Operations Asset Lead

Imperial Recruitment Group are delighted to announce we are working on a retained basis with MGT Teesside to appoint an Operations Asset Lead on a permanent basis.

Job title: Operations Asset Lead

Salary: Competitive (DOE)

Location: Teesside

Type: Permanent

Company Overview:

MGT Teesside biomass power station is one of the largest biomass plants built and capable of generating (c299MWe) – The site is supported by a CfD agreement running until 2035.

The power station has gone through a period of outage to resolve a number of technical issues. Having completed the review and remediation work, the plant was restarted in July 2023 and progressed through the final commissioning phase. The plant is now in a phase of sustainable operations.

Role Overview:

We are seeking to appoint an Operations Asset lead with a proven ability to deliver operational excellence. This role will be pivotal to help drive the project forward from a sustainable operational phase into full commercial operation.

The role will require you to work primarily with the owner\’s management team, the role is focused upon ensuring operational excellence across the site from the quayside to the grid providing you opportunity to manage an array of advanced technologies, and all that is involved in managing the MGT Teesside biomass power station.

You will be required to provide technical, operational and process engineering support to ensure safe, compliant and efficient Operations and ensure all operational assets are managed in an optimised manner.

As the Operations Asset Lead, you will report to the Operations Director and be responsible for the continued development, monitoring, and improvement of the full process. The role will also require you to collaborate and support the site O&M provider, to ensure the plant is optimised. You will be required to work with other key departments and stakeholders and wider business functions. The role is a tactical position and will require in depth knowledge of both operational and commercial requirements.

From time to time, you will be required to deputise for the Operations Director which will require you to report directly to the board and CEO. The individual is also expected to interface closely with a variety of parties including but not limited to, the O&M operator, the Principal Contractor & Owners’ Engineer, the Lenders’ Engineer, the Boiler Manufacturer and the turbine manufacturer. At appropriate times, the successful individual will need to support Operations Director, CEO in dialogue with Directors.

Duties are but not limited to:

• Responsible for maintaining a strong health and safety culture, managing all site stakeholders and take lead with regard to delivery of some outstanding workstreams on site which can be summarised as:

o Commissioning & Operations

o Management of process/deliverables identified as part of handover to the O&M operator, including responsibilities for annual planned outages

o Management of ongoing performance testing process for the asset;

o Plays a key role in management of the O&M contract;

o Takes the lead operational role to ensure all solid fuel deliveries are appropriately received, safely offloaded minimising commercial impact and costs for demurrage.

• Responsible for managing solid fuel stocks and maintaining all procedures and compliance requirements and against the fuel management plan.

• To provide operational planning support to the O&M operator in normal operation and annual outage events.

• To provide guidance to the Maintenance Teams to assist with turnarounds, rectification of availability, efficiency, and reliability issues.

• To own and manage key operational contracts.

• To liaise with key regulatory bodies such as EA on all operational issues.

• Benchmarks operations to ensure performance is best in class.

• Complete incident investigations

• Demonstrate the appropriate behaviours and commitment towards health and safety to ensure we maintain our first-class safety culture.

• Identify and implement improvement strategies to optimise asset performance against annual operating budget.

• Ensure adequate and relevant technical information is available to the operations teams to facilitate safe and efficient operation of asset.

• Carry out Root Cause Analysis of problems detracting from efficiency, reliability or availability.

• Identify, evaluate and propose operational improvement projects.

• Where appropriate (size and cost), project manage the implementation of operational improvements.

• Provision of operational interface between TeesREP and the O&M team in planning and execution of key maintenance activities e.g. overhauls or plant shutdowns.

• Work closely with the internal business functions to ensure clear and concise communications and minimise disruption to site operations

• Work with an array of technical advisors and other plant personnel to optimise operations to achieve plant KPIs.

• Support MGT risk management process, particularly any relevant procurement or construction risks.

• Coordinate, lead ad-hoc / specific operational issues as required.

To be considered for the role you will have:

• Previous experience of large-scale combustion plant or similar. (Including auxiliary plant, Water treatment, solid fuel/materials handling, Steam Turbines)

• Construction and CDM – major construction.

• Ability to manage, direct and drive projects from concept to installation and testing.

• Has knowledge of environmental compliance and demonstrable experience of liaising with legal authorities.

• Has experience in asset management, life cycle maintenance strategy, operational excellence, and continuous improvement.

• Experience of developing a safety improvement programme or initiative.

• Proven ability to lead.

• Degree qualified in a technical discipline (Process Engineering)

• Experience of ISO standards, auditing, and assurance.

Imperial Recruitment Group is committed to being an equal opportunities employer. We celebrate diversity and are dedicated to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, experiences, and abilities, ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process.