Operation Section Head

Role purpose

Plant operations

• Lead daily operations to meet production targets while maintaining quality, safety, reliability, and environmental performance.
• Oversee production units, utilities, material handling, and supporting systems; monitor process conditions, equipment performance, and production rates.
• Review daily reports, deviations, equipment status, and constraints, and ensure timely corrective action.
• Guide Shift Supervisors, Production Engineers, DCS Operators, Field Operators, and other operations personnel.
• Coordinate maintenance priorities and operational readiness with Maintenance and Planning.
• Work with Process Engineering and Technical teams to troubleshoot, optimize conditions, improve yields, reduce losses, and enhance efficiency.
• Lead safe response to process upsets, equipment failures, emergencies, and abnormal operating conditions.
• Support start-up, shutdown, commissioning, turnaround, and major maintenance activities from the Operations side.

Safety, quality, and performance

• Ensure adherence to SOPs, safe operating limits, manuals, production instructions, HSE policies, process safety requirements, environmental standards, and regulations.
• Participate in HAZOP, HAZID, PHA, LOPA, MOC, PSSR, incident investigations, and Root Cause Analysis.
• Maintain effective shift handovers, operating logs, and reporting of plant status, abnormalities, production losses, and critical issues.
• Monitor raw materials, chemicals, utilities, energy, and other resources to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
• Coordinate with Laboratory and Quality teams to address off-spec conditions and maintain product specifications.
• Develop and monitor KPIs covering production, availability, downtime, quality, energy and raw material use, and operational losses.
• Drive continuous improvement in production optimization, reliability, safety, quality, cost reduction, and operational excellence.

Leadership and reporting

• Lead, supervise, coach, and develop the Operations team; set performance expectations and monitor progress against objectives.
• Promote safety, process safety, competency, training, succession planning, teamwork, and operational discipline.
• Lead daily operational meetings and coordinate across Operations and other plant functions.
• Prepare and review daily, weekly, and monthly operational reports; report performance, deviations, constraints, quality issues, safety concerns, and significant events.
• Escalate significant plant risks, abnormal conditions, production losses, and critical equipment issues promptly to management.
• Coordinate with internal plant functions and external contractors, vendors, technical specialists, consultants, and service providers.

Experience

• At least 10 years of relevant operations or production experience in chemical, petrochemical, fertilizer, or continuous process manufacturing, including significant supervisory or leadership experience.
• Direct operational experience in Soda Ash and/or Calcium Chloride plants is strongly preferred.
• Practical knowledge and operating experience of the Solvay process is highly desirable.
• Experience leading plant operations, shift teams, production activities, troubleshooting, start-ups, shutdowns, and abnormal situation management.
• Experience in production optimization, Process Safety, incident investigation, Root Cause Analysis, and continuous improvement is preferred.

Skills

• Strong knowledge of chemical plant operations, continuous process manufacturing, and Soda Ash and Calcium Chloride processes and equipment.
• Knowledge of the Solvay process, process control, DCS operations, and key production parameters is highly desirable.
• Strong leadership, people management, coaching, team development, troubleshooting, analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
• Knowledge of Process Safety Management, HAZOP, MOC, PSSR, RCA, permit-to-work, and emergency response requirements.
• Ability to interpret PFDs, P&IDs, operating data, trends, production reports, and technical documentation.
• Understanding of production planning, plant KPIs, quality, energy and raw material optimization, and cost control.
• Strong communication, coordination, presentation, and reporting skills; able to manage priorities and make sound decisions during emergencies.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.

Work environment

• The role oversees day-to-day operations at Soda Ash and Calcium Chloride production facilities.