Refinery Scheduler

ASTER CHEMICALS AND ENERGY PTE. LTD.; Singapore; On-site; SGD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading chemicals and energy company in Singapore is seeking an experienced scheduling professional for refinery operations. The ideal candidate has a degree in Chemical Engineering and at least 5 years of experience in production planning and scheduling. Responsibilities include developing and executing refinery schedules, ensuring operational alignment, and maintaining data integrity. Strong analytical skills and the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment are essential.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience in refinery operations or production planning.
• Strong understanding of refinery processes and scheduling fundamentals.
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the refinery and ECC schedule.
• Schedule jetties and pipeline transfers for crude and product.
• Conduct daily analysis of deviations between scheduled plans and actual performance.
• Coordinate adjustments to mitigate unplanned disruptions.
• Work cross-functionally with various teams to ensure operational alignment.

Skills

Numerical capability

Analytical skills

Problem-solving

Schedule discipline

Attention to detail

Cross-functional coordination

Conflict resolution

Communication

Influencing skills

Education

Degree in Chemical Engineering

Tools

AspenTech Orion

Job description

Job Descriptions:

1. Integrated Refinery & ECC Scheduling

• Develop, optimise and execute the refinery and Ethylene Cracker Complex (ECC) schedule in alignment with the Economist, Economist and Scheduling (E&S) team and operational requirements.
• Perform Production Unit (PU) scheduling using AspenTech Orion and provide clear unit steers, guidelines and issue escalation.
• Optimise product blending, ensuring commitments, quality specifications and stock targets are met.
• Ensure day-to-day blend matrices and Oil Movements instructions comply with the overall Production Plan.
• Monitor schedule adherence, track execution progress and perform timely rescheduling when required.

2. Logistics, Movements & Stock Coordination

• Schedule jetties and pipeline transfers for crude and product loading/discharge in accordance with nominations and operational readiness.
• Ensure timely product availability while minimising delays, demurrage exposure, interface losses and suboptimal logistics utilisation.
• Collaborate closely with Supply & Distribution and Oil Movements to maintain smooth coordination of shipments and internal transfers.

3. Schedule Quality, Analysis & Continuous Improvement

• Maintain a high-quality schedule that reflects real operational constraints, dependencies, and resource considerations.
• Conduct daily analysis of deviations between scheduled plans and actual performance; drive corrective actions with accountable parties.
• Support mass-balance integrity and data accuracy with Finance and Economist Model Coordinator (EMC).
• Maintain strong discipline in schedule updates, data quality and system traceability.
• Identify opportunities to improve blending efficiency, logistics utilisation and unit stability through enhanced scheduling practices.

4. Operational Alignment & Issue Management

• Coordinate adjustments to mitigate unplanned disruptions while preserving safe and stable operations.
• Ensure schedule changes are timely, clear and well-communicated across relevant stakeholders.
• Contribute to refinery readiness during planned maintenance periods by ensuring accurate forward planning and product availability.

5. Stakeholder Collaboration

• Work cross-functionally with Operations, Product Quality, Oil Movements, Maintenance, EMC, S&D and other manufacturing teams.
• Facilitate alignment on constraints, priorities, stock positions and quality requirements.
• Influence decision-making by presenting clear schedule insights, risks and value optimisation opportunities.

Job Requirements

• Degree in Chemical Engineering preferred; other relevant engineering disciplines may be considered.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in refinery operations, production planning, product quality, supply & distribution or oil movements.
• Strong numerical, analytical and problem-solving capability with high technical aptitude.
• Strong schedule discipline, attention to detail and a solid data-integrity mindset.
• Ability to manage operational constraints, competing priorities and incomplete information in a fast-paced environment.
• Good understanding of refinery processes, blending, logistics, stock management and scheduling fundamentals.
• Skilled in cross-functional coordination, conflict resolution, communication and influencing at all levels.
• Experience with scheduling or planning systems (e.g., AspenTech Orion or equivalent tools) is an advantage.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain schedule stability, ensure alignment with stakeholders and respond effectively to operational changes.