Manager, Eng & Ops, Transformation

At Kraton, we make a Positive Difference, and we are looking for individuals who are also looking to make a difference in their jobs, for our customers and to the world. We are looking to hire a key member of our team at our Global Headquarters in The Woodlands, Texas.

This role is critical to the evaluation of operational excellence and transformation efforts across Kraton's manufacturing, operations, and engineering footprints. It leverages strategic analysis, financial insights, and diagnostic capabilities to improve cost efficiency, enhance forecasting accuracy, and strengthen execution effectiveness, driving margin improvement and long-term value creation.

This role is central to evaluating operational excellence and transformation across Kraton's manufacturing, operations, and engineering footprints. It combines strategic analysis and diagnostic insight to identify opportunities to improve cost efficiency, forecasting accuracy, and execution effectiveness. In addition, it includes but is not limited to the following responsibilities:

• Lead diagnostic reviews of project performance across all plants to identify cost drivers, execution bottlenecks, and improvement opportunities.
• Champion transformation initiatives that enhance cost effectiveness, identification of operational improvement opportunities, and opportunities for operational reliability improvements.
• Develop and implement metrics that assess project management health and drive continuous improvement.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with procurement, operations, and finance to align project execution with broader business goals.
• Ensure that the collaboration work continues to promote a culture of safety, accountability, and transparency in project delivery.
• Serve as the primary advisor on Operations diagnosis and improvement opportunities to the Chief Transformation Officer.
• Act as a liaison to collaborative teams at the parent company.

• Excellent communication skills in both Korean and English languages (must be able to speak, read and write fluently)
• Experience as a Production or Process Engineer in a Chemical Manufacturing facility highly preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in operational diagnostics, manufacturing, or transformation roles with 2-3 years in an international capacity
• Certification or demonstrated expertise in Lean Six Sigma or Operational Excellence methodologies
• Strong financial and business acumen with experience in cost analysis and investment evaluation.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and influence senior leadership.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong experience with Microsoft Office is required (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering or related field required

The statements above are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this classification. Statements are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities and skills required for this position.

Kraton's internal talent acquisition team manages our recruiting efforts and from time to time works with pre-selected/pre-approved external staffing agencies.We do NOT accept unsolicited resumes or candidate referrals from recruiters and/or agencies who are not pre-selected/pre-approved.

Kraton is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.