The Requirements
To meet the basic qualifications for this role you will have:- Legal authorization to work permanently in the United States for any employer without requiring a visa transfer or visa sponsorship.
- A bachelor's or higher degree in Chemical Engineering, or other engineering and/or technical discipline.
- At least five years of proven leadership experience in a manufacturing environment, preferable chemical. Quick question for you - click here
- A demonstrated ability to lead, direct and manage cross-functional teams in a demanding, results oriented environment, including managing change and other challenging situations.
- Strong technical knowledge and skills, and deep and broad experience in production.
- Strong business acumen, including experience with fixed cost management.
- Experience with operational excellence programs and continuous improvement in leadership and contributing roles.
- A commitment to establishing and maintaining facility environmental, safety, and health standards to minimize employee and community exposure.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills including the ability to interact effectively with all levels of the organization as well as with external customer contacts.
- High energy, initiative, and strong organizational skills.
- Solid problem solving skills and a proven ability to make sound decisions independently.
The Role
Reporting to the Site Manager, you will join the plant leadership team, which also includes the Technical & Engineering Services Manager and the Quality Manager. You will provide direction to two Production Engineers and three Production Supervisors who, in turn, oversee 57 Chemical Operators.You will lead the Plant in its mission to meet or exceed all of our customer's expectations while meeting process metrics. In this role you will assume responsibility for ensuring the safe, efficient and effective operation of the Erie plant at the Erie Site, overseeing all aspects of key manufacturing operations, including copper, nickel, lead, organics, spheres, and tableting operations. Quick question for you - click here
You'll invest the largest portion of your time in overall coordination of production, scheduling, health and safety, ecology, quality assurance, coaching and development, and continuous improvement activities within the process areas. This will involve extensive interaction with Production and Supply Chain. More specifically, you will:
- Provide plant floor supervision and leadership to ensure EHS compliance.
- Drive and champion risk reduction activities.
- Champion a Zero Incident mindset program to affect safety positively for all employees.
- Drive manufacturing performance by directing all production in the plant to meet schedules that allow for superior customer satisfaction and high plant efficiency by establishing and executing operating plans and objectives.
- Maintain financial stewardship through the execution of budget planning and cost control to help meet projected profitability targets and business results.
- Direct process capability and efficiency efforts to reduce overall operating costs and improve plant operations. You'll lead corrective action and problem solving activities, and participate in continuous improvement activities.
- Create teams to focus on maximizing productivity and reducing areas of waste.
- Build and maintain positive relationships with internal and external customers.
- Establish process metrics and develop a system to achieve and maintain performance at targeted level.
- Staff, manage, coach, motivate, train and assess performance of production and operations employees, both exempt and nonexempt.
- Support business and technical aspects of capital project improvements.
- Foster teamwork with subordinates, peers and superiors both internal and external to the Erie site.
The Erie plant is part of BASF's Catalysts division and produces high-quality custom and proprietary catalysts including the following:
- A wide variety of base-metal catalysts. Primary constituents include nickel, vanadium, copper-chromite, copper, chrome gel, alumina, magnesium and lead. Many are pictured above.
- Limited amounts of precious-metal catalysts.
Why BASF
Tactical and strategic impact -- you will drive continuous improvement projects on a day-to-day basis, oversee larger capital projects, and help shape the Chemical Operators team. In addition, part of a new leadership team (until recently this plant was managed from another location), you will help "flesh out" your own role and influence the future of the Erie plant.Professional development -- you'll work with and learn interesting chemistries and technologies, and expand your skills in change management and continuous improvement. Once you have proven yourself in this role you might set your sights on other opportunities here in Erie or in other areas of BASF. Some career moves may require relocation.
The "best of both worlds" -- you will enjoy the close-knit culture of the Erie plant, which is relatively small; we have just under 100 employees, and many have been here for years. At the same time, we offer the stability and resources of a multi-billion dollar global industry leader.
Sustainability, innovation and product stewardship -- BASF's products are new, proprietary and on the cutting edge of the industry, providing a unique value proposition. Product stewardship is part of sustainability and is a key corporate initiative. For us, product stewardship means maximizing benefits and minimizing risks through responsible and ethical management of products, from R&D through disposal.
Award-winning employer -- these are just a few of the accolades we've earned recently:
- Diversity Inc. Top 50 Company for Diversity, 2013
- Top 100 Ideal Employer for Engineering, Universum, 2013
- Global 100 World's Most Sustainable Corporations, 2013
- Workforce Diversity Magazine Top 50 Employer, 2013
- Top 50 Employer, Minority Engineer Magazine, 2013
- Top 50 Employer, Woman Engineer Magazine, 2013
- One of the World's Most Admired Chemical Companies, Fortune, 2012
Outstanding compensation and benefits package -- in addition to a competitive salary and bonus incentive program, we offer a rich benefits package that includes much more than the basics, such as adoption assistance, transportation spending accounts, concierge services, matching gifts to higher education, generous vacation and so much more. In fact, our retirement savings plan was on BrightScope's list of Top 30 401(k) plans in the country!
Pictured: above, products from the Erie facility are used by the petrochemical industry to create materials, solutions and energy for a world that is constantly growing and changing. Below, some of the awards that distinguish BASF as an employer of choice.
Why Erie
Great Place to Live and WorkOutdoor recreation probably tops the list of reasons why people enjoy living in Erie, and it spans four distinct seasons. Yes, there is a lot of snow in the winter, but if you enjoy winter sports, that's good news. But the area has much more to offer. For example, the overall cost of living is below the national average. The median home price in Erie ($78,900) is less than half the national median ($188,900). The area's economy always has been strong. While it was based in manufacturing for decades, in recent years it has diversified and today includes healthcare, insurance and tourism.
The pace and values reflect the smaller size of the city, but the area also features major cultural institutions, including the Erie Philharmonic, Ballet, and Art Museum. The revitalized civic center includes the art deco Warner Theater, a national historic landmark, and the Erie Playhouse, one of the country's leading community theaters. If you are a history buff, you'll appreciate the numerous historical museums and war memorials (from the American Revolution on), as well as unique sites like covered bridges and lighthouses.
More contemporary entertainment includes semi-professional and professional teams in baseball, hockey, basketball, and football, as well as NCAA sports at four universities in the area. Splash Lagoon, in nearby Summit Township, is the third largest indoor water park in the U.S. The Erie Zoo has some 400 animals, and includes the botanical gardens and greenhouse with more than 600 species of plants from around the world. There also are a number of wineries and breweries -- in fact, the region produces the third largest volume of wine in the U.S.
Photo highlight (above): Presque Isle State Park attracts more visitors each year than any other Pennsylvania state park, and offers recreational trails, 13 swimming beaches as well as a marina, and venues for boating, hiking, biking and bird watching. Its unique geography, featuring seven distinct ecological zones, helped earn it National Natural Landmark status.
Photo highlight (below): Erie is Pennsylvania's primary access to the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence Seaway, and the city has been a maritime center for some 200 years. That legacy is preserved at the Erie Maritime Museum, shown here behind the historic U.S. Brig Niagara, which dates to the War of 1812.
For more information and images, please go to VisitErie. Clicking on this link will open a new browser window, but be sure to come back to submit your resume!
Keys to Success
To excel in this position you will be comfortable in the role of change agent. You will help us transition from a culture of hands-off management to one of hands-on leadership. Two-thirds of our employees have at least 6 years of tenure, and one-third have between 16 and 40 years with this facility! That kind of tenure is a definite asset, but change can be challenging. You will need to present the benefits of the change and help people "buy in" on it. In some cases you will need to be assertive. You won't shy away from conflict, but see it as an opportunity to drive consensus.We'll expect you to spend the majority of your time out on floor, coaching your team, driving improvements, getting input and information, and looking for the next opportunity to make a good thing even better. The site is not huge, but includes multiple work centers in different buildings. While we made capital investments totaling $2.3 million in 2013, and we have significant projects under way now, there is still some older equipment. You'll showcase your technical savvy as you ensure we get the most out of all our resources, old and new.
Because this is a smaller site, everyone on the leadership team wears multiple hats, so you should be willing to pitch in beyond your job description. As you contribute to the leadership team, you should be outspoken, and put your ideas and opinions out there. We'll want to hear the solid reasoning behind them, and we may not always put them into action, but you should actively engage in the give-and-take of managing the plant.
About BASF
BASF was founded in Manheim, Germany in 1865 as Badische Anilin- & Soda-Fabrik, a manufacturer of dyes. Today BASF is the largest chemical company in the world, with divisions in aerospace, agriculture, automotive, construction, mass transit, packaging, personal care, pharmaceutical and wind energy.We combine economic success, social responsibility and environmental protection. Through science and innovation we enable our customers in almost all industries to meet the current and future needs of society.
Strong brands derive from corporate strategy. In the case of BASF, our Brand Promise originates not just from our purpose statement (directly above) but also from our strategic principles and our values.
This means that creating chemistry extends to all areas of our business. As one company with the best team, BASF harnesses the power of chemistry between people, production, and technology. This connectedness helps create innovative, sustainable solutions that enhance the quality of life today and in the future.
Process Research and Chemical Engineering division
New technologies and methods -- that's what it's all about at Process Research and Chemical Engineering. Experts in a whole range of disciplines work here hand in hand to progress from an idea to a process, to develop forward-thinking technologies and to safeguard BASF's future value chains.
A comprehensive range of process engineering forms the basis of our competence. As well as developing new processes, we focus on benchmarks and improving processes. Our tools range from simulations to cost accounting and experimental development/confirmation on a laboratory, research center and operational scale.
The process and reaction engineering teams are 'first choice' when it comes to issues involving process-related unit operations. You will find competent contacts for virtually all unit operations in solid and liquid process engineering, for reaction engineering and high-temperature process engineering, and for cross-sectional topics in safety and flow engineering and material data.