Global Director Operations, Specialty Additives

Global Director of Operations, Specialty Additives

Are you the kind of person that is always thinking, sketching, seeking, and adjusting? Who needs to understand how things work and then figure out how they can work better? Are you a passionate, tenacious, solver who loves to work with others who share your drive? Are you positive, constructive, and ingenious?

Are you always solving?

Then we’d like to meet you and bet you’d like to meet us.

Ashland has an exciting opportunity for a Global Director, Operations to join our Ashland Specialty Additives business in a remote role. This is a very visible, significant role within the Company and the Manufacturing function. This position will report to the SVP of Operations.

**This role will be remote with preference to someone living on the East Coast to attend regular business meetings in Wilmington DE and Bridgewater NJ**

The responsibilities of the position include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Responsible for the safe operations of 6 manufacturing sites
• Team includes approximately 500 global employees
• Accountable for all aspects of on-going production execution and participates on the Business Unit Global Leadership Team
• Will be responsible to deliver P&L goals
• Institute strategic planning to ensure processes and capabilities are in a state of readiness to handle the introduction of new products and increased customer demand for custom orders
• Manage the business capital plan, develop and implement capital projects which will improve efficiency, product quality, warehousing, safety, environmental issues, and customer service as well as major engineering products
• Ensure technical expertise and consistency on a global basis and optimize division profitability by improving process techniques, new product lines, manufacturing implementation, plant upgrades, and proper maintenance programs on a continuous basis.

In order to be qualified for this role, you must possess the following:

• BS degree in technical field required.
• 5-10 years of Plant Management experience required
• Integrated Global Operations experience (Manufacturing and Supply Chain) in a complex, heavy asset, continuous manufacturing process is required
• Strong leadership in plant supervision/management, process engineering and financial systems. Experience leading in union environment preferred.
• Ability to think strategically and operate within the complexities of a fast-paced, customer-demanding, business-driven environment required.
• Creative, adaptability, and the ability to provide world class operational excellence in a rapidly changing, multi-tasking environment
• Experience developing diverse talent and building efficient & collaborative teams.
• Solid people development skills and the ability to provide proper direction and guidance to a global operation and engineering management team
• Chemical Process Expertise - Possess strong chemical and process (technical) knowledge and skills focused on production operations at a plant.
• Manufacturing Process Knowledge - Able to analyze manufacturing and business processes toward optimization using continuous process improvement tools (ie., Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing Practices.)
• Financial and Statistical Knowledge and Aptitude - Ability to interpret and analyze statistical data, information and financial reports. Understand financial statements, costing methodologies and various methods of cost/benefit analysis.
• Business Knowledge and Acumen - Understand the drivers that impact performance and growth of a business.
• Regulatory Compliance Knowledge – Understand and able to work within various local and regional regulatory safety, environmental, quality and financial regulations, standards and laws as required for specific location, region or country.
• Employee and Labor Relations – Skilled in working within a unionized and non-unionized environment. Knowledgeable of collective bargaining agreements and informal and formal grievance procedures, mediation and arbitration. Experienced in working with works councils.
• Must be willing and able to travel in the US and Internationally

The following skill sets are preferred by the business unit:

• Experience with cellulosic manufacturing