Senior Scheduler at Dangote

Job Summary

• The Senior Scheduler is the operational anchor for the refinery scheduling function, ensuring that day-to-day scheduling activities align with strategic production goals set by the Head Scheduling.
• This role supervises the preparation, validation, execution, and adjustment of detailed daily and weekly schedules across multiple units.
• The Senior Scheduler leads troubleshooting during disruptions, ensures robust data integration across systems, provides coaching to Schedulers, and drives compliance with scheduling KPIs, cost targets, and operational safety standards.

Key Duties and Responsibilities
Integrated Scheduling Execution:

• Develop and issue daily, weekly, and rolling production schedules, incorporating updates from operations, maintenance, supply chain, and market data.
• Validate operational readiness for planned runs, feedstock changeovers, product cut changes, and turnaround overlaps.
• Ensure all short-term schedules comply with medium- and long-term plans issued by the Head Scheduling.

Cross-Functional Coordination:

• Facilitate daily production scheduling meetings with unit operations, maintenance planners, process engineers, and supply chain coordinators.
• Liaise with economics/planning to ensure crude blends and product specifications align with margin targets.
• Coordinate with the quality control team to manage product specs within agreed tolerances.

Real-Time Adjustments & Contingency Management:

• Lead rapid response actions during unplanned events (equipment failure, feedstock variation, quality deviations).
• Run contingency scenarios and recommend viable scheduling alternatives to the Head Scheduling.
• Communicate urgent changes to all stakeholders to prevent off-spec production and minimize losses.

System Ownership and Digital Integration:

• Maintain advanced scheduling software (APS, PIMS), ensuring data accuracy, user access control, and troubleshooting.
• Coordinate system upgrades, user training, and software audits with IT and vendors.
• Develop and maintain digital dashboards and reporting templates that monitor plan vs. actual KPIs, downtime, and unit utilization.

Performance Monitoring & KPI Tracking:

• Track and report daily schedule adherence, product yield vs. plan, deviation reasons, and mitigation measures.
• Analyze historical scheduling trends and recommend process improvements to the Head Scheduling.
• Propose improvements to scheduling rules, constraints, and data validation processes.

Documentation, Compliance & Audit Readiness:

• Ensure all scheduling activities comply with operational safety, environmental, and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain clear records of schedules, changes, and approvals for internal and external audits.
• Support compliance reviews, risk assessments, and root cause analyses.

Leadership & Team Development:

• Supervise Schedulers by assigning daily tasks, reviewing their schedules, and providing feedback.
• Organize training sessions and practical coaching on scheduling tools, data entry, scenario analysis, and troubleshooting.
• Support the Head Scheduling in workforce planning, recruitment, and succession planning for the scheduling team.

Stakeholder Communication:

• Escalate significant deviations or scheduling risks to the Head Scheduling with clear impact assessments.
• Prepare concise daily, weekly, and monthly performance summaries for senior refinery leadership.
• Represent the scheduling team during cross-functional planning, risk, and performance review meetings.

Key Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering
• Experience: Minimum 8-10 years in crude refinery operations, scheduling, or planning environment 

Functional Competencies:
Technical Competencies:

• 8+ years of refinery operations/scheduling experience with at least 5 years in a supervisory scheduling or planning role.
• Proven proficiency in APS, PIMS, and ERP data integration.
• Strong understanding of production constraints, crude/product markets, trading economics, and refinery operations.
• Skilled in scenario planning, economic netback analysis, feasibility evaluations, and margin variance tracking.

Non-Technical Competencies:

• Advanced analytical and scenario planning skills.
• Strong leadership, mentoring, and coordination capabilities.
• High attention to detail and compliance mindset.
• Excellent communication and crisis management skills.