JOB SUMMARY
A Desugarization Superintendent is responsible for the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of the molasses desugarization and chemical softening operations, ensuring maximum recovery of sugar from molasses while producing high-quality co-products. This role provides technical and operational leadership for the desugarization process, manages production personnel, drives continuous improvement initiatives, and works closely with factory operations, maintenance, engineering, laboratory, and environmental teams to optimize performance. The Superintendent is accountable for achieving safety, quality, environmental, production and financial objectives while fostering a culture of operational excellence and employee development.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Provide strong people leadership by coaching, developing, and holding employees accountable while fostering a culture of safety, respect, engagement, teamwork, & continuous improvement.
- Lead the daily operation of Molasses Desugarization (MDS) and Chemical Softening to safely maximize sugar recovery and co-product production.
- Ensure all operations are conducted in compliance with company safety policies, OSHA regulations, environmental permits, and food/feed quality standards.
- Direct and develop supervisors, operators, technicians and process engineers while promoting employee engagement, accountability, and continuous development.
- Establish daily production priorities and coordinate operating plans to meet throughput, recovery, quality, and cost objectives.
- Monitor and optimize key process performance indicators including sugar recovery, betaine recovery, throughput, extraction efficiency, chemical consumption, energy usage, and reliability.
- Analyze data and trends to identify improvement opportunities and implement corrective actions.
- Work closely with the laboratory to ensure analytical data is accurate, timely, and utilized to optimize plant performance.
- Champion maintenance excellence by partnering with Maintenance to develop and execute effective planning, scheduling, preventive and predictive maintenance strategies that maximize equipment reliability, reduce downtime, and improve overall asset performance.
- Partner with Engineering to develop capital improvement projects focused on process optimization, yield improvement, cost reduction, energy efficiency, and operational reliability.
- Lead troubleshooting efforts during process upsets, equipment failures, and operational abnormalities to minimize downtime.
- Develop and maintain standard operating procedures, operating parameters, and operator training materials.
- Ensure operators receive appropriate technical training and maintain competency through coaching, mentoring, and performance feedback.
- Manage operating and R&M budgets, controlling labor, chemicals, utilities, maintenance expenses, and other production costs.
- Lead Root Cause Analysis (RCA) investigations for safety incidents, equipment failures, production losses, and quality deviations.
- Prepare operational reports summarizing performance, losses, and improvement opportunities.
- Coordinate production and maintenance schedules with factory operations to optimize molasses processing and overall campaign performance.
- Collaborate with Environmental, Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, and Supply Chain teams to achieve business objectives.
- Promote a culture of operational discipline, continuous improvement, accountability, and teamwork while providing model behavior.
- Participate in annual budgeting, strategic planning, and long-term capital planning for the desugarization facility.
- Lead recruitment, onboarding, training, and development of process operators and maintenance personnel supporting MDS and chemical softening.
- Ensure adequate staffing to maintain continuous MDS operations by proactively managing schedules, addressing absenteeism, and personally providing shift coverage when necessary.
- Maintain 24/7/365 operational accountability for the MDS facility by providing on-call leadership and responding to operational issues and emergencies as necessary.
POSITION QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree in chemical or mechanical engineering, or related technical field preferred. Equivalent manufacturing leadership experience will be considered.
- Supervisory experience leading operations and production teams with progressive industrial plant related experience required.
- Proficient skills in company data management systems and Microsoft Office.
- Experience managing continuous 24/7 manufacturing operations and shift-based workforces.
- Experience with desugarization, crystallization, evaporation, membrane systems, chromatography, or similar separation technologies is preferred.
KEY COMPETENCIES
- Proven ability to lead, coach, and develop high-performing teams in a unionized environment.
- Strong interpersonal, communication, and conflict resolution skills.
- Demonstrated commitment to employee safety, engagement, accountability, and excellence.
- Experience conducting performance evaluations, employee development, hiring, and succession planning.
- Strong decision-making and problem-solving abilities under demanding operating conditions.
- Provides model behavior to demonstrate corporate value
- Leading by demonstrating ethics and integrity, displaying drive and purpose, demonstrated capability to learn, good managerial skills, self-motivated, engaged in operation at all times, and increasing self-awareness
NOTE: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by staff assigned to this position. The above statements are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills that may be required. All staff may be required to perform duties outside their normal responsibilities as needed.
Michigan Sugar Company offers competitive market wages for both hourly and salaried employees, opportunity for professional growth and development, and comprehensive benefit packages that may include medical, dental, 401(k) and paid time off. To learn more visit www.michigansugar.com.
Michigan Sugar Company was founded in 1906 when six smaller sugar companies merged their operations. In 2002, Michigan Sugar Company became a grower-owned cooperative and in 2004, it merged with Monitor Sugar Company to form the company that exists today.
Michigan Sugar Company is headquartered in Bay City and has sugar beet processing facilities in Bay City, Caro, Croswell and Sebewaing. Its nearly 900 grower-owners plant and harvest up to 140,000 acres of sugar beets each year in 17 Michigan counties, as well as Ontario, Canada. Those beets are sliced at the factories and turned into about 1.3 billion pounds of sugar annually.
That sugar is sold to industrial, commercial, and retail customers under the Pioneer and Big Chief brands.
Michigan Sugar Company has approximately 1,000 year-round employees and an additional 1,100 seasonal workers. It is the No. 1 employer in Huron County, the No. 2 employer in Bay and Sanilac counties and the No. 3 employer in Tuscola County. The company’s annual payroll is more than $90 million and its annual local economic impact is about $700 million.
Michigan Sugar Company is the third largest of eight sugar beet processing companies in the United States and Michigan is one of 11 states where sugar beets are grown in the country.
Michigan Sugar Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer
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