Plant Superintendent - Richmond, TX

Job Description

Plant Superintendent - Richmond, TX

Position Summary:
The Plant Superintendent is responsible for leading the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of the cottonseed crush and solvent extraction facility. This role provides operational leadership across production, process safety management (PSM), engineering coordination, reliability, quality, and continuous improvement initiatives.
The Plant Superintendent drives operational excellence by ensuring compliance with environmental, health, safety, food safety, and regulatory standards while optimizing plant performance, product yields, asset reliability, and team capability development.
This position serves as a key operational leader for Total Process Safety (TPS/PSM) initiatives and partners closely with Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, EH&S, and Performance Excellence teams to support sustainable plant operations and strategic business objectives.

Job Responsibilities:
Operations Leadership & Production Execution

• Lead daily operations of the plant, including preparation, pressing, extraction, meal handling, and oil extraction processes to safely achieve production targets, yield performance, and operational KPIs.
• 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 operational escalation processes.

• Serve as a site leader for Total Process Safety (TPS) and Process Safety Management programs within the solvent extraction operation.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA PSM requirements, 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 systems 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 (RCA) 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.

Continuous Improvement & Performance Management

• 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 environmen