About the company
Our client is a global specialty chemical manufacturer with a long-established production site in Louisville, KY. The facility produces specialty polymer resins and compounds used in residential, commercial and industrial building and infrastructure products.
The site has seen sustained capital investment, including recent process technology upgrades. Leadership is looking for an experienced operator to stabilize and lead the plant through its next phase of performance improvement.
Role summary
The Interim Plant Manager has full accountability for safe, compliant and profitable operation of the Louisville site for a 6-month engagement. You will lead production, maintenance, engineering, quality and EHS teams across a continuous, 24/7 chemical process operation.
The priority is immediate leadership impact: protect safety and process-safety performance, stabilize output and reliability, and build a stronger operating cadence. Strong performers will be considered for conversion to the permanent Plant Manager role.
Key responsibilities
Safety, health and environmental
Champion a zero-harm culture and own site EHS performance
Ensure compliance with OSHA Process Safety Management (PSM), EPA and state environmental permits
Lead incident investigations, root cause analysis and corrective actions
Oversee management of change (MOC), PHAs and mechanical integrity programs
Operations and production
Direct day-to-day operation of continuous resin and compounding processes
Deliver production plans, on-time delivery and inventory targets
Improve yield, throughput, uptime and conversion cost
Support commissioning and stabilization of new process technology and capital projects
Maintenance and reliability
Drive preventive and predictive maintenance to reduce unplanned downtime
Prioritize the maintenance backlog and plan turnarounds
Quality
Maintain product quality and consistency to customer and industry specifications
Uphold ISO 9001 / 14001 and other site quality systems
People and leadership
Lead a multi-shift workforce of salaried staff and hourly operators
Coach and develop the site leadership team and front-line supervisors
Assess organizational capability and recommend changes to structure and talent
Foster productive employee relations and clear communication
Financial and continuous improvement
Own the site operating budget, KPIs and monthly performance reviews
Deploy Lean / Six Sigma tools and tiered daily accountability meetings
Identify and deliver cost-reduction and productivity initiatives
Report performance and risks to business unit leadership
Required qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Chemical, Mechanical or Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field
10+ years of manufacturing experience, with 5+ years as a Plant Manager or Operations Manager
Experience leading a continuous-process chemical, polymer, resin or plastics operation
Working knowledge of OSHA PSM, EPA regulations and environmental permitting
Proven record of improving safety, quality, delivery and cost metrics
Experience leading multi-shift hourly workforces and salaried leadership teams
Ability to start quickly and make an immediate impact in an interim role
Willingness to work fully onsite in Louisville, KY for the duration of the engagement
Preferred qualifications
Experience with thermoplastic or vinyl polymer manufacturing
Background in batch or continuous reactor and compounding operations
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification
Experience commissioning new process technology or leading major capital projects
Prior interim, turnaround or site-stabilization assignments
Experience in a unionized environment
Familiarity with SAP or a comparable ERP system
Engagement details
Term: 6-month interim contract, with potential to extend
Conversion: Opportunity to transition to the permanent Plant Manager role based on performance and mutual fit
Competitive hourly rate, all reasonable expenses paid, Travel, Lodging, Meals,…