Plant and Value Chain Optimization Director

LED FastStart•Monroe, LA

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

Drax Biomass Inc. seeks a Plant and Value Chain Optimization Director to work in Monroe, LA and various unanticipated locations. This role is responsible for coordinating with North American operations staff and core services to advance low and no capital opportunities for business improvements through effective modeling and debottlenecking. The Director will work with internal stakeholders to scope new opportunities, quantify potential value, and identify concepts for development and implementation. They will also engage commercial partners, contractors, public institutions, and other external stakeholders to build relationships and establish terms supporting commercial or technical requirements for new technology implementation. The role involves creating and managing scope for small-scale tests of new technology at North American assets to debottleneck or improve existing processes, and coordinating cross-functional groups to create valuable products by leveraging new data streams and measurement technologies for business improvement. The Director will help identify cost reduction and efficiency improvement methods at DBI assets, crucial for Drax's purpose of enabling a zero-carbon, lower-cost energy future, and improve the existing DBI business by harnessing the benefits of new technology that augments existing operations. This position provides leadership for implementing novel solutions to business challenges by offering vision to diverse stakeholders and fostering alignment. Responsibilities include evaluating and controlling spend within budgets, engaging Horizon 1 staff to understand needs and opportunities across the North American value chain, and identifying technology gaps. The Director will evaluate and identify new technology, with assistance from Innovation Engineers, to address challenges in North America and unlock value for DBI. They will scope projects with business partners, including Horizon 1 and Data Analytics, to implement and harness new technology for process improvements, gain stakeholder alignment on execution strategies, develop budgets, and coordinate resources for new technology installation and data stream utilization. Ensuring product quality through continuous feedback from Horizon 1 users and maintaining quality communication between Horizon and other business partners is key. The role requires measuring financial benefits of projects, reporting successes to Drax leadership with concepts for scale-out/scale-up, and working closely with the Innovation Senior Leadership Team to stay aware of market developments and capitalize on opportunities. The Director will ensure the most appropriate choices are made for Drax to deliver its purpose at greatest value and provide leadership, coaching, and direction to other members of the Innovation team. This application is for a roving employee who will work at 1500 N. 19th Street, Suite 501, Monroe, LA 71201 and various unanticipated locations.

Requirements

Bachelors degree or foreign equivalent in Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering or a related field of study.
Three (3) years of experience in a related position in the wood pellet manufacturing or similar industry.
Experience in renewable energy, decarbonization, and process optimization.
Process engineering experience in the manufacture of wood pellets, including equipment troubleshooting on common unit operations such as hammermilling, drying, and pelletizing.
Project execution and management experience in industrial environments.
Experience evaluating, testing, and implementing new technology or process improvements in the field of wood products manufacturing.
Experience troubleshooting mechanical equipment with a focus on rotating machinery.
Knowledge of operating principles and control schemes for major process operations in wood pellet manufacturing, including rotary drum drying, hammermilling, environmental controls, and pellet mills.

Responsibilities

Coordinate with North American operations staff and core services to advance low and no capital opportunities for business improvements through effective modeling and debottlenecking.
Work with stakeholders inside Drax to scope new opportunities, quantify potential value, and identify concepts ready for development toward implementation.
Engage commercial partners, contractors, public institutions, and other external stakeholders to forge relationships and terms in support of the commercial or technical requirements for implementation of new technology.
Create and manage scope for small scale tests of implementing new technology at North American assets to debottleneck or improve existing processes.
Coordinate cross functional groups to create valuable products harnessing the power of new data streams and measurement technologies toward meaningful business improvement.
Help identify means of reducing cost and improving efficiency at DBI assets.
Improve the existing DBI business through harnessing benefits of new technology that augments existing operations.
Provide leadership for implementation of novel solutions to address business challenges through providing vision to diverse stakeholders and creating alignment.
Evaluate and control spend to stay within existing budgets.
Engage Horizon 1 staff to understand needs, pain points, and opportunities across the North American value chain and gain input on technology gaps prevent resolution of challenges.
Evaluate and identify, with assistance from the Innovation Engineers, new technology to address challenges within North America and unlock value for DBI.
Scope projects with partners in the business including Horizon 1, Data Analytics, and other Core Services to implement and harness new technology toward process improvements.
Gain alignment from stakeholders on execution strategy for projects and develop budgets.
Coordinate resources as needed to install new technology and harness new data streams.
Ensure quality of products through continuous feedback from Horizon 1 users and by ensuring quality communication between Horizon and other partners in the business.
Measure financial benefits of projects and report successes to relevant Drax leadership with concepts for scale out/scale up.
Work closely alongside the Innovation Senior Leadership Team to ensure awareness of future developments in the marketplace and consider the options to capitalize on them.
Ensure the most appropriate choices are made which allow Drax to deliver our purpose at greatest value.
Provide leadership, coaching and direction to other members of the Innovation team.