Production Supervisor

About the Company

ACP Technologies is an agile, innovative, and growth-oriented company looking to add an Production Supervisor to support the development, scale-up, and commercialization of our proprietary mesophase pitch process and related carbon material technologies. This is a unique opportunity to lead pilot plant operations in support of groundbreaking technology for novel commercial, defense, and advanced materials applications. Position reports directly to Director of Process Development. ACPT is known for its innovative work with carbon materials, including mesophase pitch, isotropic pitch, graphite, carbon fiber, and carbon-carbon composites. These products are used in next generation lithium-ion batteries, rockets, military vehicles, and equipment. These programs are supported by contracts from the DOD and DLA. ACPT recently built a pilot plant in collaboration with ExxonMobil which is where this position will be located.

About the Role

We are seeking a high-caliber Production Supervisor for our Ashland, KY facility. This role is responsible for leading front-line operations, managing shift personnel, ensuring strict safety and environmental compliance, and maintaining tight process control over our high-temperature continuous production lines. The ideal candidate brings strong leadership fundamentals paired with a solid understanding of chemical unit operations, thermal processing, or refining environments.

Responsibilities

Operations & Process Control

• Monitor Unit Operations: Oversee the continuous conversion process, monitoring critical parameters such as reactor temperatures, pressure profiles, feed rates, and distillation/stripping conditions via DCS/PLC interfaces.
• Troubleshooting: Diagnose process upsets, mechanical failures, or raw material variances rapidly to minimize downtime while maintaining strict safety boundaries.
• Shift Handover & Documentation: Lead rigorous shift-turnover meetings to ensure seamless transitions. Maintain precise logs of production volumes, chemical inventory, maintenance needs, and process anomalies.

Safety, Health, & Environmental (SHE) Compliance

• Culture of Safety: Enforce an uncompromising safety culture, ensuring total adherence to OSHA standards, lock-out/tag-out (LOTO), confined space entry, and personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements for handling hot liquids and hazardous vapors.
• Incident Response: Act as the on-site emergency coordinator during off-hours, executing emergency shutdown procedures, hazard containment, and incident reporting if necessary.
• Regulatory Awareness: Monitor emissions and waste handling systems to ensure continuous compliance with state and federal environmental permits.

Team Leadership & Development

• Supervision & Training: Direct and mentor a shift team of chemical operators and technicians. Conduct performance evaluations and deliver constructive feedback.
• Skill Advancement: Cross-train operators on complex unit steps (e.g., continuous reactor operations, thermal control, material handling of molten/solidified pitch) to build a resilient, flexible workforce.
• Conflict Resolution: Foster a collaborative, accountable work environment and address personnel issues constructively in accordance with company policies.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED required; an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in a technical or engineering discipline (Chemical, Mechanical, or Industrial) is highly preferred.
• Minimum 5+ years of supervisory or lead operator experience within a chemical processing plant, oil refinery, carbon material manufacturing, or high-temperature industrial environment.

Required Skills

• Strong operational familiarity with continuous thermal processes, high-pressure/high-temperature systems, pumps, heat exchangers, and distillation equipment.
• Proven experience utilizing distributed control systems (DCS) or PLC-driven automation platforms.
• Solid understanding of Process Safety Management (PSM) frameworks or similar rigorous hazard-mitigation systems.
• Exceptional situational leadership and decisiveness under pressure.
• Clear verbal and written communication skills to bridge front-line observations with engineering and management priorities.
• Proficiency with standard digital tools (Microsoft Office, ERP platforms, computerized maintenance management systems).

Preferred Skills

• Experience in a high-temperature industrial environment.
• Knowledge of chemical unit operations.

Pay range and compensation package

Base Salary Range: $140,000 – $165,000 annualized (Exempt), dependent on technical expertise and leadership experience.

WHAT WE OFFER:

ACPT offers a casual, friendly work environment, medical, dental, and vision insurance, HSA, 401(k) with a 6% match, and more!

• Benefits offered:
• Paid time off
• 401(k) with 6% match
• Sick time
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Life insurance
• Short and long term disability insurance

Equal Opportunity Statement

ACP Technologies is committed to diversity and inclusivity in the workplace.