Area Operations Manager - Downstream Chemicals

Area Operations Manager – Downstream Chemicals

Would you like to take ownership of customer needs to help them operate safely and efficiently?

Do you enjoy providing a vital service that ensures successful operations across a diverse customer base and geographies?

Join Our Downstream Chemical Team

Our Downstream Chemicals team combines advanced chemistry, digital tools, and more than 100 years of industry expertise to deliver meaningful value to our customers. We provide best‑in‑class support to improve water and process treatment applications within refineries and industrial facilities where we operate, enabling safe, reliable, and optimized performance.

Partner with the Best

As an Area Operations Manager, you will lead customer engagement, service execution, and commercial growth across your assigned area. You will partner with field teams, sales, and engineering to ensure high‑quality application support, identify customer opportunities, and deliver innovative chemical solutions that drive value and long‑term growth.

As an Area Operations Manager, you will be responsible for:

• Building and maintaining long‑term, strategic customer relationships to originate sales opportunities and develop business growth strategies across the assigned area.
• Supporting field activities including sampling, testing, application maintenance, and routine performance reporting for existing customers.
• Supporting the development, installation, and optimization of systems and designs that apply chemical products and technologies.
• Partnering with Sales and Engineering teams to develop and deliver customer presentations focused on value creation, reliability, and process improvement.
• Providing account management fundamentals to understand customer needs, operational requirements, and growth opportunities while supporting account budget and P&L responsibilities.
• Identifying, coordinating, and managing multiple projects of varying complexity that deliver measurable value to customers.
• Monitoring and maintaining existing customer programs, including performance tracking and documentation of application results.
• Collaborating with cross‑functional team members to drive technical sales initiatives and innovative solutions.
• Promoting safe, compliant, and consistent service execution in alignment with Baker Hughes standards.

Fuel Your Passion

To be successful in this role you will:

• Have a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline.
• Have a minimum of 5 years of experience in hydrocarbon process treatment or water treatment applications, including wastewater, boiler, and cooling systems.
• Demonstrate a solid understanding of industrial chemical treatment technologies and the technical sales process.
• Exhibit strong mechanical aptitude and effective troubleshooting skills.
• Have previous laboratory experience or familiarity with analytical methods and data interpretation.
• Possess a strong understanding of customer requirements and refinery or oil & gas processing market conditions.
• Communicate complex technical information clearly and concisely to internal teams and external customers at various organizational levels.
• Be comfortable with overnight travel (approximately 50%) and on‑site support at customer locations.

Work in a Way That Works for You

We recognize that individuals perform at their best in different ways. For this role, the working pattern is:

• Monday – Friday, 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Working with Us

Our people are central to everything we do at Baker Hughes. We foster an inclusive, collaborative, and safety‑focused environment where individuals are supported, developed, and empowered to bring their authentic selves to work. We invest in talent development, leadership growth, and continuous learning at all levels of the organization.

Working for You

We reward those who drive change and deliver results with a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Contemporary work‑life balance and employee well‑being programs
• Comprehensive private medical coverage
• Life insurance and disability protection
• Tailored financial and retirement programs
• Additional voluntary benefits

You will be eligible to participate in Company-sponsored benefit programs, including health & welfare programs and the Thrift Plan (401k). You will have a choice of coverage options that best suit your needs. Coverage options and contribution amounts are related to your benefit elections, base salary level, and specific requirements of each of these plans.

This position is eligible for our comprehensive and competitive benefits package, which can be found here, and is further eligible for additional forms of compensation such as bonuses subject to the terms of the applicable benefit plans or policies.

The Baker Hughes internal title for this role is: Sales Advisor - Sales Enabler