Director of Engineering (Chemical) at Halocarbon – North Augusta, South Carolina

The Director of Engineering provides strategic and operational leadership for the plant’s product, process, and project engineering teams to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient operations. This role develops and leads a high performing, cohesive engineering organization aligned with production objectives, asset investment strategies, and improvement of operational discipline.

The Director drives plant performance through the deployment of technical and continuous improvement programs in direct support of production. In this role, the Director leads and enables engineering process owners who work closely with production teams to troubleshoot issues, improve process stability, and advance the next generation of process improvement initiatives with a continuous improvement mindset.

The Director of Engineering establishes and implements best practice engineering standards and project execution procedures, providing leadership across the full project lifecycle and fostering cross functional collaboration. The successful candidate will display strong mentoring and personnel development skills to support the growth of the engineering team members.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Engineering Leadership & Organizational Effectiveness

• Align with Halocarbon strategic goals to lead creation of improvement roadmaps for targeted processes.
• Provide leadership and integration of production, process, and project engineering teams to build a high performing organization that exemplifies Halocarbon’s 4 C’s: Collaborative, Curiosity, Competitive Spirit, and Caring.
• Lead, mentor, and manage all direct reports, including annual goal deployment and performance reviews, fostering caring and collaboration.
• Balance engineering workloads and priorities to support both short-term operational needs and long-term strategic goals, demonstrating a competitive spirit.
• Build engineering capability through training, development, and succession planning, while establishing and monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) to drive team performance and operational excellence.
• Coordinate engineering activities with departmental leaders to ensure manufacturing objectives are achieved in a timely and cost-effective manner.
• Align engineering initiatives with departmental leadership to achieve manufacturing goals efficiently.

Plant Efficiency & Continuous Improvement

• Drive a culture of Operational Excellence through process discipline and the implementation of Lean, Six Sigma, and OEE initiatives.
• Partner with Production to optimize capacity, output, and production planning, ensuring alignment with business demand.
• Lead timely troubleshooting of production issues in partnership with Production, Maintenance, and Engineering teams, fostering collaboration across functions.
• Drive operational excellence by identifying process improvement opportunities to enhance efficiency and product quality, while leading the engineering team through implementation and fostering continuous learning.

Capital Projects & Technical Leadership

• Oversee the health and execution of the Halocarbon capital project portfolio.
• Govern all phases of the capital project development process, including scope definition, gate reviews, schedules (Gantt charts), budgets, and execution.
• Collaborate with plant leadership to define long-term engineering strategy aligned with business goals.
• Manage assigned projects, ensuring delivery against timeline, budget, and milestones.
• Establish and maintain engineering standards, procedures, and best practices for project execution and plant support.
• Integrate knowledge from multiple engineering disciplines to deliver solutions for complex projects and operational problems.

Safety Leadership & Regulatory Compliance

• Lead by example in adhering to all plant safety requirements, promoting a positive safety culture based in caring for people and the environment.
• Maintain full compliance with cGMP, OSHA, EPA, FDA, and PSM, ensuring products are produced, handled, and stored to meet both regulatory and customer requirements.
• Provide leadership in EHS systems and the Process Safety Management (PSM) program, including safety observations, housekeeping audits, and corrective actions, fostering a culture of safety and accountability.
• Establish and maintain operating conditions to meet quality, customer, and regulatory standards.
• Assess and mitigate technical and operational risks, ensuring compliance with environmental, regulatory, and internal audit requirements.

Technical Support & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Provide technical leadership and support to Process, Production, Maintenance, Reliability, and Quality functions.
• Identify and implement new technologies to enhance process efficiency.
• Collaborate effectively with Production, Maintenance, EHS, and leadership at all levels, promoting collaboration and knowledge-sharing.
• Ensure engineering solutions address both immediate needs and long-term improvements, leveraging curiosity to explore innovative approaches.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering (B.S. required; advanced degree preferred but not mandatory).
• 10+ years in relevant chemical engineering roles within industrial or manufacturing environments.
• Proven experience leading chemical engineering projects, with strong project management skills (PMP or similar certification is desirable).
• General knowledge of cGMP, OSHA, PSM (Process Safety Management), and PHA (Process Hazard Analysis) preferred.
• Experience managing both batch and continuous production processes, including production management.
• Experience with design and engineering of chemical processes.
• Understanding and application of various process improvement methodologies such as Statistical Process Control (SPC), Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), Six Sigma, and Lean principles with the experience to apply the most effective tools situationally.
• Proven track record of leading, mentoring, and developing engineering teams to achieve operational and strategic objectives.

Technical, Analytical, and Leadership Competencies

• Strategic and innovative leader, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and operational excellence.
• Advanced proficiency in statistical and data analysis, leveraging tools such as Excel, Minitab, or equivalent to drive data-informed decisions.
• Skilled at translating complex operational and experimental data into actionable strategies and business recommendations.
• Highly proficient in digital and engineering systems, including Microsoft Office Suite and other processes or data management software.
• Systems-oriented and process-driven, with a proven ability to optimize workflows and enhance operational efficiency.
• Strong interpersonal and executive presence, capable of collaborating effectively across all organizational levels and functions.

Safety & Essential Functions:

• Ensure EHS requirements are an integral part of all engineering activities from troubleshooting to process design.
• Lead by example and ensure adherence to all plant and laboratory safety regulations, fostering a strong safety culture.
• Maintain knowledge of hazardous chemical properties and properly use all required PPE and safety equipment.
• Safely navigate and work in confined, elevated, or restricted areas in accordance with equipment and safety protocols.
• Communicate clearly, maintain proper safety documentation, and participate in emergency procedures and drills.

*Halocarbon is an equal opportunity employer.