Plant Superintendent - Richmond, TX

Plant Superintendent - Richmond, TX

Position Summary

The Plant Superintendent leads the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of the cottonseed crush and solvent extraction facility, overseeing production, process safety management, engineering coordination, reliability, quality, and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Lead daily plant operations, including preparation, pressing, extraction, meal handling, and oil extraction, to achieve production targets and key performance indicators.
• Coordinate manpower, equipment utilization, and raw material flow to execute the production plan efficiently and safely.
• Monitor plant performance, troubleshoot operational issues, and implement corrective actions to minimize downtime and process variability.
• Ensure compliance with operating procedures, process parameters, and operational standards across all production areas.
• Lead daily operational meetings, shift turnover reviews, and escalation processes.
• Serve as site leader for Total Process Safety (TPS) and Process Safety Management (PSM) programs.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA PSM, NFPA standards, fire protection systems, combustible dust prevention practices, and company process safety standards.
• Lead or support Management of Change (MOC), Process Hazard Analysis (PHA), Pre-Startup Safety Reviews (PSSR), incident investigations, and corrective action tracking.
• Drive process safety culture through employee engagement, audits, risk assessments, and continuous improvement activities.
• Partner with EH&S and Engineering teams to ensure safe operation of solvent extraction systems, utilities, and critical process equipment.
• Maintain emergency response readiness and ensure compliance with fire protection and emergency system inspection requirements.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Maintenance, and Corporate COE teams on capital projects, process optimization, equipment upgrades, and plant modernization efforts.
• Support root cause analysis activities and implement corrective actions to improve safety, equipment reliability, process efficiency, quality, and food safety performance.
• Coordinate planned shutdowns, annual overhauls, inspections, and maintenance activities to minimize operational disruptions.
• Review and prioritize maintenance and engineering work requests based on operational risk and business impact.
• Support implementation of predictive and preventive maintenance strategies.
• Ensure all areas and processes meet customer specifications, GMP requirements, HACCP standards, and food/feed safety regulations.
• Support implementation and sustainment of quality systems, sanitation standards, and product traceability requirements.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, reliability, productivity, cost reduction, energy optimization, and waste elimination.
• Utilize KPIs, trend analysis, and operational data to drive fact-based decision making and operational improvements.
• Promote standard work, layered process audits, Gemba walks, visual management, and operational discipline throughout the facility.
• Manage department operating costs, inventories, and production yields to support annual business objectives.
• Monitor material consumption, chemical usage, maintenance spending, and operating efficiency metrics.
• Support budgeting processes, capital planning, and fixed asset management activities.
• Lead, coach, and develop salaried and hourly operations personnel in a 24/7 manufacturing environment.
• Establish clear performance expectations, accountability systems, and employee development plans.
• Promote a culture of teamwork, ownership, engagement, and operational discipline aligned with company values.
• Support workforce training initiatives focused on safety, process operations, troubleshooting, and technical capability development.
• Foster strong cross‑functional collaboration between Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, EH&S, and Supply Chain teams.

High School / GED

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Process Engineering, Automation, or related technical discipline is preferred (an equivalent…