Operations Manager - Lubricant Plant

About the role

Castrol is looking for an Operations Manager for its Gemlik plant, which prepares for higher production volumes and two-shift working. You will lead about 60-65 people, with at least eight direct reports, reporting to the Plant Manager and joining the Plant Leadership Team. The role combines day-to-day operational leadership with a voice in the site's wider direction.

Key responsibilities

• Grow production without compromising safety or quality, covering raw materials arriving by vessel at the jetty, blending, filling and on-site warehousing.
• Turn demand into a workable plan by aligning capacity, staffing and resources so products meet quality standards and orders are delivered safely, on time and in full.
• Lead daily performance discussions at operator, supervisor and management level, resolve issues and escalate what needs wider support, using safety, quality, output, OEE, capacity utilisation and first-time-pass data.
• Coach supervisors, engineers and operators, set expectations, assess competencies and close capability gaps; work with HR and HSSE on training, role matching and succession plans.
• Partner with Engineering, Quality and Continuous Improvement to improve blending and filling performance, reduce risks and embed lean ways of working; keep raw material and WIP inventories and ERP records accurate.
• Apply Turkish legal requirements, the Code of Conduct, the Operating Management System (OMS) and HITRA procedures, keep documents and risk assessments current, and take on work-permit and area-authority duties.
• Oversee vessel offloading, train teams, run emergency exercises, investigate incidents and take emergency-response leadership, including acting as local On-Scene Commander.
• Assess suppliers and contractors, oversee safe contracted work and take Contract Accountable Manager and operational risk-register responsibilities where assigned.
• Work with the leadership team on long-term capability, maintain continuity during disruption and represent the plant externally.

Required profile

• Degree in Chemical or Mechanical Engineering and at least eight years of manufacturing operations experience, including operational leadership in a plant.
• Track record of managing safety, quality and operational performance, with process safety, risk management, compliance and contractor management experience.
• Experience leading supervisors, engineers and frontline production teams, including coaching, performance management and industrial relations; understanding of labour regulations.
• Hands-on lean manufacturing experience and detailed knowledge of production and filling processes.
• Fluent written and spoken English; automotive, FMCG, lubricants or chemical manufacturing experience is a plus.

Required skills

• SAP or another ERP system and Microsoft Office
• Budgets, capital expenditure and operational financial measures
• Planning, analytical skills and calm judgement under pressure