What's The Role The Technical Specialist- Scheduling Advisor enables sites to maximize value from margin-optimization activities by implementing effective planning and scheduling work processes, enhancing staff capability, and ensuring accurate representations within optimization and scheduling models (including gasoline blending). The Advisor brings deep expertise in both the understanding and application of site Scheduling Models for Refinery and Chemical planning, supported by the deployment of advanced digital technologies. They work in close partnership with site E&S teams, P&T Basic Data, Scheduling, Crude, and FPP Excellence Advisors. This role is critical to ensuring the E&S community receives strong, consistent support and to helping sites capture maximum value. The Scheduling Advisor's remit covers the entire EU E&S community, with direct focus on Pernis, Rhineland, the Rotterdam hub, and Moerdijk (as needed). The Advisor also collaborates with peers in North America and the East to maintain a high level of technical competency and to support collective upskilling across regions. What You'll Be Doing Serves as the primary technical authority for the E&S Scheduling tools (currently Aspen APS/Orion), supporting site Scheduling teams in both Scheduling and Blending operations. Provides rapid problem-solving support to practitioners to ensure business continuity, escalating issues to central TBI Optimization Advisors or external vendors when necessary. Deploys new advanced simulation and optimization capabilities, including improved process-plant representations and visualizations within Scheduling tools. Ensures scheduling models remain lean, current, and aligned with PIMS, Orion, and MBO models, while communicating changes across Scheduling and Planning Advisors and EMCs. Supports configuration, maintenance, and development of all existing and new reporting outputs. Provides programming, testing, enhancements, and upkeep for non-IT supported data inputs and Solution reports. Maintains structured best-practice documentation and drives adoption across the E&S community for Scheduling and Blending. Supports effective back casting processes that maintain model health and fidelity across sub models, databases, data tables, model logic, routings, blend rules, and property sets-consistently enabling optimal decision-making by practitioners. Assists in the onboarding and development of new employees, ensuring familiarity with scheduling tools and all relevant FPP work processes. Supports structured margin-improvement initiatives and helps implement recommendations related to Scheduling and Blending capabilities at site level. Ensures accurate and validated data flows from daily baseline interface configurations (PI and LIMS), all movement interfaces, and hourly plant data-enabling reliable 'model accuracy' graphs, including hourly tank inventory snapshots, stream flows/yields, and operating conditions. Manages site database user accounts, including setting up and maintaining user-group model/event permissions. Maintains, programs, and updates the site MDB Pass-through database, including Aspen Tech data queries. What You Bring Bachelor's degree in chemical engineering or a related engineering discipline. Extensive experience with refinery scheduling and blending operations, including hands-on use of Aspen APS/Orion and other Aspen Tech petroleum applications. Strong technical expertise in simulation and optimization tools, with the ability to deploy advanced modelling capabilities and maintain alignment with PIMS, Orion, and MBO models. Proficiency in data management and reporting, including configuring, maintaining, and developing reporting outputs, as well as programming, testing, and enhancing non-IT supported data inputs and solution reports. Experience in maintaining model integrity, including sub-models, databases, logic tables, routing, blend rules, and property sets to ensure high-fidelity planning and scheduling decisions. Ability to diagnose and resolve technical issues quickly, providing rapid support to scheduling practitioners and escalating to central advisors or external vendors when required. Strong documentation and process-standardization skills, with the ability to develop, maintain, and drive adoption of best practices across Scheduling and Blending communities. Experience supporting margin improvement initiatives and implementing enhancements to scheduling and blending capabilities at the site level.
