Operator - Crude Oil (1837)

Aramco Americas Company•Houston, TX

11d•Onsite

About The Position

The Crude Oil Operator is a part of the Crude Oil Trading team and reports to the Lead Operator – Crude, in the Aramco Trading Americas (ATA) organization. The Scheduler will be responsible to plan for crude deliveries up to three months in advance to accommodate the current crude purchasing plans while also managing day-to-day adjustments as needed. This role will be responsible for crude scheduling to and from Enbridge/Canadian terminals/pipelines, Cushing Terminals, Port Arthur refinery (PAR) facility, Motiva Port Neches terminal (PNT), Energy Transfer Nederland Sour Lake terminal (SUN Nederland), P66 Beaumont terminal, and other customer(s) and supplier(s) locations. Operator will frequently communicate with customers in the process of receiving crude oil orders and with suppliers to secure barrels for the facility. Additionally, from time to time, due to weather, refinery upsets, turnarounds etc., Operator may be required to adjust the supply schedule to the refinery. This role will be required to independently work alongside other operators as the commercial team and refinery operations. The Crude Operator will lead the operational execution of activities related to crude oil movements to achieve commercial KPIs as well as ATA’s HSSE & Product Quality (PQ) standards while minimizing operational risk and managing contractual obligations to external parties in a cost effective, safe, and optimal manner.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business administration, supply chain management, engineering, or a related field, providing a strong foundation in operations management.
Experience of managing logistics or shipping operations in the geography where the relevant subsidiary has active trading operations.
Excellent organization, communication and interpersonal (written and verbal) skills to effectively collaborate with internal teams, external partners, and senior management.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to identify operational inefficiencies, implement process improvements, and drive performance optimization while multi-tasking through multiple complex business issues.
Possess quantitative and interpersonal skills, with an ability to work in a situation of ambiguity, constant change, and conflicting priorities without losing sight of the overall goal.
High degree of negotiation and influencing skills, and relationship building for success.
Strong computer skills, including (but not limited to) MS Excel.
Minimum 1+ years of progressive experience in operations management, supply chain management, or trading operations in petroleum products supply logistics, preferably crude oil or intermediate feedstocks (i.e., Fuel Oil, VGO, Untreated Distillate, others.)
Prior understanding of scheduling/operations commercial acumen with basic knowledge of supply and trading operations, including logistics, shipping, inventory management and crude oil contracts.
Knowledge of crude oil pipeline grid/system – Canada, Cushing, Gulf Coast and waterborne operations, preferred.
Ability to understand market conditions and the relationship to trading business.
Ability to work in a fast-paced, multi-task environment.
Ability to work in an office environment located in downtown Houston, TX. Must be able to work flexible hours to accommodate occasional overtime.
24-hour availability. Must carry cell phone and company assigned laptop computer in the evenings, nights, weekends and holidays.

Nice To Haves

Working experience with clean products, light-ends products, and/or chemicals & specialty products scheduling would be considered.
Experience in SAP, preferred.
Knowledge of FERC rules and regulations is a plus.

Responsibilities

Execute all operational procedures for the trading activity of a specific product and geography to ensure all external contractual obligations are met with optimal operational risk to ATA
Identify opportunities for process improvement and optimization in logistical operations executed within the relevant subsidiary.
Ensure all data is accurately reflected in a timely manner in the company’s ETRM (SAP) to enable accurate reporting of exposure, P&L, operational costs/fees (including but not limited to tariff rates and other ancillary costs) and enable finance activity like settlement of invoices, claims, etc.
Familiar with Enbridge/Canadian terminal and pipes, Cushing Terminals, Port Neches Terminal (PNT), Inter-plant pipeline (IPL) and connections of the Port Arthur Refinery with nearby crude-oil storage hubs (i.e., SUN Nederland, P66 Beaumont, etc.). Responsible for last-mile crude oil scheduling into the Port Arthur Refinery (PAR). Consequently, must be knowledgeable about dock, pipeline (upstream and downstream) and terminal operations and scheduling obligations.
Experience with marine scheduling of various vessel class crude and feedstocks cargoes (i.e., from Suez max to inland barges).
Will act as the first contact with oil shippers, oil carriers, and connecting facilities to resolve problems and issues within contractual, obligations, regulations, and company policy.
Responsible for nominating the movement of crude oil on various pipelines and terminals to meet contractual obligations.
Remain capable and available in times of business disruption, and always ready to support the business and team 365 days a year. (Hurricane, 3rd party logistics failures, power outages, etc.)
Quickly ascertain the impact of supply disruptions, communicate effectively to businesses and trading interfaces to reach best-integrated solution quickly and make the required adjustments to schedules to minimize overall impact.
Ensure compliance with industry regulations and standards to minimize risk exposure.
Develop and implement contingency plans to address potential disruptions to operational activities.
Coordinate response efforts during crises or emergencies to minimize impact on operations.
Ensure imbalances are mitigated. Provide trading with accurate and timely notice of operational developments including imbalance positions, capacity availability and pipeline operational status to purchase or sell barrels.
Foster relationships with key external stakeholders e.g. customs authorities, shipping agents, storage providers, inspection companies, 3rd party logistics companies (pipeline, termianls, etc) to obtain market intelligence, operational effectiveness, visibility on competitor activity and preempt operational risks/issues.
Work closely with accounting to resolve rate and volume discrepancies.
Coordinate with other team members to ensure optimal utilization of shared assets with other business lines (e.g., crude and feedstock docks activity) and appropriate transfer of information and market knowledge
Stay updated on changes to regulations and implement necessary changes to maintain compliance.
Maintain adequate records to meet legal and fiscal obligations, as per ATA’s policies.
Continuous communication with Trading team, Charterers, Claims & Finance to ensure timely execution of operations procedures for specific trading activity.
Collaboration with external logistics partners, shipping companies, and terminal operators to optimize fleet and pipeline operations, ensure timely cargo deliveries, and mitigate supply chain disruptions.