Plant Manager Biogas Full Time

Plant Manager Biogas. We are seeking an experienced Plant Manager with a GCC (General Machinery Regulations 2.1) for the Bronkhorstspruit Biogas 4.6MW Plant near Pretoria.

The plant is the first commercially viable biogas project in South Africa and is located in Bronkhorstspruit in the Tshwane Metropolitan area, a 40 min drive from Johannesburg or Pretoria. The Bronkhortspruit Biogas Plant is a waste-to-energy project which utilises biomass wastes in the Gauteng area and sells power to the BMW factory by wheeling over the local municipal and Eskom networks.

The plant became operational in 2015.Required qualifications & experience:

• Bachelor degree (BSc or BTech) or National Higher Diploma in mechanical or electrical engineering.Government Certificate of Competence (GCC).5+ years experience in an industrial environment which includes a power generation facility of at least 3MW.5+ years experience in managing staff in a production environment.Knowledgeable about Environmental Management Programmes, Environmental legislation and HSSE regulations and legislation.

Summary:

• The Plant Manager is responsible for the general supervision and compliance of all phases of plant operations including: Staff management; production; quality control; maintenance; CAPEX; OPEX; Health, Safety and Environment. Responsibilities also include recruiting, hiring and training personnel and facility/physical plant up-keep and capital improvements. In addition, the Plant Manager is responsible for annual budget planning and execution. He/she is responsible to maintain staff accountability, increase productivity and profitability within the production of the gas and power

.The following activities are relevant:

• People and general management – • Provide leadership for the successful day-to-day operation of the facility
• Through first-line subordinates, supervises operations or maintenance employees in the production of power from biogas.
• Plan and schedule plant activities such as feedstock deliveries, digestate removal, and regular maintenance.
• Ensure that waste deliveries and clean-ups are done within the environmental parameters as set out in the EMPr and authorised legislative permits.

• Ensure that all contractors arriving on site adhere to the HSSE requirements on the BBP site.
• Work with the laboratory to ensure consistency in blended feedstocks, biology of the AD system, quality of digestate and optimization in the production and quality of the gas.
• Supervise biogas plant operations, maintenance, repair, or testing activities.
• Prepare annual training and development plans for management approval, and ensure that staff are sufficiently trained to be competent in their roles.
• Ensure that staff perform competently and diligently and take appropriate management action in cases of deviations.
• Ensure that staff are held accountable to their line of work.
• Coordinate the hiring and training of all manufacturing personnel in conjunction with the site supervisor.
• Analyze workforce training requirements.
• Conduct performance appraisals and provide coaching and guidance to all operations employees.
• Encourage and promote operating in a continuous improvement environment.
• Remove production constraints; allocate human and equipment resources and direct plant employees to attain all established goals.
• Communicate with research and development as well as product management personnel to develop new production strategies.
• Work with all personnel to ensure that future projects are correctly designed and specified.
• Assist with the BBP Learnership programme to mentoring young engineers on site and providing and overseeing their practical training on site.
• The Plant Manager will be responsible for all service providers and contractors on site.

Biogas and power generation:

• Provide and enforce procedures to start, stop, or regulate biogas-fueled generators, and to shut down and restart biogas power plants or equipment in emergency situations or for equipment maintenance, repairs, or replacements.
• Adjust equipment controls to generate specified amounts of electrical power.
• Inspect biogas gasification processes, equipment, tools and facilities for ways to maximize capacity and minimize operating costs.
• Review logs, datasheets, or reports to ensure adequate production levels and safe production environments or to identify abnormalities with power production equipment or processes.
• Monitor the operating status of the biogas plant by observing control system parameters, SCADA system, HMI’s, gauges or other indicators.
• Evaluate power production or demand trends to identify opportunities for improved operations.
• Work with the laboratory to ensure consistency in blended feedstocks, biology of the AD system, quality of digestate and optimization in the production and quality of the gas.
• Work closely with quality personnel to review production consistency while monitoring gas loss rates to determine trends and areas of improvement.
• Remove waste and constraints from the production process to improve efficiencies and enhance productivity.

Asset maintenance:

• Introduce and maintain a solid, Planned Preventative Maintenance System.
• Devise maintenance plans and procedures for waste handling equipment, biogas plant, CHP engines, generators, balance of plant, electrical infrastructure, etc.
• Implement maintenance plans and procedures through own technical staff or specialist contractors
• Ensure the highest standards of equipment uptime with due consideration of maintenance costs.
• Test, maintain, or repair waste handling equipment, biogas plant, CHP engines, generators, balance of plant, electrical power distribution machinery and equipment, using own technical staff or specialist contractors.
• Equip and maintain the maintenance workshop to allow for maintenance activities to be performed in-house.
• Manage parts and supply inventories for BBP.
• Maintain Inventory levels for critical maintenance spares.

Budgeting and cost control:

• Prepare and manage biogas plant maintenance and operating budgets, for management approval by following the BBP Procurement Protocols and Policy.
• Control expenditure such that maintenance budgets are not exceeded, except with management approval.
• Monitor operation expenses and research ways to reduce costs while maintaining gas production levels and gas quality.
• Develop and execute the plant budgets.
• Work with purchasing manager to develop and improve supplier relationships.
• Create purchase orders for Purchasing Manager to place orders.

Reporting:

• Compile and record operational data on forms or in log books.
• Prepare daily, weekly, monthly and annual reports on biogas plant operations, power generation, equipment downtime, maintenance, HSSE matters and other information.
• Prepare monthly cost reports.
• Prepare management reports as required.

Safety, health and the environment:

• Working with the HSSE Manager, ensure that the highest levels of safety, health and environmental compliance are maintained.
• Take prompt and appropriate action in the event of incidents, and ensure thorough investigations are carried out in accordance with best practices.
• Ensure knowledge of and implementation of the Emergency Preparedness Plan takes place.
• Work closely with the HSSE Manager and ECO to ensure all members of the manufacturing team are aware of safety and environmental policies to provide a safe and sustainable workplace for the employees.
• Maintain the present safety record of zero fatalities.
• In conjunction with the HSSE Manager maintain and support a superior safety and housekeeping program, including all timely communication initiatives.
• Maintain a log of all HSSE audits for the year to be fully prepared before an audit takes place.
• Implement and correct HSSE audit findings timeously.
• Ensure as far as possible that environmentally friendly biodegradable products are purchased for Clean-ups and housekeeping.

Compliance:

• Review biogas operations performance to ensure compliance with regulatory Environmental and Health and Safety requirements.
• Ensure that equipment at all times complies with statutory requirements.

Community liaison:

Act as BBP community liaison and ensure that good community relationships are maintained by responding with professionalism and promptly to any issues that may arise.

Application Process:

Please send your Resume & Dedicated Motivational letter quoting the vacancy reference no:MJ1784 to macey.johnson@shawenergyltd.com