Title: Plant Manager / Site Operations Manager

Location: Belleville, TX

Compensation: $125,000–$150,000 base + bonus potential

Reports To: SVP Operations and Supply Chain

Direct Reports: Maintenance Manager, Production Supervisors, EHS/Quality Lead, Engineering/Process Lead

Position Overview:

Our client is hiring a Plant Manager to lead the planning, build-out, and launch of its new graphene manufacturing facility in Belleville, Texas. This individual will be hired before groundbreaking and will play a hands-on role in facility planning, utilities coordination, vendor selection, and operational design.

This is a growth-oriented role suited for a high-potential operations leader with 5–10 years of supervisory or manufacturing management experience who is ready to step into a broader leadership role in a fast-growing advanced materials company.

Key Responsibilities:

• Partner with architect, EPC firm, utilities, and local authorities to support facility build and infrastructure planning & layout (power, gas, water, waste).
• Lead vendor and supplier engagement, including oil & gas feedstock and critical equipment vendors.
• Implement operational workflows, SOPs, and site-level processes.
• Support equipment installation, commissioning, and production ramp-up.
• Lead process replication and scale-up for commercial manufacturing. Ensure consistent performance, quality, and reliability as production capacity grows.
• Build and lead the production and maintenance team; manage 4–5 direct reports.
• Establish safety, quality, and regulatory compliance systems.
• Drive continuous improvement and operational optimization with an entrepreneurial mindset.
• Pivot quickly with a “fail fast” mentality as plans change.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Chemical, Mechanical, Materials, Industrial, or related).
• 5–10 years of manufacturing or industrial supervisory/management experience.
• Experience in chemicals, specialty materials, energy, industrial manufacturing, or similar environments.
• Demonstrated leadership in operations, engineering, maintenance, or production.
• Ability to work in ambiguity and build processes from the ground up.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with greenfield facilities, capital projects, or scale-up operations.
• Exposure to oil & gas, specialty chemicals, or advanced materials manufacturing.
• Lean manufacturing / continuous improvement training.
• Experience in startups, high-growth, or emerging technology environments a plus.