Chemical plant manager

Description

Chemical plant managers coordinate the day-to-day production of chemical products ensuring the quality of products and equipment, the safety of personnel and protection of the environment. They define and implement the investment budget, deploy industrial objectives and manage the unit as a profit center representing the company in its economic and social environment.

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to chemical plant manager:

manager of chemical processing plant
chemical plant supervisor
chemical production process manager
chemical plant superintendent
chemical processing plant manager
manager of chemical plant
chemical plant operations executive
chemical production plant managing director
chemical plant technial manager
chemical plant operations manager
chemical production plant manager
chemical plant technical director
plant managing director
chemical plant managing director
chemical production facility manager

Minimum qualifications

Bachelor’s degree is generally required to work as chemical plant manager. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

  • the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
  • the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
  • the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Chemical plant manager is a Skill level 4 occupation.

Chemical plant manager career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to chemical plant manager.

metal production manager
industrial production manager
sewerage systems manager
water treatment plant manager
metallurgical manager

Long term prospects

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of chemical plant manager. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of chemical plant manager with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

Essential knowledge and skills

Essential knowledge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of chemical plant manager.

Manufacturing processes: The steps required through which a material is transformed into a product, its development and full-scale manufacturing.
Risk management: The process of identifying, assessing, and prioritising of all types of risks and where they could come from, such as natural causes, legal changes, or uncertainty in any given context, and the methods on dealing with risks effectively.
Investment analysis: The methods and tools for analysis of an investment compared to its potential return. Identification and calculation of profitability ratio and financial indicators in relation to associated risks to guide decision on investment.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of chemical plant manager.

Manage supplies: Monitor and control the flow of supplies that includes the purchase, storage and movement of the required quality of raw materials, and also work-in-progress inventory. Manage supply chain activities and synchronise supply with demand of production and customer.
Cope with manufacturing deadlines pressure: Cope with a tight schedule on the manufacturing processes level and take the necessary actions when deadlines approach or when some processes fail.
Forecast organisational risks: Analyse the operations and actions of a company in order to assess their repercussions, possible risks for the company, and to develop suitable strategies to address these.
Manage budgets: Plan, monitor and report on the budget.
Oversee production requirements: Oversee production processes and prepare all the resources needed to maintain an efficient and continuous flow of production.
Strive for company growth: Develop strategies and plans aiming at achieving a sustained company growth, be the company self-owned or somebody else’s. Strive with actions to increase revenues and positive cash flows.
Schedule production: Schedule the production aiming maximum profitability while still maintaining the company KPIs in cost, quality, service and innovation.
Perform data analysis: Collect data and statistics to test and evaluate in order to generate assertions and pattern predictions, with the aim of discovering useful information in a decision-making process.
Optimise financial performance: Direct and coordinate the organisation’s financial operations and budget activities, in order to optimise financial performance.
Manage staff: Manage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the workers to meet the company objectives. Monitor and measure how an employee undertakes their responsibilities and how well these activities are executed. Identify areas for improvement and make suggestions to achieve this. Lead a group of people to help them achieve goals and maintain an effective working relationship among staff.
Create manufacturing guidelines: Draft procedures and guidelines to ensure that government and industry regulations are met by manufacturers in both international and domestic markets.
Manage health and safety standards: Oversee all personnel and processes to comply with health, safety and hygiene standards. Communicate and support alignment of these requirements with the company’s health and safety programmes.
Define manufacturing quality criteria: Define and describe the criteria by which data quality is measured for manufacturing purposes, such as international standards and manufacturing regulations.
Provide cost benefit analysis reports: Prepare, compile and communicate reports with broken down cost analysis on the proposal and budget plans of the company. Analyse the financial or social costs and benefits of a project or investment in advance over a given period of time.
Oversee quality control: Monitor and assure the quality of the provided goods or services by overseeing that all the factors of the production meet quality requirements. Supervise product inspection and testing.
Improve business processes: Optimise the series of operations of an organisation to achieve efficiency. Analyse and adapt existing business operations in order to set new objectives and meet new goals.
Develop manufacturing policies: Develop policies and procedures applied in manufacturing with the aim of improving competitiveness and capabilities of the industry.
Disaggregate the production plan: Split production plan in daily, weekly, and monthly plans with clear objectives and targets required.
Meet deadlines: Ensure operative processes are finished at a previously agreed-upon time.
Adhere to organisational guidelines: Adhere to organisational or department specific standards and guidelines. Understand the motives of the organisation and the common agreements and act accordingly.
Plan health and safety procedures: Set up procedures for maintaining and improving health and safety in the workplace.
Analyse goal progress: Analyse the steps which have been taken in order to reach the organisation’s goals in order to assess the progress which has been made, the feasibility of the goals, and to ensure the goals can be met according to deadlines.
Assess environmental impact: Monitor environmental impacts and carry out assessments in order to identify and to reduce the organisation’s environmental risks while taking costs into account.
Communicate production plan: Communicates production plan to all levels in a way that targets, processes, and requirements are clear. Ensures that information is passed to everyone involved in the process assuming their responsibility for overall success.
Liaise with managers: Liaise with managers of other departments ensuring effective service and communication, i.e. sales, planning, purchasing, trading, distribution and technical.
Follow company standards: Lead and manage according to the organisation’s code of conduct.
Control production: Plan, coordinate, and direct all production activities to insure the goods are made on time, in correct order, of adequate quality and composition, starting from intake goods up to shipping.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of chemical plant manager. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Chemical processes: The relevant chemical processes used in manufacture, such as purification, seperation, emulgation and dispergation processing.
Agricultural chemicals: The production and characteristics of agricultural chemicals such as fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides or insecticides.
Adhesives: The categories, production and the chemical components of adhesives such as non-reactice adhesives (drying adhesives, pressure-sensitive adhesives, contact adhesives and hot adhesives) and reactive adhesives (multi-part adhesives, one-part adhesives).
Synthetic materials: The production and characteristics of synthetic materials such as synthetic fibres, synthetic paper, synthetic resins or synthetic rubber.
Supply chain management: The flow of goods in the supply chain, movement and storage of raw materials, work-in-process inventory, and finished goods from point of origin to point of consumption.
Basic chemicals: The production and characteristisc of organic basic chemicals such as ethanol, methanol, benzene and inorganic basic chemicals such as oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen.

Optional skills and competences

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of chemical plant manager. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Ensure compliance with environmental legislation: Monitor activities and perform tasks ensuring compliance with standards involving environmental protection and sustainability, and amend activities in the case of changes in environmental legislation. Ensure that the processes are compliant with environment regulations and best practices.
Maintain relationship with customers: Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with customers in order to ensure satisfaction and fidelity by providing accurate and friendly advice and support, by delivering quality products and services and by supplying after-sales information and service.
Manage emergency procedures: React quickly in case of emergency and set planned emergency procedures in motion.
Recruit employees: Hire new employees by scoping the job role, advertising, performing interviews and selecting staff in line with company policy and legislation.
Manage distribution channels: Oversee distribution channels with regards to the requirements of customers.
Manage chemical processes inspection: Manage the chemical in-process inspection, making sure the inspection results are documented, the inspection procedures are well written and the checklists are updated.
Manage company transport strategy: Manage the transport strategies of a company; communicate with members of management team; ensure strategies accord with company goals.
Procure mechanical machinery: Procure adequate machinery. Research the market to find the best machinery, staying within budget limits, and negotiate the purchase. Maintain records.
Plan shifts of employees: Plans shifts of employees to ensure completion of all customer orders and satisfactory completion of the production plan.
Negotiate with stakeholders: Negotiate compromises with stakeholders and strive to reach the most beneficial agreements for the company. May involve building relationships with suppliers and customers, as well as ensuring products are profitable.
Identify energy needs: Identify the type and amount of energy supply necessary in a building or facility, in order to provide the most beneficial, sustainable, and cost-effective energy services for a consumer.
Liaise with quality assurance: Work closely with the relevant quality assurance or grading party involved.
Negotiate supplier arrangements: Reach an agreement with the supplier upon technical, quantity, quality, price, conditions, storage, packaging, send-back and other requirements related to the purchasing and delivering process.
Ensure equipment maintenance: Ensure that the equipment required for operations is regularly checked for faults, that routine maintenance tasks are performed, and that repairs are scheduled and performed in the case of damage or flaws.
Provide training: Provide training and orientation to new team members, or assign this task to an appropriately experienced team member.
Analyse production processes for improvement: Analyse production processes leading toward improvement. Analyse in order to reduce production losses and overall manufacturing costs.
Perform market research: Gather, assess and represent data about target market and customers in order to facilitate strategic development and feasibility studies. Identify market trends.

ISCO group and title

1219 – Business services and administration managers not elsewhere classified

 

 


 

 

References
  1. Chemical plant manager – ESCO
Last updated on August 8, 2022