Refinery Operations Engineer – North and B&S at Astron Energy (Pty) Ltd.

Job Description

• The Refinery Operations Engineer has the primary responsibility of ensuring that the refinery is operated in alignment with the agreed operating plan provided by the White/Black Oil Optimisation Engineers and within safe and reliable operating constraints. The operations engineer agrees the short-term refinery plan and refinery blending and shipping plan is operationally feasible1 by maintaining real-time knowledge of the operational constraints and conveying these to the EVCO organization. The operations engineer is also responsible for the technical development of the overall refinery by identifying and relieving operating constraints; and capturing and actioning short- and medium-term opportunities that deliver incremental value. Operations Engineers lead the closure of operational and capacity gaps, including those identified through the monthly backcasting process.

Key Accountabilities

• The North and B&S Operations Engineer will be responsible for all the accountabilities below as it pertains to the North and B&S areas within the refinery, this includes the wharf and shipping operations, Crude Unit and related planning and optimization, and product blending.
• Lead the process by which refinery constraints are provided to the Enterprise Planning team for use in developing optimised plans.
• Works directly with Process Engineers to understand constraints and the ability to remove or mitigate these constraints.
• Works closely with the ST Planner and Refinery Planning Team (white/black oil optimisation engineers and schedulers) to agree the refinery production plan is operationally feasible.
• Communicate and drive execution of the production plan through daily interaction with BTMs, RSLs, and panel operators to hit production targets in real time as to maximize value for Astron, minimising deviation from agreed operational targets.
• Provide timely feedback on production deviations to EVCO Optimisation Engineers (White/Black) to enable replanning decisions.
• Work closely with shift organization and EVCO to identify, evaluate and execute optimal alternative solutions during transient situations or when unknown constraints encountered i.e. pump failures etc.
• Work directly with the refinery process engineers to identify and remove technical constraints, opening up sources of value.
• Work with refinery (operators & process engineers) to enhance understanding of financial drivers, production optimisation opportunities, and key decision points, fostering a culture focused on maximising value.
• Develops, owns and maintains the refinery optimization KPI’s and parameters as well as the dashboard that visualizes key optimization parameters to the organization.
• Development and execution of business improvement actions including those found in the backcasting analysis
• Support EVCO Optimisation Engineers with short-term business continuity planning, leading on refinery-side  production optimisation options during unit upsets or force majeure scenarios, ensuring commercial impacts are minimised.​
• Supports development of optimal tank strategy including Tank T&I and tankage allocation.
• Supports the development of optimal turnaround refinery posturing including the planning integration with EVCO
• Responsible for ensuring optimisation of refinery fuels usage strategy by coordinating requirements between EVCO, Energy optimization and refinery short term needs.
• Understands and conveys crude variations or risks to refinery operations early to ensure early preparations and minimization of impacts.
• Relays strategic focus areas, concerns or support requirements from EVCO to the refinery to ensure consistent and focused response.
• The Refinery Operations Engineer North and B&S will be responsible and carry the DoA of the Refinery Operations Engineer South as required due to annual leave or illness to ensure continuity.

Professional Qualifications & Certifications

• Bachelor’s degree in chemical, process or mechanical engineering degree.

Work Experience

• 7+ years of experience in refinery operations/process engineering roles in a refinery
• Familiarity with start-up, shutdown, and upset conditions, and how these impact plant safety, reliability and performance
• Experience working alongside Process Engineers to translate technical performance into operational actions (i.e. setting operating constraints, recommending maintenance actions) 
• Experience working with refinery optimisation and production teams.
• Knowledge & Skills
• Strong understanding of refinery process units, operational constraints, and commercial drivers
• Understanding of refinery safety standards, hazard identification, and risk mitigation practices, including environmental regulations and compliance requirements for refinery operations
• Understanding of production planning concepts and how operational constraints impact the refinery LP
• Knowledge/Experience with running and interpreting the LP will be advantageous
• Ability to troubleshoot production deviations and implement corrective actions in collaboration with planning and technical teams
• Strong analytical skills to assess optimisation opportunities and identify efficiency improvements
• Ability to communicate to, and influence, all levels of the organization including operators and technicians to take action
• Collaborative mindset to work across multiple teams, ensuring alignment between planning and execution
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills to respond quickly to operational challenges
• Bias for action and ability to resolve issues under pressure to maintain production and safety targets

Application deadline:

• 11 November 2025