Manufacturing Manager - Bessemer City

About Arcadium Lithium: We are change-makers, joining forces to drive progress. A world enabled by the critical mineral, Lithium - the elemental source powering modern life and our global transition to clean energy.

For decades, we’ve grown alongside and collaborated with our people, our customers, and communities. Pioneering, collaborating, and evolving Together.

From the birth of the first lithium-ion battery to the breakthrough lithium advancements that have followed. We've helped lead the change, powering the future of lithium innovation.

Our growth continues to be strategic, expansive, and sustainable. With a wealth of premier lithium resources spread across the world in key locations. We can reliably, safely, and responsibly provide the resources to meet the diverse needs of our customers.

No matter where they are. No matter the challenge. It's all about delivering on the high expectation for quality, performance, and sustainability.

And our duty goes even further. It includes everyone on the planet using a lithium-powered device or vehicle.

Every battery charged. Every device powered. Every lithium application utilized. Underscoring our commitment to quality, collaboration, and our shared vision of powering a more sustainable future for everyone.

Arcadium Lithium is more than just a company. It's a promise, and a commitment by our people.

To act ethically and responsibly, ensuring that our legacy is one of positive impact and lasting change.

Position Summary: The Associate Plant Manager will report to the Plant Manager and will lead the Metals, Battery, Specialty Organics, and Logistics Facilities in Bessemer City, NC. Primary focus of the position will be to foster a culture of safety, transparency, quality, disciplined problem solving, high performance work teams, and continuous improvement. She / he will ensure the appropriate teams, tools, and processes are in place to support these desired cultural traits. She/he must also inspire the staff to achieve results in alignment with business strategy as well as operational objectives focused on safety, health and environment, quality, productivity, resource/asset utilization, inventory, people development, and employee engagement.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Safety, Health and Environmental

• Champions the essential belief that all jobs can be performed safely and that no job is worth doing that would risk the health, safety, or welfare of the plant employees or community.
• Ensures development and implementation of the annual Safety Plan at the Bessemer City site, strict adherence to site safety policies and procedures, and enthusiastic support for site safety and employee engagement.
• Ensures the Site’s environmental equipment and operating practices result in minimal environmental impacts and are in compliance with all Company, State and Federal regulations.
• Ensures that compliance with the Arcadium Lithium Process Safety Standard is maintained across the site and that there is continuous improvement of the safety and environmental performance.
• Drives reduction in injury rate through employee engagement, condition improvements and safety systems.

Business Support

• Drives a quality-first mindset to the plant floor ensuring that programs are in place to support our customers continually evolving need for high-quality lithium products.
• Ensures supply plans are met and works closely with supply chain to deliver high-quality product to our customers as requested. Develops plans to address any production shortfalls by working cross functionally.
• Ensures that cost-management systems are properly used to maintain highly efficient and cost-competitive position.
• Ensures each department meets their annual budget, manufacturing variances and forecast goals.
• Ensures the levels of capital and maintenance funds are appropriate so that the plant fulfills its production requirements while remaining competitive in cost, capital, etc. Develops and monitors key performance metrics to ensure that spending commitments are met, and that capital investments deliver business value.
• Drives the achievement of Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) as set by the Lithium Division Leadership.
• Ensures that staffing levels are optimized, and personnel are hired and properly trained to support effective project operations.
• Assists with manufacturing evaluations of product line viability.

Management/Leadership

• Leads the building of strong and effective teams within manufacturing.
• Provides the appropriate support and direction that assures effective use of resources.
• Set direction and provides coaching for the operations leaders.
• Promotes a culture of continuous improvement within a climate of integrity, trust and open communication.
• Directs and Drives Maintenance Excellence Processes.
• Contributes to and fosters a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion at the plant and throughout the Lithium Division community.
• Promotes the vision to be the recognized global leader in high value quality lithium chemicals and selected technologies.
• Promotes strong ties with the other manufacturing sites, sharing knowledge, expertise, and best practices to the betterment of the entire business. Drives cross-functional collaboration and works with other functions (Safety, Quality, Tech Center, Commercial, etc.) to share information and leverage resources to meet our customer and business needs.

Human Resources

• Ensures that competent site personnel are hired and developed to maintain proper staffing levels, continuity of knowledge, and skills and attitudes to meet continuously increasing business requirements and a continuous improvement environment.
• Ensures that the culture and work environment satisfy the needs of both business and people.
• Identifies key talent and provides individually tailored strategies for their professional development.

Community Relations

• Maintains a positive and cooperative environment in the community through civic and governmental activities consistent with the plant and corporate government requirements.
• Champions the essential belief that all jobs can be performed safely and that no job is worth doing that would risk the health, safety, or welfare of the plant employees or community.
• Ensures development and implementation of the annual Safety Plan at the Bessemer City site, strict adherence to site safety policies and procedures, and enthusiastic support for site safety and employee engagement.
• Ensures the Site’s environmental equipment and operating practices result in minimal environmental impacts and are in compliance with all Company, State and Federal regulations.
• Ensures that compliance with the Arcadium Lithium Process Safety Standard is maintained across the site and that there is continuous improvement of the safety and environmental performance.
• Drives reduction in injury rate through employee engagement, condition improvements and safety systems.
• Other job duties as may be assigned from time to time.

Education and Experience:

• Demonstrated leadership skills in managing change as well as the ability to analyze and improve business processes.
• General working knowledge of plant engineering, quality assurance practices, and environmental management.
• Prior experience with multi-national chemical manufacturing financial systems: AFE’s, Budgets, Capital Planning and Costing.

Knowledge and Skill Requirements:

• Experience in a global, multi-plant manufacturing environment.
• Experience in the development and management of environmental programs for R&D.
• Ability to influence direction across a complex global organization.
• Demonstrated success in developing strategies and implementing processes to ensure the company is in compliance with both internal and external requirements.
• Strong project management skills along with strong program development and proven training experience.
• Must be able to work at all levels of the organization as well as with external regulatory agencies.
• Excellent verbal, written communication skills as well as presentation skills.
• Experience negotiating and interacting with regulatory agency personnel.
• Able to work independently with minimal guidance and actively pursue goals to meet deadlines.
• Strong track record of delivering quality, on-time results that meet or exceed the organization’s needs.
• Experience in continuously maintaining skill level to keep knowledge current.

Safety Requirements: (position and location specific) All employees are expected to carry out their work functions in a healthy and safe manner, to encourage and support safe work practices at all times, and to report and/or rectify any unsafe conditions that may come to their attention immediately.

Physical Demands: (position and location specific) The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to walk and use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee is occasionally required to stand; climb or balance and taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and color vision.

Work Environment: (position and location specific) The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is frequently exposed to toxic or caustic chemicals. The employee is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions; moving mechanical parts; fumes or airborne particles and outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Personal Protective Equipment – (position specific) Must wear PPE as required based on job duties or when traveling to locations where PPE is essential.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

ARCADIUM LITHIUM employs people across a broad range of occupations in locations across the world. We are looking for people to join us in creating, developing, and improving our products, our processes, and our markets. Employees enjoy competitive compensation, a menu of work/life benefits and opportunities to continue developing their skills and building their career.

ARCADIUM LITHIUM is an Equal Opportunity Employer, EEO, AAE, MFDV and supports a drug free workplace.