The Plant Supervisor directs and monitors daily plant operations across multiple processing trains to maximize uptime, throughput, and efficiency while maintaining safe operating limits and meeting gas/NGL product specifications. This position supervises operators and relief personnel, leads response to abnormal situations, ensures regulatory and PSM compliance, and coordinates with Maintenance, Engineering, and Gas Control/Scheduling to support 24/7 operations at a remote cryogenic natural gas processing facility.
Duties/Responsibilities:- Directs and monitors Processing facility daily operations to maximize uptime, throughput, and efficiency while maintaining safe operating limits and meeting gas/NGL product specifications.
- Leads response to abnormal situations (alarms, trips, ESD events, product quality excursions), including field verification, stabilization steps, escalation, and post-event review/learning.
- Plans, schedules, and supervises operator work activities (routine rounds, sampling/spot checks, startup/shutdown lineups, switching sequences where applicable) and ensures proper shift turnover quality.
- Coordinates with Gas Control/Scheduling and downstream/upstream stakeholders on receipts, nominations, deliveries, and constraints; ensures timely communication of plant capacity changes and outages.
- Oversees truck loading/LACT activities and NGL/condensate handling to ensure safe transfers, accurate paperwork/records, and compliance with site procedures.
- Interfaces with Maintenance/Engineering for troubleshooting, prioritization, and execution of repairs and PMs; ensures equipment is properly isolated, tagged, and released, and verifies return-to-service readiness.
- Owns or supports PSM at the site level; participates in MOCs and PHAs as assigned, validates procedure accuracy, ensures operator training/competency, and supports mechanical integrity and safety-critical equipment testing cadence.
- Develops and updates Processing facility operating procedures and ensures alignment with control narratives and cause-and-effect logic; drives standardization of checklists and shift logs.
- Ensures environmental and regulatory compliance: monitors and reports deviations, supports inspections/audits, verifies spill prevention practices, and ensures required notifications and documentation are completed.
- Manages operating expenses and cost control; supports capital and expense budget preparation and execution, including materials purchasing and contractor coordination.
- Trains, mentors, and develops Processing facility operators and relief personnel; verifies qualification progress and reinforces expectations for safe, consistent operations.
- Prepares and reviews regularly scheduled operations reports (daily operating report, downtime summaries, maintenance coordination notes) and communicates plant status to leadership.
- Participates in safety meetings and serves as an active leader in safety programs; reinforces STOP work authority and drives hazard identification and mitigation.
- Executes and enforces safe work practices including lockout/tagout, line break, confined space, hot work, and management of simultaneous operations; ensures permit quality and field verification.
- Maintains operating logs, daily/shift production reporting, and timely communication/notification of environmental deviations, process upsets, or equipment impairments.
- Provides vacation and other relief for fellow supervisors and shares on-call responsibilities per rotation.
- Performs other related duties as assigned.
Required Skills/Abilities: - Demonstrated working knowledge of natural gas plant process flow and operating limits across multiple processing trains (Trains 1-3), including inlet/front-end separation, stabilization/fractionation, compression, amine treating, NGL handling/storage, and truck loading/LACT operations.
- Ability to operate and supervise plant processes via DCS (Wonderware preferred), including alarm management, trend review, setpoint/loop monitoring, and coordination of field actions to maintain product specifications and safe operating envelopes.
- Strong understanding of critical Processing facility equipment groups and typical failure modes, including slug catcher and inlet separation, stabilizer tower/reboiler/condensers/reflux system, overhead compression, centrifugal pumps, air coolers, pressure relief devices, and ESD/shutdown valves.
- Working knowledge of amine system operations and controls (contactor, flash tank, still/reboiler, reflux and circulation pumps), including recognizing early indicators of foaming, flooding, off-spec treating, and abnormal level/temperature/pressure behavior.
- Ability to identify operating deviations and take prompt corrective action: respond to alarms, verify field conditions, stabilize unit operation, and escalate per site procedures when deviations could lead to shutdown, off-spec product, or environmental non-compliance.
- Proficiency in Processing facility documentation use: P&IDs, control narratives, cause-and-effect / shutdown matrices, and supervisory operating manuals; ensures operations are performed in accordance with approved procedures.
- Compliance with PSM requirements at the Processing facility, including MOC participation, incident learning, operating procedure governance, training/competency, and mechanical integrity support.
- Strong teamwork, leadership, and communication skills; able to coordinate between DCS/console operations, field operations, maintenance, and management.
- Computer proficiency in reporting and documentation (daily operating report, downtime tracking, MOC/PSM documentation, maintenance coordination).
- Ability to make sound decisions during upset and emergency conditions.
- Available to work a 14 days on / 14 days off schedule, including shifts, holidays, and weekends, with on-call coverage and unscheduled workdays as needed to support 24/7 Processing facility operations and upset response.
- Maintains strong people skills and professional communication with internal and external stakeholders.
Education and Experience:- High school diploma or GED required; additional technical training (process operations, instrumentation, electrical, or mechanics) strongly preferred.
- Bachelor's degree in engineering or similar field preferred.
- 7+ years of gas plant operations experience preferred, with at least 2+ years in a lead/supervisory role.
- Multi-train cryogenic plant experience is a plus.
- Experience supervising operations in a cryogenic natural gas processing facility with stabilization/fractionation, compression, and NGL handling preferred.
- Hands-on experience with Wonderware (or comparable) DCS control strategies, alarm rationalization practices, and leading responses to trips/ESD events preferred.
- Familiarity with Processing facility operating documentation such as supervisory operating manuals, control narratives, P&IDs, and cause-and-effect logic preferred.
- Working knowledge of pressure vessels, relief devices, and safety-critical shutdown devices (PSVs, SDVs/ESD valves) and how they integrate into the plant protection layers preferred.
- Ability to work with minimal supervision in a remote facility environment and coordinate effectively with Scheduling/Gas Control, Maintenance, I&E, and Engineering.
Certifications:Physical Demands and Hazard for Field Employees:This position may require occasional travel to remote sites, potential exposure to flammable material, adherence to safety protocols, compliance with operating regulations, and will require rigorous physical demands.
