Plant Manager, STL

Kemira is a global leader in sustainable chemistry for water intensive industries. For more than 100 years our chemistry has advanced human progress and quality of life. We call it chemistry with a purpose better every day. At Kemira we foster a collaborative and inclusive work culture that empowers our employees to thrive and make a difference. Learn more about Kemira at

We are now looking for a Plant Manager for our St. Louis site who is people-focused to lead all aspects of operations at our chemical manufacturing facility. This role is responsible for providing strategic and day-to-day leadership across production maintenance engineering safety quality and site administration to ensure safe reliable and efficient plant performance.

The Plant Manager will play a critical role in building a strong site culture centered on teamwork accountability communication employee engagement and operational excellence. The ideal candidate will be a visible leader who can develop talent strengthen cross-functional collaboration drive continuous improvement and create alignment across the organization while delivering business results.

In this role you will be responsible for:

• Provide overall leadership and direction for all plant operations ensuring safe compliant and efficient manufacturing performance.
• Build and maintain a strong site culture focused on teamwork accountability employee engagement communication and continuous improvement.
• Lead coach and develop site leadership and hourly teams to create a high-performing organization with strong employee ownership and accountability.
• Serve as a visible and active leader within the facility fostering trust collaboration and strong working relationships across all functions.
• Drive a world-class safety culture by ensuring compliance with all environmental health safety (EHS) Process Safety Management (PSM) and regulatory requirements.
• Establish clear operational expectations goals and performance metrics while holding teams accountable for results.
• Collaborate with operations maintenance engineering supply chain quality and commercial teams to optimize plant performance and customer satisfaction.
• Lead efforts to improve operational reliability productivity quality and cost performance.
• Develop and execute plant strategies aligned with company objectives and long-term business goals.
• Manage plant budgets capital expenditures staffing plans and operational resources.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives utilizing Lean Manufacturing Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and operational excellence principles.
• Support talent development succession planning employee training and workforce engagement initiatives across the site.
• Lead plant response efforts during operational upsets emergencies and audits.
• Ensure strong communication and alignment between site leadership corporate leadership and plant personnel.

What youll bring to the team:

• Bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering Mechanical Engineering Industrial Engineering Operations Management or related field preferred; equivalent manufacturing leadership experience considered.
• Minimum 8 years of experience in manufacturing or chemical plant operations with at least 5 years in progressive leadership roles.
• Proven experience leading teams within a process manufacturing environment.
• Strong leadership presence with demonstrated ability to build teams develop employees and improve organizational culture.
• Experience managing plant operations production maintenance safety quality and financial performance.
• Working knowledge of OSHA EPA PSM and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Strong communication conflict resolution organizational and decision-making skills.
• Experience with SAP or similar ERP systems preferred.
• Ability to lead effectively in a fast-paced dynamic manufacturing environment.
• Any other duties as assigned

Preferred:

• Experience leading operations in a PSM-regulated chemical manufacturing facility.
• Strong background in operational excellence Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement.
• Experience managing capital projects turnarounds and major operational improvement programs.
• Six Sigma Lean or other operational excellence certifications preferred.
• Demonstrated success improving employee engagement retention and site culture.

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What you can expect from us:

• Work with a global company that is committed to innovation cares for people and dedicated to customer success.
• Opportunity for personal and professional growth
• Attractive benefits package compensation
• A multicultural and positive working environment

The starting salary range for consideration for this position is$122500 to $152500 per yearwith opportunities for performance-based bonuses. The actual starting salary is determined by various factors including but not limited to relevant employment history & experience skill set/competencies qualifications and other business and organizational needs. We also offer a comprehensive benefits package which includes health insurance paid time off life/disability insurance and a 401k retirement plan (which includes a company match).

Kemira is a global leader in sustainable chemistry for water-intensive industries. We operate globally and serve a wide range of customers including municipal and industrial water treatment companies and the fiber industry. Our solutions and services help secure clean water for millions of people every day and support our customers in advancing circularity and responsible resource use throughout their value 2025 Kemira reported annual revenue of EUR 2.8 billion with a global team of 4911 colleagues. Kemira is listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.