The role:
Oversee and Perform manufacturing or production activities that ensure products are produced safely, efficiently and according to site quality standards. This role combines hands-on operational expertise with leadership responsibilities, including mentoring junior operators, troubleshooting equipment issues, and supporting continuous improvement initiatives.
Primary responsibilities:
- Lead and support safe, efficient manufacturing operations to ensure agricultural herbicide products are produced in accordance with safety, quality, environmental, and production requirements.
- Set up, dismantle, and reconfigure packaging and production lines for campaign changeovers, ensuring equipment is properly prepared, validated, and ready for operation.
- Troubleshoot, diagnose, and isolate equipment malfunctions and process failures, coordinating repair activities with Maintenance, Engineering, and Production teams to minimize downtime.
- Manage and optimize preventive maintenance (PM) activities, including planning, scheduling, execution, and documentation to maximize equipment reliability and production effectiveness.
- Serve as the site lead for PM management within SAP, ensuring maintenance work orders, PM schedules, equipment records, and completion data are accurately maintained and continuously improved.
- Train and mentor production operators on routine preventive maintenance tasks, basic equipment troubleshooting, safe operating procedures, and best manufacturing practices.
- Monitor production processes and make necessary operational adjustments to maintain product quality, throughput, and compliance with established manufacturing standards.
- Package agricultural herbicides using semi-automated filling, sealing, labeling, and packaging equipment, ensuring accuracy, quality, and adherence to customer specifications.
- Prepare packaging materials and production areas for manufacturing campaigns, including labeling bags, boxes, and other packaging components required for production runs.
- Communicate equipment, safety, quality, and production concerns to Production Supervisors and site leadership, ensuring timely resolution of issues that could impact business performance.
- Identify and implement continuous improvement opportunities focused on safety, equipment reliability, efficiency, waste reduction, cost savings, and overall operational excellence.
- Reduce and effectively manage planned and unplanned downtime by coordinating maintenance activities, troubleshooting recurring issues, and supporting root cause investigations.
- Maintain accurate production and maintenance documentation, ensuring compliance with company procedures, regulatory requirements, and audit standards.
- Collaborate with Production, Maintenance, Quality, Engineering, and Operations teams to drive equipment performance, support plant objectives, and achieve key performance indicators.
- Promote and maintain a strong safety culture by adhering to all site safety procedures, participating in safety initiatives, and identifying and mitigating workplace hazards.
Leadership and training skills
- Ability to mentor, coach, and train production operators on preventive maintenance tasks, equipment operation, and troubleshooting techniques.
- Demonstrated leadership in coordinating production and maintenance activities to achieve operational goals.
- Strong team collaboration skills with Production, Maintenance, Quality, Engineering, and Operations personnel.
- Ability to lead by example and promote a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.
- Effective decision-making skills in fast-paced manufacturing environments.
Skills and knowledge required:
- Advanced knowledge of manufacturing, packaging, and production processes within a chemical, agricultural, or industrial environment.
- Strong troubleshooting and diagnostic skills for mechanical, pneumatic, electrical, and semi-automated packaging equipment.
- Experience assembling, operating, dismantling, and reconfiguring production and packaging lines during product changeovers.
- Preventive Maintenance (PM) planning, scheduling, execution, and optimization.
- Working knowledge of SAP Plant Maintenance (SAP PM) for maintenance planning, work order management, equipment history, and reporting.
- Ability to perform root cause analysis and implement corrective and preventive actions to improve equipment reliability.
- Understanding of equipment reliability, downtime reduction strategies, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
- Proficiency in operating filling, sealing, labeling, conveying, and packaging systems.
- Experience with lockout/tagout (LOTO), isolation procedures, and equipment safety protocols.
- Ability to read and interpret operating procedures, technical manuals, equipment drawings, and maintenance documentation.
- Clear verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to prepare reports, maintain production records, and communicate shift handovers effectively.
- Strong interpersonal skills for working with operations, maintenance, quality, and management teams.
- Industrial/ manufacturing experience desirable.
- Must be able to effectively read, write, and speak English.
- Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instruction and procedure manuals.
- Ability to operate machines with instruction.
- Ability to use a variety of hand tools.
- Ability to work in team environment with little or no supervision.
- Ability to carry out detailed written or oral instruction with limited supervision.
- Functional understanding of metric system.
- Ability to lead by example and promote a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.
- Effective decision-making skills in fast-paced manufacturing environments.
Physical effort:
- Moderate to strenuous daily physical activity.
- Sitting, standing, bending, kneeling, twisting, climbing ladders and fine finger movements are all part of daily activities.
- Ability to lift material/product weighing up to 23 kg (50 pounds) and/or move material/product weighing various amounts, using mechanical handling devices or team assistance given with heavier objects/awkward lifts.
- Repeated bending to lift and carry material.
- May perform variety of processes requiring repetitive arm and wrist movements.
- Ability to work in high production work area.
- Constant mental and visual attention required.
- Must wear protective clothing in specific work areas.
- Mandatory required PPE;
- Steel toed boots, safety goggles, hard hat, reflective clothing, safety gloves.
- Must have the ability to wear a respirator and must be clean shaven.
- Mandatory required PPE;
- No jewelry allowed in production area due to certain equipment (i.e. induction sealer).
- Morning stretching exercises recommended.
Working conditions:
- Well-lighted, heated production area with adequate ventilation.
- Noise levels below 85dc from machinery, sealers and forklifts.
- Daily use of ladders.
- Normal working hours are 0730 to 1800, 4 shifts per week.
- Opportunity for overtime.
Sensory attention:
- General vision and hearing senses required.
- Color recognition is essential.
- Fine motor skills and hand - eye coordination necessary for labeling tasks.
- Ability to keep pace with fast working equipment.
Mental stress:
- Deadline pressures, machine paced.
- Repetitive work.
- Constant attention required for quality of work as well as safety.
