Job Description
Position Title: Lead Specialist, Plant Sustainability
Broad Band: M11: Professional
Overall Job Purpose
The Specialist, Plant Sustainability serves as a crucial liaison between operations and management, actively overseeing both on-site and off-site activities to guarantee that all production processes are conducted safely and in full compliance with Environmental, Health, Safety, and Sustainability (EHSS) procedures. This role is pivotal in providing technical leadership within the plant and across the adjacent value chain, ensuring continuous, effective, and efficient plant operations. The Specialist Plant Sustainability has a primary responsibility for the control and operation of chemical processes, systems, and machinery, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to safety and strict adherence to operational regulations, rules, and industry best practices. This position mandates proactive engagement in technical leadership to facilitate seamless plant operations, maximize unit availability, and enhance overall production efficiency.
Key Accountabilities
Operational / Functional
- Achieve results through individual expert contributions, influence, and efforts.
- Consistently deliver solutions that enhance business results and improve competitiveness, including consulting advice and business options.
- Provide quality solutions and services cost-effectively, on time, and within risk parameters.
- Offer advice that is widely accepted and implemented in programs and systems, creating a competitive advantage for the organization and leading to quality outcomes.
- Continuously develop extensive knowledge in the field and attain personal mastery in technical skills application
- Deliver cost-effective results.
- Manage and mitigate risk outcomes.
- Achieve HSE (Health, Safety, Environmental) targets.
- Conduct research and development that leads to the implementation of innovative solutions within the organization.
- Provide guidance and advice to operators regarding the control of machines and processes.
- Offer input, advice, and recommendations to management and engineering colleagues to resolve problems and optimize plant and process operations.
- Contribute to the operation and plant strategy.
- Analyze and interpret information and results to determine and recommend the best solutions for problem-solving.
- Oversee processes and review data from materials, events, or the environment to identify signs of operational issues.
- Categorize, estimate, recognize differences or similarities, and detect changes in circumstances or events.
- Inspect and supervise the inspection of equipment, structures, or materials to pinpoint the causes of errors or other issues and defects.
- Operate and oversee chemical processes or systems of machines using control panels, control boards, or semi-automatic equipment.
- Maintain auxiliary equipment, such as pumps, fans, compressors, condensers, feedwater heaters, filters, and chlorinators, to provide water, fuel, lubricants, air, or auxiliary power.
- Control power-generating equipment, including boilers, turbines, generators, or reactors, using control boards or semi-automatic equipment.
- Advise on and adjust control settings to start, stop, or modify machinery and equipment that affect the speeds of chemical reactions, quality, or yields.
- Play a leading role in the start and shut down of plant equipment, following established processes and procedures.
- Oversee the transportation and storage of flammable and potentially hazardous materials to ensure adherence to safety guidelines.
- Manage the monitoring of recording instruments, flow meters, panel lights, gauges, dials, or other indicators, and respond to warning signals to ensure compliance with process conditions.
- Monitor equipment functionality, observe temperature, level, and flow gauges, and perform regular unit checks to ensure safe and efficient operation while proactively detecting malfunctions.
- Manage the operation of compressors, scrubbers, evaporators, and refrigeration equipment for liquefying, compressing, or regasifying natural gas.
- Review and interpret operational records, test results, and gauge readings, including temperatures, pressures, concentrations, and flows.
- Regulate or shut down equipment during emergencies according to established protocols.
- Lead inspections of operating units, such as towers, soap-spray storage tanks, scrubbers, collectors, or dryers, to ensure all are functioning optimally and maintaining maximum efficiency.
- Ensure compliance with HSERQ (Health, Safety, Environmental, Risk, and Quality) requirements.
- Perform senior standby duties as required.
- Actively participate as a member of multi-disciplinary special project teams.
Leadership
- Understand, support and live the Maaden vision, values and goals
- Expert utilization & direction through selling and obtaining support for value adding ideas leading to business improvement
- Takes accountability for personal improvement, personal development, skills development and effectiveness
- Expertise transfer, sharing and development
- Plan and project management
- Establish policies, practices, standards, procedures and methods; application, review and development
- Deliver expert solutions as a thought leader, to meet changing business & work requirements through Trends, analysis, problem solving and quality decision making
- Process and risk impact, reporting and corrective action
- Extract, capture and disseminate knowledge within knowledge management standards
- Provide on-the-job-training and coaching to less experienced peers, colleagues and new incumbents
- Perform acting duties when required
- Contribute to the smooth running of operation/plant
- Categorise work according to criticality/priority
- Identify and implement value adding initiatives (new ideas, thinking and approaches adopted and supported by the business)
- Display a positive attitude to work and add value to team, partners and other areas of the business
- Continuously improve own work processes and that of team
- Establish and maintain professional standards of service provision and contribution
- Seek opportunities to participate in (special) projects and/or ad-hoc committees
Relationships
- Creating effective stakeholder and expert networking relationships (e.g. customers, suppliers, universities and specialist bodies)
- Demonstrate influential relationships with manager peers and company business leaders
- Contractor/consultant relations & management
- Communication of expertise (best practices, technical reports, position statement) in a collaborative and consultative approach which consistently meet business needs
- Develop and facilitate the implementation of new solutions in area of expertise
- Participate in and maintained expert networks
- Interdependent working relations with external and internal partners and co-ordination of actions
- 'Daily communication and meeting with operation/plant team, planning and maintenance on plant status and critical activities
- Motivate other team members
- Liaise with partners, services and contractors to optimize recourses
- Establish and maintain a professional working relationship with customers
- Provide information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates
- Build effective working relationship with manager, peers, technicians, engineers, contractors and maintenance staff
- Network and collaborate with colleagues and other teams
Minimum Qualifications, Experience And Competencies
- Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Sustainability, Process Engineering, or a related discipline.
- Professional certifications in Environmental Management / Sustainability / EHSS (ISO 14001, Sustainability Reporting, or equivalent) are an advantage.
- Strong knowledge of environmental laws, regulatory requirements, and sustainability best practices applicable to industrial operations.
Minimum Experience
Over 8 years of relevant experience in the mining industry and production.
Skills
- Strong safety awareness and proactive attitude
- Extensive experience with shutdowns and start-ups
- Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills
- In-depth understanding of the value chain
- Solid knowledge of relevant engineering technologies
- Comprehensive understanding of raw materials, production processes, quality control, cost management, and techniques for optimizing the manufacture and distribution of goods
- Advanced knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances, as well as the chemical processes and transformations they undergo, including chemical uses, interactions, hazards, production methods, and disposal practices
- Proficient knowledge of machines, tools, and equipment, including their design, use, repair, and basic maintenance
- Thorough understanding of applicable policies, regulations, processes, and procedures
- Highly skilled in using industrial control software and systems (super-user level)
- Strong troubleshooting abilities and implementation of corrective actions
- Expert knowledge of departmental processes and procedures, along with those of adjacent value chain segments
- In-depth understanding of Maaden's safety codes, regulations, and procedures
- Competent in operating equipment and/or systems
- Strong critical thinking skills
- Effective management skills
- Excellent facilitation skills
- Current compliance training
- Full physical mobility with the ability to work at heights and in confined spaces
- Proficient verbal and written communication skills, including reporting and presentations
- Sound understanding of mathematical principles
- Strong teamwork abilities
- Resilience under pressure and adept at handling setbacks
- Effective decision-making skills
