Acara Solutions

Description

Acara Solutions is seeking an Operations Manager with a chemical manufacturer in Niagara Falls, NY.

Position Type: Direct Hire

Schedule: Monday?Friday, 40 hours/week with 24/7 on-call availability

Salary: Up to $130,000 annually, depending on experience (DOE)

Essential Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain manufacturing operations plans, including labor, production costs, and capital budgeting (planning, review, and approval).
• Contribute to product strategy and R&D for new production lines, including equipment design, modification, and procurement.
• Set production standards, manage budgets and cost controls, and oversee product specifications, quantities, and delivery schedules.
• Lead development of manufacturing process plans, including staffing, materials, subcontractors, facilities, and tooling/equipment needs.
• Ensure adherence to cost, quality, and delivery objectives across production.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with internal teams and suppliers to optimize resource utilization and production efficiency.
• Oversee plant maintenance operations and lead selected capital projects from design through implementation.
• Support the EHS Manager to ensure compliance with environmental, health, and safety regulations; lead OSHA and NFPA compliance initiatives.
• Participate in union contract negotiations, job evaluations, grievance resolutions, and maintain strong working relationships with union representatives.

Additional/Supportive Functions

• Perform administrative duties related to operations management, including data collection and reporting.
• Review production reports and resolve manufacturing or maintenance issues to minimize cost and avoid delays; develop and track manufacturing KPIs.
• Manage and support supervisory staff overseeing hourly employees, ensuring compliance with organizational policies and labor laws.
• Handle recruitment, training, performance evaluations, employee relations, and disciplinary actions as part of supervisory responsibilities.

Job Requirements

Required Skills / Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering and a minimum of 5 years of experience in Manufacturing Operations Management preferred. Alternatively, 15?20 years of progressive experience in a chemical plant will be considered, including at least 5 years in a departmental leadership role overseeing functions such as Production, Maintenance, EHS, Quality, and Logistics

Preferred Skills / Qualifications:

• Prior experience as a Production Supervisor and/or Production Manager is preferred
• Background in polymer chemistry is strongly desired
• Familiarity with OSHA Process Safety Management (PSM) requirements is a plus
• Knowledge of Budgets, SAP, PSM, Iso and AS are preferred
• Experience in union environments (grievances, contract oversight) is preferred

Aleron companies (Acara Solutions, Aleron Shared Resources, Broadleaf Results, Lume Strategies, TalentRise, Viaduct) are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Race/Color/Gender/Religion/National Origin/Disability/Veteran.

Applicants for this position must be legally authorized to work in the United States. This position does not meet the employment requirements for individuals with F-1 OPT STEM work authorization status.

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