedures
• Align production resources and scheduling to fulfill customer commitments while optimizing internal performance metrics including productivity targets and labor cost controls
• Facilitate cross-departmental collaboration to proactively resolve production interruptions, quality deviations, and equipment failures
• Partner with Corporate Engineering on capital investment planning, project execution, and vendor/contractor coordination aligned with facility requirements
• Lead troubleshooting initiatives for process and material-related production issues through root cause analysis and corrective action implementation to prevent recurrence and minimize operational impact
• Demonstrate proficiency in SAP data extraction and reporting to monitor and optimize information flow across procurement, inventory, order management, and logistics systems
• Maintain compliance with all employee certification requirements and mandatory training programs
• Uphold regulatory compliance standards across multiple agencies including ISO, OSHA, EPA, DOT, and DHS
• Design and execute talent development strategies and succession planning for production and logistics roles
• Serve as acting Plant Manager with full operational and site management authority during absences
• Perform additional responsibilities as required to support shift operations and overall plant performance objectives

Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Production Operations & SAP Systems Management: Expert knowledge of manufacturing operations, production scheduling, and supply chain logistics; proficiency in SAP ERP systems for data extraction, reporting, and monitoring across procurement, inventory management, order fulfillment, and inter-site logistics modules to optimize operational workflows and troubleshoot system inefficiencies.
• Regulatory Compliance & Quality Assurance: Comprehensive understanding of multi-agency regulatory frameworks including ISO standards, OSHA safety requirements, EPA environmental regulations, DOT transportation rules, and DHS security protocols; ability to implement compliance programs, conduct root cause analyses, and maintain quality control systems that ensure CTQ characteristics and operational integrity.
• Leadership & Cross-Functional Team Management: Strong capability to lead, develop, and evaluate production teams while managing performance, attendance, and conflict resolution; skilled in facilitating collaboration across engineering, maintenance, quality, and logistics departments to resolve complex operational challenges and build succession plans.

Position Qualifications:

Required

• Bachelors' Degree in Industrial, Chemical, or Mechanical Engineering from an accredited college or university
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in a manufacturing leadership position

Preferred

• Excellent understanding of chemical processing and material handling equipment
• Working experience operating in a facility under the OSHA Process Safety Management program or Risk Management Program for Hazardous Chemicals
• Experience with SAP enterprise business systems
• Lean / Six Sigma Green Belt or equivalent quality training
• Experience with Management of Change processes including P&ID documentation updates
• Demonstrated ability to train, mentor, and coach production employees in a team environment
• Effective risk management skills with ability to escalate appropriately and define mitigation plans
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with ability to interface effectively across all management levels