Fresh Opportunities at Astron Energy (Pty) Ltd

Job Description:

Management of Individual Customer Profitability metrics across all product sold to a given customer incl. P&L, Financial Responsibility for Product Sales and Balance Sheet in respect of allocated customers (Lubricants and Fuels

• Monitors monthly performance and agreed action plans to ensure Volume and Margin targets are achieved.
• Manages associated operating expenses and CAPEX budgeting against given set of customers.
• Responsible for area value chain optimization plans to maximize gross margin.
• Ensures IDC customers are profitable in terms of Supply Chain and Customer Profitability (SCCP) direction.  
• Plans and executes sales & marketing strategies, processes, programs, standards and operations across the various classes of trade for fuels and additional profit centers, consistent with the Business Plan.
• In the IDC channel, carefully monitors the market and competitor moves and strategies to identify new business opportunities, volume growth opportunities and solutions for customers related to growing business.
• Successful incumbent must demonstrate and role model Key Leadership behaviors:
• Results: Business case driven and stretch goal oriented while constantly challenging the cost of how we do things.
• Speed: Tolerate higher risk, demonstrate urgency & decisiveness.
• Simplicity: Set priorities and ensure work is fit for purpose

Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills Required:-

• Senior Certificate and a Commercial Degree
• 3-5yrs Commercial sales experience preferably in a IDC environment. 
•  The incumbent needs to have a clear view of customer profitability and NOI drivers.
•  Incumbent will exhibit a clear understanding of Marketing operations within South Africa and the ability to develop strong relationships with customers.
•  Demonstrates an ability to enforce all terms and conditions of all product agreements.
•  Incumbent must have strong financial, analytical skills, and a solid working knowledge of SAP, PC software applications (i.e. Excel, Word, Outlook & PowerPoint),
•  Must be in possession of a good understanding of the oil industry in RSA, the environment in which the company operates, and the overall Marketing objectives and vision in order to ensure alignment of goals with strategic direction.
•  Needs minimal supervision & at times will operate under tight or stringent deadlines.
•  Strong negotiation and consultancy skills required.
•  Collaboration with other functional groups in order to execute for enterprise value.

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Job Summay

Reporting to the Manager, Technical Services, this position runs a full 24/7 laboratory in support of Process Engineering and Operations at the Astron Energy Refinery.

• Leads a team of 3 supervisors and their teams of Chemists and Laboratory Analysts.
• Manages the overall operation of the Central Laboratory and its resources:
• Prioritize and allocate laboratory resources to meet operational requirements and customer expectations bearing in mind that the lab operates 24/7 with shift and day staff.
• Manage product quality testing, ensuring that accurate results are consistently produced and final product meets all the product release specifications.
• Accountable for follow up process on complaints from internal and external sources.
• Accommodates and accountable for periodic audits internally and externally (by South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) as well as in the mandatory Product Quality Testing Audits.
• Recommends and facilitates the development and application of the latest revision American Society for
• Testing and Materials (ASTM) and/or Institute of Petroleum (IP) standard laboratory.
• Manages and ensures testing for compliance with all Heath, Environmental and Safety regulations.
• Assures and stewards the development and maintenance of management tools such as Loss Prevention System (LPS), training programmes, mandatory compliance requirements and attendance management programme.
•  Purchasing and management of all lab equipment. Ensures that PM’s for all equipment are active and all calibration and servicing of equipment are in compliance with manufacturers requirements. All equipment records (calibration certificates and servicing documentation ) are managed and easily made available during audits and investigations. Purchasing of new equipment according to a 5 year capex strategy is strictly adhered to , ensuring that all final product testing is done with prescribed method tolerance using the latest technology.
• Coaches and mentors laboratory staff towards continually improving performance by employing the Performance Management Program (PMP).
• Delegates, sets goals and expectations; provides feedback and supports career planning and departmental objectives to develop and improve lab staff technical skills. Rotates staff to enable broader skills sets to be learned, and create flexible work allocation abilities
• Ensures adequate training requirements are met; procedures and standards are maintained and strictly followed; all product quality related Contracts Document Management Systems (CDMS) documents are regularly reviewed and updated.
• Supports the active participation in the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) Measurement Assurance Programme (MAP) and Institute of Petroleum (IP) inter laboratory round robin testing correlation programmes and ensures our lab’s quarterly representation at the national South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) Measurement Assurance Programme (MAP) meetings. 
• Develops and controls the annual lab Opex budget and initiates Capex requirements for the latest high-tech laboratory equipment. Promotes cost saving awareness through active deployment and stewardship of the Loss Prevention System (LPS).
• Provides project management for lab related projects; Collaborates with business unit operation management, process engineers and blend schedulers in determining testing criteria and monitoring test schedules.
• Ensures that all lab work is performed safely and active participation by all staff in supporting Incident & Injury Free objectives, promoting that zero incidents is attainable.
• Manages Union related issues for the Business Unit employees comprising about 50% of lab staff.

“It is a requirement of the position for which you are employed  (and any similar position, which you may be appointed to from time to time) that you hold, and therefore accept, an appropriate  appointment in terms of the Occupational Health and Safety Act No 85 of 1993 (‘OHSA”), in terms of which you will  assist your Departmental Manager / Head in the execution of the duties and responsibilities, as contemplated in section 8 of the OHSA (or any amendments from time to time). You therefore agree to accept and sign appropriate appointments in terms of the OHSA (which includes the regulations promulgated in terms of the OHSA) as required by the Company / Employer from time to time”

Required Qualifications:

• Min National Higher Diploma / B.Tech In Analytical Chemistry. B.Sc Degree in Analytical Chemistry.
• >15 years' experience
• good knowledge of lab, lab instrumentation and testing standards
• Management experience preferred
• Providen technical SME capability
• Refining experience preferred

Knowledge and skills:

• Testing of all refinery final products  and in-process streams (Diesel, Jet Fuel, Gasoline, LPG, Fuel oil and Bitumen)
• Ability to work independently and in a team
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Good problem solving ability
• Ability to work under pressure
• Ability to co-ordinate activities and influence others
• Manages Stakeholder expectations and priorites