Upstream Manufacturing Manager

Job Description

About the Role:

We are looking for an experienced Upstream Manufacturing Manager to lead daily manufacturing operations for a chemical reference standards business producing organic and inorganic chemical standards, reagents, and related  this role, you will lead a manufacturing team, drive safe and efficient production, and ensure we consistently meet quality, delivery, productivity, and customer requirements. You will work closely with Quality, Planning, Procurement, Logistics, Engineering, Technical Support, and Commercial teams to improve manufacturing performance and build a strong culture of safety, quality, accountability, and continuous improvement.

This is a great opportunity for a hands-on manufacturing leader who enjoys developing people, solving operational challenges, improving processes, and using data to drive decisions.

This is a 100% onsite position based in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. Candidates must currently reside locally or within a reasonable commuting distance. Relocation assistance is not provided.

What You’ll Do:

Lead Manufacturing Operations:
Oversee daily manufacturing activities and production priorities to meet safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity goals.

Lead and Develop Teams:
Coach, develop, and engage production employees and frontline leaders by setting clear expectations, providing feedback, supporting training, and creating opportunities for growth.

Oversee Chemical Manufacturing:
Ensure production involving organic and inorganic chemistry is performed safely and in accordance with approved procedures, specifications, and applicable requirements.

Drive Safety and Quality:
Promote a strong safety culture and partner with Quality and technical teams to address issues, support investigations, and maintain process integrity.

Improve Processes:
Identify opportunities to improve production flow, reduce waste, increase productivity, strengthen standard work, and improve schedule adherence through Lean, root cause analysis, and structured problem solving.

Use Data to Drive Decisions:
Monitor production, quality, inventory, labor, and scheduling data to identify trends, address issues, and improve operational performance.

Partner Across the Business:
Collaborate with Planning, Procurement, Quality, Logistics, Engineering, Technical Support, Customer Service, Product Data Management, and Commercial teams to align manufacturing priorities with customer and business needs.

Plan Resources and Capacity:
Evaluate staffing, equipment, materials, and process constraints to support current production needs and future capacity.

Maintain Manufacturing Systems:
Ensure accurate use of manufacturing systems, batch records, work instructions, production schedules, inventory transactions, and other required documentation.

Qualifications

What You’ll Bring :

Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Operations Management, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Engineering, or a related technical field; equivalent experience may be considered.

Experience leading manufacturing, production, laboratory operations, or technical operations, ideally within a chemical or regulated manufacturing environment.

Working knowledge of organic and inorganic chemistry, chemical formulation, solution preparation, raw material control, and safe chemical handling.

Demonstrated experience leading and developing teams and working effectively with cross-functional partners.

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to use data to identify trends, solve problems, and make operational decisions.

Ability to balance safety, quality, delivery, cost, and customer needs in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Strong communication, organization, and decision-making…