Technical and Maintenance Director

OXEA Corporation Company Overview | World leader in Oxo Chemicals

Oxo products are the core competency of OXEA Corporation. We are producing more than 70 oxo intermediates and oxo derivatives for customers in a wide range of industries with various end market applications. Our chemicals are important ingredients in products that are used in daily life around the world. "We" refers to more than 1,400 OXEA employees worldwide. At our plants in Germany, the USA, China and the Netherlands, we produce intermediates and derivatives.

Job Purpose 

Provide leadership to Reliability, Turnaround, Process Engineering and Project Engineering departments in support of safe, efficient, and reliable operation of manufacturing assets.  Lead Department Managers in setting and achieving objectives to optimize asset performance, drive operational excellence, and support strategic project initiatives that align with the OXEA’s long-term goals. 

The position will act in accordance with OXEA’s Mission, Vision, Values & Strategies, as well as, policies, guidelines and international standards, supported by an IT Technology platform, and HSE standards.

The position reports directly to the VP, US Operations.

Main Tasks and Responsibilities

Reliability:

• Develop and implement comprehensive reliability strategies to ensure optimal equipment performance and maximize asset on-line time. 
• Implement and maintain preventative and predictive maintenance startegies, ensuring adherence to industry standards and regulatory compliance.
• Track acheivement of initiatives that identify and mitigate risks related to equipment failures and asset integrity.

Turnarounds:

• Coordinate input from all departments to foster collaboration with clear objectives, timelines, and resource allocations for turnaround events that ensures cost reduction and reliability objectives are met.
• Direct the planning, scheduling, and execution of plant turnarounds, ensuring cost-effective and timely completion.
• Continuously improve turnaround processes by capturing and implementing lessons learned to optimize future events.

Process and Process Control Engineering:

• Direct the Process and Process Control Department to optimize chemical production processes, improve raw material efficiency, reduce energy usage, and enhance process safety.
• Oversee development of process simulations to model the equipment and processes at the site.
• Ensure compliance with applicable industry standards, including process safety regulations.

Project Engineering:

• Direct the Project Engineering and I&E Engineering Department to forecast, plan and implement capital projcts to improve process performance and infratsructure integrity.
• Establish and oversee execution of a running 5-year Capex program.
• Ensure that project budgets, timelines, and resources align with plant objectives.
• Drive continuous improvement in project management processes for cost control, risk mitigation, and successful project delivery.

General:

• Ensure that engineering systems are implemented/maintained to ensure effective execution of key work processes.
• Ensure that all department spending is at or favorable to budget.
• Ensure that all departments are equipped to complete the corporate goals, objectives, initiatives and long-term plans through effective recruiting, training and coaching to maximize human performance.
• Perform other job duties as assigned.

Key Interactions

• Internal: Operations, Maintenance, Technical, Projects, HSE, Product Stewardship, Information Technology, Innovation and Technology, Finance, HR, Marketing
• External: 3rd party contractors for project execution, Engineering consultant(s), Engineering Designers

Mimimum Requirements

• Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering or relevant field.
• Fifteen (15) years of experience in a chemical plant or similar industrial environment.
• Multi-disciplinary background in a chemical plant environment with at least five (5) years in a senior management role.
• Proven record of managing complex reliability, and engineering programs in a highly regulated environment.
• Strong understanding of relevant process safety regulations.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and organizational skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate across departments.
• Excellent technical understanding of chemical engineering operations (reaction, distillation and energy transfer systems) and process optimization, process equipment modeling, scale-up, design of equipment and process control strategies.

Competencies and Skills

• Ability to translate Strategic Objectives into actionable initiatives
• Budget & resource ranagement
• Risk assessment and mitigation
• Team development and mentorship
• Proven analytical and problem solving skills with an ability to identify root causes
• Working knowledge of elements of reliability processes
• Project management and task planning