DescriptionDirector, Pilot Plant ManufacturingBuckman - Memphis, TNLocation: Memphis, TN
Language: English
Travel: up to 10%
Position Summary
The Director, Pilot Plant Manufacturing is a strategic and hands-on leader responsible for pilot plant operations, process scale-up, commercialization support, process safety, continuous improvement, and technical leadership. This role serves as the critical link between Research & Development and Manufacturing, ensuring innovative technologies are safely, efficiently, and successfully transitioned from laboratory development to commercial production.
The ideal candidate is a chemical engineering or manufacturing leader with deep expertise in pilot plant operations, process safety, scale-up, and operational excellence within the chemical, specialty chemical, or related manufacturing industries.
Key Outcomes/Responsibilities
Pilot Plant Operations & Leadership- Lead all pilot plant operations to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient execution of
development and production campaigns.
- Prioritize and schedule pilot-scale trials, experiments, and production activities.
- Manage equipment reliability, preventative maintenance, and capital improvement
projects.
- Develop and maintain operating procedures, P&IDs, and process documentation.
Process Safety, Compliance & Quality- Ensure compliance with OSHA, EPA, PSM, EHS, and applicable regulatory requirements.
- Lead Process Hazard Analyses (PHA), Management of Change (MOC), Pre-Startup Safety Reviews (PSSR), incident investigations, and Job Hazard Analyses (JHA).
New Product Scale-Up & Commercialization- Translate laboratory-developed chemistries into pilot-scale and manufacturing-ready processes.
- Lead scale-up planning, including mass and energy balances, equipment sizing, and process optimization.
- Support technology transfer to manufacturing sites and provide preliminary cost estimates for business case evaluations.
Continuous Improvement & Manufacturing Support- Lead Lean and Six Sigma initiatives to improve safety, quality, productivity, and cost performance.
- Facilitate cross-functional problem-solving and root cause analysis efforts.
- Utilize operational data to improve yield, reliability, and process performance.
Strategic Sourcing Support- Provide technical expertise in evaluating alternate and replacement raw materials.
- Conduct bench and pilot-scale testing to assess feasibility, quality, and operational impact.
SOP Governance & Document Management- Lead the Corporate Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) program and document management system.
- Ensure manufacturing sites comply with corporate document control standards and approval workflows.
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering required; Chemistry degree considered with significant manufacturing and process engineering experience.
- 10+ years of experience leading pilot plant, chemical manufacturing, or process development operations.
- 5+ years of people leadership experience within a manufacturing or technical environment.
- Proven experience in process scale-up, commercialization, and technology transfer.
- Experience with specialty chemicals, industrial chemicals, or related manufacturing industries.
- Strong understanding of process safety management, hazard analysis, and regulatory compliance.
- Fundamental understanding of regulatory space, particularly FIFRA, TSCA, and RCRA
- Lean Six Sigma / Design for Six Sigma background is a plus
- Financial acumen (MBA degree a plus)
We appreciate the interest of recruitment partners, but we are not engaging external agencies for this role.#LI-TF1
#LI-Onsite
