Refinery Operations Lead — Naphtha & Hydrocarbons

Caliberly; Sharjah; On-site; AED 400,000 - 700,000; Full time

Job summary

Caliberly is seeking a Refinery Manager in the United Arab Emirates to oversee Naphtha distillation and hydrocarbon processing units, ensuring safe, compliant, and efficient operations.

The role requires hands-on leadership of cross-functional teams, extensive refinery experience, and expertise with DCS/PLC systems. You will drive optimization, ensure GMP/HSE adherence, and contribute to maintenance planning and plant turnarounds.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Chemical or Petrochemical Engineering.
• Minimum 15+ years of refinery operations experience.
• Extensive experience with Naphtha distillation and hydrotreater units.
• Proficient with DCS/PLC systems (Yokogawa, Foxboro, Honeywell).
• Strong troubleshooting and process optimization capabilities.
• Leadership of cross-functional teams in a high-pressure refinery.
• Knowledge of HSE standards and GMP practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day operations of Naphtha Distillation Units and hydrocarbon processing units.
• Manage pre-commissioning, commissioning, startup, shutdown, and stabilization.
• Monitor and optimize process parameters, product quality, and yield.
• Drive RCA and operational improvements across refinery streams.
• Supervise and mentor shift engineers, operators, and process teams.
• Ensure HSE, GMP compliance and safety-first culture.
• Support plant revamps, turnarounds, and maintenance planning.
• Oversee tank farm and port operations for Naphtha and chemicals.
• Prepare SOPs, operating manuals, production reports, and audit docs.

Skills

Process optimization

Root cause analysis

Team leadership

HSE compliance

Education

Chemical Engineering

Petrochemical Engineering

Tools

DCS/PLC control systems

Job description

Caliberly is seeking a Refinery Manager in the United Arab Emirates to oversee Naphtha distillation and hydrocarbon processing units, ensuring safe, compliant, and efficient operations.

The role requires hands-on leadership of cross-functional teams, extensive refinery experience, and expertise with DCS/PLC systems. You will drive optimization, ensure GMP/HSE adherence, and contribute to maintenance planning and plant turnarounds.