Plant Supervisor

The Plant Supervisor directs and monitors daily plant operations across multiple processing trains to maximize uptime, throughput, and efficiency while maintaining safe operating limits and meeting gas/NGL product specifications. This position supervises operators and relief personnel, leads response to abnormal situations, ensures regulatory and PSM compliance, and coordinates with Maintenance, Engineering, and Gas Control/Scheduling to support 24/7 operations at a remote cryogenic natural gas processing facility.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Directs and monitors Processing facility daily operations to maximize uptime, throughput, and efficiency while maintaining safe operating limits and meeting gas/NGL product specifications.
• Leads response to abnormal situations (alarms, trips, ESD events, product quality excursions), including field verification, stabilization steps, escalation, and post-event review/learning.
• Plans, schedules, and supervises operator work activities (routine rounds, sampling/spot checks, startup/shutdown lineups, switching sequences where applicable) and ensures proper shift turnover quality.
• Coordinates with Gas Control/Scheduling and downstream/upstream stakeholders on receipts, nominations, deliveries, and constraints; ensures timely communication of plant capacity changes and outages.
• Oversees truck loading/LACT activities and NGL/condensate handling to ensure safe transfers, accurate paperwork/records, and compliance with site procedures.
• Interfaces with Maintenance/Engineering for troubleshooting, prioritization, and execution of repairs and PMs; ensures equipment is properly isolated, tagged, and released, and verifies return-to-service readiness.
• Owns or supports PSM at the site level; participates in MOCs and PHAs as assigned, validates procedure accuracy, ensures operator training/competency, and supports mechanical integrity and safety-critical equipment testing cadence.
• Develops and updates Processing facility operating procedures and ensures alignment with control narratives and cause-and-effect logic; drives standardization of checklists and shift logs.
• Ensures environmental and regulatory compliance: monitors and reports deviations, supports inspections/audits, verifies spill prevention practices, and ensures required notifications and documentation are completed.
• Manages operating expenses and cost control; supports capital and expense budget preparation and execution, including materials purchasing and contractor coordination.
• Trains, mentors, and develops Processing facility operators and relief personnel; verifies qualification progress and reinforces expectations for safe, consistent operations.
• Prepares and reviews regularly scheduled operations reports (daily operating report, downtime summaries, maintenance coordination notes) and communicates plant status to leadership.
• Participates in safety meetings and serves as an active leader in safety programs; reinforces STOP work authority and drives hazard identification and mitigation.
• Executes and enforces safe work practices including lockout/tagout, line break, confined space, hot work, and management of simultaneous operations; ensures permit quality and field verification.
• Maintains operating logs, daily/shift production reporting, and timely communication/notification of environmental deviations, process upsets, or equipment impairments.
• Provides vacation and other relief for fellow supervisors and shares on-call responsibilities per rotation.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Demonstrated working knowledge of natural gas plant process flow and operating limits across multiple processing trains (Trains 1-3), including inlet/front-end separation, stabilization/fractionation, compression, amine treating, NGL handling/storage, and truck loading/LACT operations.
• Ability to operate and supervise plant processes via DCS (Wonderware preferred), including alarm management, trend review, setpoint/loop monitoring, and coordination of field actions to maintain product specifications and safe operating envelopes.
• Strong understanding of critical Processing facility equipment groups and typical failure modes, including slug catcher and inlet separation, stabilizer tower/reboiler/condensers/reflux system, overhead compression, centrifugal pumps, air coolers, pressure relief devices, and ESD/shutdown valves.
• Working knowledge of amine system operations and controls (contactor, flash tank, still/reboiler, reflux and circulation pumps), including recognizing early indicators of foaming, flooding, off-spec treating, and abnormal level/temperature/pressure behavior.
• Ability to identify operating deviations and take prompt corrective action: respond to alarms, verify field conditions, stabilize unit operation, and escalate per site procedures when deviations could lead to shutdown, off-spec product, or environmental non-compliance.
• Proficiency in Processing facility documentation use: P&IDs, control narratives, cause-and-effect / shutdown matrices, and supervisory operating manuals; ensures operations are performed in accordance with approved procedures.
• Compliance with PSM requirements at the Processing facility, including MOC participation, incident learning, operating procedure governance, training/competency, and mechanical integrity support.
• Strong teamwork, leadership, and communication skills; able to coordinate between DCS/console operations, field operations, maintenance, and management.
• Computer proficiency in reporting and documentation (daily operating report, downtime tracking, MOC/PSM documentation, maintenance coordination).
• Ability to make sound decisions during upset and emergency conditions.
• Available to work a 14 days on / 14 days off schedule, including shifts, holidays, and weekends, with on-call coverage and unscheduled workdays as needed to support 24/7 Processing facility operations and upset response.
• Maintains strong people skills and professional communication with internal and external stakeholders.

Education and Experience:

• High school diploma or GED required; additional technical training (process operations, instrumentation, electrical, or mechanics) strongly preferred.
• Bachelors degree in engineering or similar field preferred.
• 7+ years of gas plant operations experience preferred, with at least 2+ years in a lead/supervisory role.
• Multi-train cryogenic plant experience is a plus.
• Experience supervising operations in a cryogenic natural gas processing facility with stabilization/fractionation, compression, and NGL handling preferred.
• Hands-on experience with Wonderware (or comparable) DCS control strategies, alarm rationalization practices, and leading responses to trips/ESD events preferred.
• Familiarity with Processing facility operating documentation such as supervisory operating manuals, control narratives, P&IDs, and cause-and-effect logic preferred.
• Working knowledge of pressure vessels, relief devices, and safety-critical shutdown devices (PSVs, SDVs/ESD valves) and how they integrate into the plant protection layers preferred.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision in a remote facility environment and coordinate effectively with Scheduling/Gas Control, Maintenance, I&E, and Engineering.

Certifications:

• None required

Physical Demands and Hazard for Field Employees:

This position may require occasional travel to remote sites, potential exposure to flammable material, adherence to safety protocols, compliance with operating regulations, and will require rigorous physical demands.

Thank you for your interest in Howard Energy Partners, an equal opportunity employer. If you need additional information, have questions, or need accommodations, please reach out to the Human Resources department at 210-298-2222.