Operations Asset Lead in Middlesbrough

Head of Engineering and Operational Recruitment at Imperial Recruitment Group

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

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, ensuring operational excellence across the site from the quayside to the grid, providing you the opportunity to manage an array of advanced technologies involved in managing the MGT Teesside biomass power station.

You will provide technical, operational, and process engineering support to ensure safe, compliant, and efficient operations while managing all operational assets in an optimized 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 collaboration and support of the site O&M provider to ensure the plant is optimized. You will work with other key departments and stakeholders and wider business functions. The role is tactical and will require in-depth knowledge of both operational and commercial requirements.

From time to time, you will be required to deputize 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 various 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 the Operations Director and CEO in dialogue with Directors.

Duties are but not limited to:

1. Responsible for maintaining a strong health and safety culture, managing all site stakeholders and leading outstanding workstreams on site, including:
1. Commissioning & Operations
2. Management of process/deliverables identified as part of handover to the O&M operator, including responsibilities for annual planned outages
3. Management of ongoing performance testing process for the asset
4. Plays a key role in management of the O&M contract
5. Takes the lead operational role to ensure all solid fuel deliveries are appropriately received, safely offloaded, minimizing commercial impact and costs for demurrage
2. Responsible for managing solid fuel stocks and maintaining all procedures and compliance requirements against the fuel management plan.
3. Provide operational planning support to the O&M operator in normal operation and annual outage events.
4. Provide guidance to the Maintenance Teams to assist with turnarounds, rectification of availability, efficiency, and reliability issues.
5. Own and manage key operational contracts.
6. Liaise with key regulatory bodies such as EA on all operational issues.
7. Benchmark operations to ensure performance is best in class.
8. Complete incident investigations.
9. Demonstrate appropriate behaviors and commitment towards health and safety to maintain our first-class safety culture.
10. Identify and implement improvement strategies to optimize asset performance against annual operating budget.
11. Ensure adequate and relevant technical information is available to the operations teams to facilitate safe and efficient operation of the asset.
12. Carry out Root Cause Analysis of problems detracting from efficiency, reliability, or availability.
13. Identify, evaluate and propose operational improvement projects.
14. Where appropriate (size and cost), project manage the implementation of operational improvements.
15. 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).
16. Work closely with internal business functions to ensure clear and concise communications and minimize disruption to site operations.
17. Work with an array of technical advisors and other plant personnel to optimize operations to achieve plant KPIs.
18. Support MGT risk management process, particularly any relevant procurement or construction risks.
19. Coordinate and lead ad-hoc/specific operational issues as required.

To be considered for the role you will have:

1. Previous experience of large-scale combustion plant or similar (including auxiliary plant, water treatment, solid fuel/materials handling, steam turbines)
2. Experience in construction and CDM - major construction.
3. Ability to manage, direct, and drive projects from concept to installation and testing.
4. Knowledge of environmental compliance and demonstrable experience of liaising with legal authorities.
5. Experience in asset management, life cycle maintenance strategy, operational excellence, and continuous improvement.
6. Experience in developing a safety improvement program or initiative.
7. Proven ability to lead.
8. Degree qualified in a technical discipline (Process Engineering).
9. 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.