Director Analytical Services. Specialty Minerals Inc. – Easton, Pennsylvania (Chemical Industry)

2018 – Present

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Leads the corporate analytical organization to provide support and services to the research, development, manufacturing and technical functions. Responsible for all disciplines of chemistry from wet chemical analysis to instrumental techniques leading to the understanding of complex chemical and microstructures. Leads the Analytical Services Group in providing technical support to all business areas and customers; Overall responsibility for leading staff, including recruitment, selection, performance management and all other aspects of people leadership; Provides technical advice and guidance to Corporate and/or Business Unit Managers acting as a knowledge resource to functional managers.

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Core Business Functions:

• Provide measurements that lead to technical solutions to the customer's problems.

• Direct responsibility for developing, tracking and maintaining the ASG budget.

• Maintains expense control and effective stewardship over laboratory resources.

• Instill and foster a climate that promotes creative and innovative approaches to analytical projects and problem-solving activities.

• Development of new methodologies to gain a higher level of understanding of the MTI's products and their performance.

• Evaluation and implementation of technologies for qualification of raw materials, products and in process technologies.

• Review and manage internal and external resources to provide cost-effective services at accuracy needed.

• Supports business unit strategy development.

• Develops relationships with professional colleagues outside of the company in pertinent technical and business fields.

• Promotes business area through involvement with technical associations and presentations.

• Serves as the Chemical Hygiene Officer.

• Operation Excellence and Lean Manufacturing.

• Actively participates in the implementation of sustainable improvement processes, such as 5S, Kaizen, Daily Management Control, Standard Work and Problem Solving.

• Manage a service group as a business with a P&L.

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Quality Manager. Pennakem LLC – Memphis, Tennessee (Chemical Industry).

​2016 - 2018

 

Oversees and implements Quality Control/Quality Assurance programs and activities at Pennakem, TN plant. Works with production, sales, and R&D to resolve product quality problems and application of technical standards with customers.  Manages continuous improvement processes including daily control and statistical analyses.  Develops and implements procedures for testing of raw materials, processes and products.  Manages and improves local Quality systems including integration and maintenance/auditing of quality systems required by the business.

 

Core Business Functions:

• Ensure that the organization’s Quality Management System conforms to the customer and ISO 9001 requirements.

• Ensure evaluation of, and reporting on, vendor quality systems.

• Oversee testing of the critical raw materials, ensuring that they meet requirements.

• Manage the monitoring, measurement, and review of internal processes.

• Lead a team of auditors, analysts, and technicians

• Work with customers, employees, contractors, and outsourcing firms to ensure customers’ requirements are met.

• Report to top management on the performance of the QMS (e.g., results of quality audits, corrective actions), including the need for improvement.

• Conduct periodic management review meetings.

• Oversee product non-conformance.

• Understand customer needs and requirements to develop effective quality control processes

• Devise and review specifications for products or processes

• Set requirements for raw material or intermediate products for suppliers and monitor their compliance

• Oversee QC laboratory and provide guidance and feedback

• Oversee all product development procedures to identify deviations from quality standards

• Oversee the inspection of the final product and compare properties to requirements

• Approve the right products or reject defectives

• Keep accurate documentation and perform statistical analysis

• Oversee feedback from customers to assess whether their requirements are met

• Be on the lookout for opportunities for improvement and develop new efficient procedures

• Oversees calibrations and maintenance of quality equipment

• Works with sales and technical service personnel to identify customer expectations and ensure that these take priority in daily plant activities.

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Laboratory Manager. Saybolt LP – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Oil & Gas).

​2015 - 2016

 

Recruited to establish the lab, coordinate and supervise set up, and operation of all laboratory equipment, and train laboratory staff in the correct testing, in accordance with applicable standards, company policies, and sound laboratory practice.  Purchase and maintain laboratory equipment necessary to service customer requirements at the location. Supervise laboratory employees and ensure their compliance with acceptable work habits, safety requirements, company policies, compliance to standards and policies, the accuracy of test results, attitude, attendance, timekeeping, and all other aspects of their job performance.  Perform “employee performance appraisal” for the laboratory staff as required.  Ensure the company Safety Program is implemented and fully functioning.   Monitor personal and staff safety training.  Determine that laboratory employees pass appropriate, Right-to-Know training, hazardous materials disposal, and other safety, performance and compliance training required by the materials tested and handled, and applicable regulations. Monitor the operation and profitability of the laboratory.

 

Core Business Functions:

• Manages all laboratory operations, personnel and safety programs in the designated location.

• Ensures sample testing protocols conform to the client specification and accepted industry standards.

• Provides accurate and timely laboratory analysis to support client optimization decisions.

• Lead interpretation of the non-routine analysis.

• Utilizes control chart, statistical tests and data analysis to monitor and reduce variability in laboratory analysis.

• Performs investigations of non-conformances and tracks corrective actions to closure.

• Administer all aspect of laboratory operations to ensure maximum efficiency and customer satisfaction.

• Ensure the company QA/QC Program is implemented and fully functioning. Exercise, and require lab employees to exercise, procedural, quality requirements specified in Laboratory Manuals, and other company policies.

• Maintains all required laboratory documentation and quality control documents accordance with records management policy and regulatory requirements and have documents available for audit at all times.

• Ensures Laboratory Management System accurately and efficiently captures.

• Manages and optimizes laboratory assets and resources.

• Supervise and monitor the maintenance, repair, and calibration of laboratory instruments and verify that all chemists and technicians are trained and qualified to calibrate designated instruments and maintain proper calibration records.

• Responsible for Capex budgets and expenditure control.

• Assist in or perform basic analytical tests from well-defined standards and procedures as required by operational considerations.

 

Laboratory Supervisor. Crestwood Midstream Partners LP – Tupman, California (Oil & Gas).

​2007 - 2015

 

Recruited to establish the lab, determine appropriate instruments for particular lab type and maintain adherence to all established plant extension, safety procedures, and analytical methodology. Manage full spectrum of NGL laboratory operation for the production process and ensure smooth flow of business on a daily basis. Carry out managerial responsibilities in accordance with the organization’s policies and applicable laws, including Health and Safety, Quality Standards, Environmental Policy and the Ethics Policy. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring and training employees; employee development; Planning, assigning and directing work, appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems. Auditing and developing testing systems, this professional ensures that the facility is as technologically as advanced as financially possible. Additionally, the creation and management of a departmental budget are also under the charge of myself.

 

Core Business Functions:

• Provide comprehensive training to laboratory technicians to ensure optimum use of personnel resources.

• Provides technical direction and leadership to optimize performance in the operational areas and laboratory operations.

• Manage and resolve problems related to employees and evaluate their performance.

• Conducts all laboratory investigations of discrepancies to resolve problems, and to inform management of required corrective actions.

• Execute in internal quality audits. Development quality assurance and quality control plans.

• Improves effectiveness and productivity through evaluation, development, and implementation of laboratory practices and analytical techniques.

• Preventive maintenance, troubleshooting, calibration of laboratory instrumentation and ensure the relevant documentation is maintained.

• Manages testing and quality of the cooling tower system.

• Develops new measurements and/or improve existing measurements

• Operates in-line gas Chromatography and Sulfur analyzer

• Provides technical advice and decisions for the operational issues.

• Provides knowledge to the marketing director to ensure proper raw feed and commodities are technically sound in accordance with the industry standards.

• Consults with internal and external parties “GPA” on product quality issues.

• Collaborates with laboratory and marketing personnel and production staff.

• Liaising with the laboratory, other departments, external clients and third-party laboratory.

• Develops and manages departmental budget. Exercises financial stewardship to control expenditures. Prioritizes, and optimizes resource allocation to achieve laboratory’s operational plan.

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R&D Chemist. Nusil Silicone Technology – Bakersfield, California (Polymer Industry).

​2005 - 2007

 

Recruited to develop and lead silicone polymer research and development activities supporting the development of proprietary solutions resulting in new products as well as existing products and processes by conducting research, formulation, analysis, synthesis, and experimentation; conducts long-term silicone research and development projects; investigates process and product improvement for silicones; sets up and conducts planned series of experiments and analyses; assists in the scale-up of material from R&D to production; performs analytical and functional testing; and other duties as assigned. Defines rules, create innovations, supports manufacturing translations, and provides subject matter expertise. Collaborates with internal stakeholders.

Core Business Functions:

• Lead the development of the new product to enable new customer applications.

• Plans and executes research projects within predefined deadlines.

• Applies theories, principles, and practices to the research and development of new and improved products, processes and procedures.

• Lead and conduct characterization of process anomalies, interpretation of analytical results and generation of technical reports.

• Scaled up and implemented reliability and reproducibility of the process.

• Performed experiments using analytical instrumentation including Gel Permeation Chromatography, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy.

• Studies correlate, and interprets data obtained from gathered data and analyses, and draws innovative conclusions.

• Requests and leverages resources as required; prioritizes work streams and deadlines for specific research projects

• Ensures consistent performance of products; quality of work and represents results.

• Identifies milestones sets timelines and ensures coordination with other process owners

• Continuously assesses and addresses safety risks.

• Improves and modifies existing products, and procedures with tangible business impact.

• Interact with colleagues to generate new ideas, share learnings and utilize capabilities when required.

• Provide training to new R&D team member on the developed product.

• Direct the technician staff.