Automation & Digitalization Manager

Ecoservices is on the hunt for an Automation & Digitalization Leader. This role is vital to remain competitive and achieve long-term success. The primary product for Ecoservices is sulfuric acid, supporting several industries including Refining, Industrial, Mining, and Nylon Intermediates. The Business Unit headquarters is in The Woodlands, TX.

Position Overview:

The focus of this role is to increase productivity/efficiency, reduce Variable Manufacturing Cost (VMC), and develop and implement a multi-year roadmap for industrial automation, digital transformation, and AI integration. The role provides influential leadership to and sets standard for the Ecoservices business, supporting 9 sites.

What you will be doing:

The position is responsible for leading the strategy, execution, and governance of manufacturing automation, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence. The role is “hands on” seeking to maximize the work processes efficiency and asset performance. The position continuously improves safety, reliability, and costs through plant data analysis, modernizing operations, and eliminating waste (muda). Solutions are to be standardized, scalable, and value generating. The role requires a combination of strong analytical, technical, and leadership skills.

Specific job responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Lead the strategy, execution, and governance of automation, digital transformation, and AI initiatives to improve safety, reliability, productivity, and cost performance across all sites.
• Define and execute a multi‑year Automation, Digitalization, and AI roadmap aligned with Industry 4.0, predictive analytics, and advanced process control to create sustainable competitive advantage.
• Identify, prioritize, and scale high‑value use cases for automation and AI, including predictive maintenance, anomaly detection, energy optimization, and process efficiency improvements.
• Eliminate repetitive, manual non-value-added tasks across all functions
• Improve Variable Manufacturing Cost (VMC) through process optimization, elimination of manual non‑value‑added work, enhanced visual management, and control system tuning.
• Establish, standardize, and continuously improve best practices for asset optimization, including procedures, operational techniques, performance metrics, and benchmarking across sites.
• Provide technical leadership, tools, and mentorship to engineers, operators, and cross‑functional teams in the use of data analytics, modeling, simulations, and automation technologies.
• Lead a multi‑site Optimization Steering Team to teach, share knowledge, resolve barriers, align priorities, and drive consistent implementation of optimization strategies.
• Define clear goals, success metrics, and reporting mechanisms to track value delivery and alignment with business objectives.
• Support capital technology projects and asset upgrades by providing automation, digital, and analytics expertise to improve capacity, efficiency, and cost.
• Collaborate with executive leadership, site leadership, and cross‑functional partners (Operations, IT, Reliability, Process Safety, Engineering, OpEx, Supply Chain, Commercial) to gain alignment and ensure successful adoption of Automation and AI initiatives.
• Translate technical AI and automation concepts into clear business value, promoting a data‑driven culture and leading change management for digital adoption.
• Assess organizational data maturity and governance. Partner with IT/OT teams to ensure secure, scalable data infrastructure, governance, pipelines, and platform standardization.
• Support the Reliability function through enhanced equipment health monitoring and integration with CMMS and asset performance management systems.
• Lead and develop the Automation, Digitalization, and AI team, ensuring high internal customer service, effective training, and long‑term capability building.
• Provide project management oversight for new initiatives and external contractors, applying Lean Six Sigma tools (A3, DMAIC, LSDW) to drive disciplined execution.
• Benchmark with industry peers and stay current on emerging technologies, best practices, and innovation trends relevant to industrial automation and digital manufacturing.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in chemical/electrical/computer engineering, or related.
• 10+ years of experience in a chemical plant or refinery. Sulfuric Acid experience preferred.
• 3+ years of experience leading teams or major programs.
• Strong ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive cross-functional alignment.
• Passion for learning new technologies, with desire to be an early adopter.
• Demonstrated experience as effective trainer/teacher of technology value and capabilities.
• Self-starter with the ability to lead through ambiguity, take on challenges and multiple priorities, and work effectively in a fast-paced matrix environment with cross-functional teams.
• Skilled in leading through influence and experience with mentoring others.
• Certification in Project Management and or Lean Six Sigma preferred.
• Experience leading multi-site automation/digital programs and standards.
• Experience with control systems (e.g., DeltaV), data historians (e.g., AVEVA PI), Manufacturing Execution Systems (e.g., SAP), Asset Data Management systems (e.g., GE APM) preferred.
• Exposure to OT cybersecurity frameworks and secure network architecture.
• Experience deploying AI/advanced analytics into operational workflows (predictive maintenance, anomaly detection, quality prediction).
• Must be able to obtain a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) card.

Working Conditions / Travel

• Corporate office and/or chemical plant environment with routine field exposure.
• Travel: 15–30% depending on multi-site scope.