Senior Planner

Job Title/ Position:   Senior Planner
Reports To:               Head of Planning
Location:                   Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE                             

Job Summary

The Senior planner owns the development of feasible, executable refinery production plans that translate economic optimization into operational reality while protecting margin, process integrity, and schedule stability. The role needs to ensure delivery of stable, executable production plans, while balancing economics and operational constraints, with minimum rework or plan churn. The individual will act as the primary planning authority toward Operations and Scheduling

Key Duties and Responsibilities
1.    Strategic Production Planning & Scheduling (Ownership)
Lead formulation of: 
•    Monthly and rolling production plans
•    Weekly operating targets
Translate economic optimum into feasible, executable plans
Balance: 
•    Unit constraints
•    Inventory limitations
•    Maintenance activities
Own the planning risk register and mitigation actions
2.    Economic–Operational Bridging
Apply economic guidance to: 
•    Feedstock allocation
•    Blending strategies (volume & spec optimization)
Minimize quality giveaway while ensuring market responsiveness
Challenge LP outputs when operationally infeasible (with justification)
3.    Sensitivity & Scenario Support
Support scenario planning by: 
•    Testing operational constraints
•    Evaluating shutdowns, rate changes, feedstock swaps
Provide operational insight into scenario outcomes
4.    Cross Functional Leadership
Primary planning interface with: 
•    Scheduling
•    Operations
•    Maintenance
Lead planning coordination meetings
Mentor Junior Planners

Key Requirements

Education and Work Experience
•    Bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Economics, Finance, or a related quantitative discipline.
•    A Master’s degree, MBA, or relevant professional certification (such as CFA or PMP) is advantageous
•    Minimum of 7-10 years of proven experience in production planning and scheduling within the petroleum, petrochemicals, or refining industries. Experience with large-scale operations and complex production environments is essential. 

Functional Competencies
A Senior Planner combines economic literacy, operational realism, and disciplined judgment to deliver stable, margin protective refinery plans.

Technical Competencies
1.    Refinery Process & Configuration Knowledge
•    Understanding of refinery units, interdependencies, and operating envelopes
•    Ability to identify bottlenecks and rate/yield trade offs
2.    Integrated Production Planning
•    Development of monthly, rolling, and weekly production plans
•    Integration of maintenance, inventory, and logistics constraints
3.    Economic Interpretation (Margin Awareness)
•    Interpretation of LP outputs and marginal economics
•    Identification and mitigation of margin leakage and quality giveaway
4.    LP Output Translation
•    Conversion of economic optimization results into executable plans
•    Structured feedback on infeasible LP recommendations
5.    Scheduling & Logistics Awareness
•    Understanding of tankage, receipts, and lifting constraints
•    Ability to ensure plans are schedulable (without performing scheduling)
6.    Blending & Product Quality Management
•    Knowledge of blend component properties and specs
•    Minimisation of quality giveaway while meeting demand
7.    Scenario & Contingency Planning
•    Evaluation of operational scenarios (rate changes, outages, feedstock swaps)
•    Contribution to sensitivity and “what if” planning
8.    Planning Tools & Data Literacy
•    Proficient use of planning tools, dashboards, and analytical models
•    Strong data integrity and version control discipline

Non Technical Competencies
1.    Decision Discipline & Governance
•    Adherence to planning governance and segregation of duties
•    Appropriate escalation of margin impacting decisions
2.    Cross Functional Collaboration
•    Effective engagement with Operations, Scheduling, Maintenance, and Economics
•    Ability to align stakeholders around a single executable plan
3.    Analytical Judgment & Problem Solving
•    Clear distinction between planning, execution, and market driven variances
•    Practical, risk aware decision making under uncertainty
4.    Communication & Influence
•    Clear articulation of plans, risks, and trade offs to technical and non technical audiences
•    Credible challenge and constructive negotiation
5.    Planning Leadership & Coaching
•    Mentoring of Junior Planners
•    Knowledge transfer and succession readiness