Operations Manager

Position Summary

Sterling Multi-Chem is seeking an Operations Manager to lead our downstream business in Corpus Christi and the surrounding Coastal Bend region. This leader will oversee field personnel, customer service execution, and business performance for specialty chemical treatment programs serving refining, petrochemical, and related industrial customers.

The Operations Manager is accountable for safe operations, employee development, customer retention, technical service quality, and profitable growth. The successful candidate will combine strong people leadership with technical credibility and commercial judgment to strengthen customer relationships and deliver measurable improvements in reliability, performance, and total operating cost.

Key Responsibilities

Safety and Operational Leadership

• Champion Sterling Multi-Chem’s commitment to “Safety First, Always” and reinforce safe work practices through field engagement, coaching, and accountability.
• Ensure employees follow company and customer requirements for chemical handling, personal protective equipment, site access, and incident reporting.
• Direct daily service activities across assigned accounts, ensuring adequate staffing, dependable coverage, and timely completion of customer commitments.
• Coordinate support for turnarounds, outages, treatment program transitions, and urgent customer needs.
• Work with supply chain and technical teams to maintain product availability, appropriate inventory, and reliable chemical feed and monitoring equipment.
• Lead corrective actions following service failures, customer concerns, or operational incidents.

People Leadership and Development

• Lead, coach, and develop account managers, site leaders, technical representatives, and service personnel within the assigned organization.
• Set clear expectations for safety, service quality, customer communication, and individual performance.
• Conduct regular field visits, coaching discussions, and performance reviews.
• Partner with Human Resources to recruit, onboard, and retain qualified employees.
• Establish training, succession, and backup coverage plans that strengthen technical capability and service continuity.
• Build a team culture grounded in accountability, teamwork, and open communication.

Technical Service and Value Delivery

• Oversee delivery of water and process chemical treatment programs within the assigned customer portfolio.
• Ensure treatment programs are monitored against agreed operating targets and that emerging risks receive timely attention.
• Raise the quality-of-service reporting by requiring interpretation of trends, explanations of deviations, actionable recommendations, and documented follow-through.
• Engage technical specialists to resolve complex problems and support program optimization.
• Lead identification and documentation of customer value, including improved reliability, reduced corrosion or fouling, lower water and energy consumption, and reduced total operating cost.
• Ensure significant technical concerns are escalated promptly and communicated clearly to customers and company leadership.

Customer Relationships and Retention

• Build trusted relationships with customer operations, engineering, technical, procurement, and plant leadership teams.
• Maintain account plans that identify customer priorities, decision makers, retention risks, and opportunities for broader support.
• Lead regular business reviews that demonstrate treatment performance, service execution, and quantified customer benefits.
• Take ownership of customer concerns and coordinate timely resolution.
• Support renewals and competitive bids with credible staffing plans, technical commitments, and clear value propositions.

Business Performance and Growth

• Manage assigned revenue, gross margin, operating expenses, and staffing productivity against approved business objectives.
• Review account profitability and recommend improvements in pricing, product application, service deployment, and cost control.
• Partner with Business Development and corporate account teams to identify and pursue new customers and expanded scope within existing accounts.
• Support proposals, site assessments, and new business transitions.
• Provide accurate forecasts and timely updates on account health, staffing needs, growth opportunities, and business risks.
• Coordinate contract and scope questions with designated commercial and legal resources.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, chemistry, business, or a related discipline; an equivalent combination of relevant education and industry experience will be considered.
• At least eight years of relevant experience in industrial water treatment, process chemicals, or downstream technical service.
• At least three years of experience leading employees or managing a team responsible for multiple customer accounts.
• Demonstrated experience supporting refinery, petrochemical, or comparable industrial customers.
• Working knowledge of cooling water, boiler and steam systems, wastewater treatment, and/or refinery process chemical applications, with the ability to coordinate specialists across disciplines.
• Proven ability to manage customer relationships, resolve service issues, and retain business.
• Experience managing budgets, account profitability, or other financial performance measures.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical findings and business results to customer leadership.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to meet applicable customer site access requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ten or more years of downstream chemical treatment experience.
• Prior responsibility for a geographic area, district, or portfolio of industrial accounts.
• Experience developing field teams and managing staffing across multiple sites.
• Demonstrated success documenting customer value and supporting competitive bids.
• Familiarity with the Corpus Christi and Coastal Bend industrial market.
• Experience implementing water conservation, reuse, or treatment optimization initiatives

Work Environment and Travel

This position is based in the Corpus Christi area and requires regular presence at customer facilities and frequent travel throughout the assigned territory. Occasional overnight travel and after-hours support may be required.

The role includes work in refinery and industrial environments, use of required personal protective equipment, and access to operating equipment and treatment systems. Essential duties must be performed with or without reasonable accommodation.

Measures of Success

• Safe work practices and timely closure of corrective actions.
• Customer retention and stronger relationships with plant leadership.
• Consistent service coverage and completion of customer commitments.
• Improved technical reporting and documented customer value.
• Employee development, engagement, and retention.
• Achievement of revenue, margin, and operating expense objectives.
• Profitable account expansion and successful new business transitions.