Optimisation Engineer - Milnerton at Astron Energy (Pty) Ltd.

Job Details

• The primary duty of the Optimisation Engineer is to schedule and monitor delivery of the daily and weekly Refinery production plan for a given set of units or products, to troubleshoot and to facilitate appropriate response to deviations to plan (availability, utilization, quality, giveaway, etc.).
• To search for, identify, prioritise and deliver short-term optimisation opportunities (production, energy) and to feed longer-term opportunities (bottlenecks or otherwise) into the Business Team and eventually the Business Excellence team for assessment, prioritization and planning.
• To coach and facilitate the Business Teams and Operations Team to understand the financial drivers and production optimization opportunities and key decisions; drawing focus to the most leveraging deviations/giveaways/bottlenecks (financially, etc.) and creating a culture whereby the organisation is collectively chasing those items the hardest, rather than treating all deviations as equal importance. 
• To record the cause of production performance deviations such that adequate explanation is available for the monthly plan v. actual reconciliation and to conduct root cause analyses / action planning for recurring deviations.
• To identify, forecast and understand plant production restrictions and bottlenecks and provide input into the short-term planning process and LP management to facilitate accurate and achievable production plans throughout the Plant lifecycle (i.e. as catalyst or HT deteriorates).
• To utilise, and optimise use of, appropriate tools for translation of the LP plan into a Refinery Schedule; developing and reporting against the Refinery schedule. This may include but is not limited to Spiral Scheduling Tool, Spiral LP.
• To ensure that production plans are communicated and understood as intended, coaching Operations Team and Commercial team members where required.
• To contribute to short-term business continuity production plans and optimization during unit upsets or force-majeure scenarios.
• To liaise with EVCO (Supply & Trading) both informally and through the formal daily and weekly engagement platforms, in particular in regards to Crude planning, new Crude assessment and non-production giveaway management e.g. demurrage, etc.
• To provide temporary cover for other Commercial Team roles during vacation and sickness as competency allows.

Professional Qualification and Certifications:

• Engineering bachelor degree (B. Eng / B.Sc in Chemical Engineering is preferable) but others may be considered.

Work Experience:

• A minimum of 5 years of engineering, operations, commercial or oil and gas industry-related experience.
• Proven track record and specific knowledge of refinery process units, work processes and people.
• An understanding of refinery economic drivers and optimization through a mix of operational and production planning experience is ideal. Understands interdependencies of Process plant.

Key Competencies:

• Analytical Thinking & Troubleshooting, able to add value during Root Cause Analysis (RCA), prioritisation and Cost-Benefit Analysis
• Ability to decide and initiate action while working with others, engaging key stakeholders
• Effective writing and Reporting, Presenting and Communicating complex information to different stakeholders
• Adapting and Responding to change while Coping with Pressures and Setbacks
• Entrepreneurial and Commercial Thinking