Planning & Optimization Advisor/Engineer

Marathon Petroleum Corporation; Detroit (MI); On-site; USD 123,000 - 212,000; Full time

Job summary

Marathon Petroleum Corporation is seeking a Planning & Optimization Advisor/Engineer to support regional and refinery planning and optimization activities. The role focuses on backcasting, optimization modeling, and LP submodel development to improve refinery performance.

The ideal candidate will have strong analytical skills, a passion for optimization, and the ability to translate data into actionable strategies across Operations, Commercial, and Logistics teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering required; other fields may be considered with five (5) years of refinery planning, optimization, value chain, operations, commercial, logistics or related experience.
• Four (4) years of refinery planning, optimization, value chain analysis, operations, commercial, logistics, or related experience required.

Responsibilities

• Develops and optimizes short-term, mid-term, and lookback plans using LP models to maximize refinery performance.
• Manages refinery forecasting and planning activities, aligning with capabilities and market conditions.
• Maintains and enhances LP models by validating assumptions and improving accuracy.
• Identifies constraints and opportunities, developing optimization strategies for performance gains.
• Performs scenario and sensitivity analyses to evaluate market and operational impacts.
• Partners with Operations, Commercial, Logistics, and Planning teams to align plans across horizons.

Skills

Analytical Thinking

Building Partnerships

Business Acumen

Commodity Market Analysis

Decision Support Analytics

Stakeholder Engagement

Systems Thinking

Integrated Planning & Optimization

Data Analysis

Scenario Planning

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Job description

Findlay, Ohio

Canton, Ohio

Catlettsburg, Kentucky

St Paul Park, Minnesota

Mandan, North Dakota

Robinson, Illinois

Detroit, Michigan

Full time

00024518

An exciting career awaits you

At MPC, we’re committed to being a great place to work - one that welcomes new ideas, encourages diverse perspectives, develops our people, and fosters a collaborative team environment.

Position Summary

Value Chain Optimization (VCO) is seeking a motivated and dynamic Planning & Optimization Advisor/Engineer to support regional and refinery planning and optimization activities. This role will contribute to regional and refinery backcasting, optimization modeling, and LP submodel development and maintenance. The ideal candidate brings strong analytical capability, a solid interest in optimization and planning methodologies, and the ability to work effectively across teams. Success in this role requires strong organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills, along with the ability to translate complex analytical insights into actionable outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Develops and optimizes short-term, mid-term, and lookback plans using local, regional and cross-regional LP models to maximize refinery and value chain performance.
• Manages refinery forecasting and planning activities independently, ensuring plans remain aligned with operational capabilities, market conditions, and business objectives.
• Maintains and enhances LP models by validating assumptions, modifying constraints, and improving model accuracy to reflect refinery operating realities.
• Identifies emerging constraints and value opportunities and develops optimization strategies to improve refinery and value chain performance and operational results.
• Performs scenario and sensitivity analyses to evaluate impacts of changing market conditions, operational constraints, disruptions, and strategic initiatives.
• Integrates historical performance reviews, backcast analyses, and scenario evaluations to improve forecasting accuracy and planning effectiveness.
• Partners with Operations, Commercial, Logistics, and Planning teams to align plans across planning horizons, refineries and regions and supports execution of operating strategies.
• Leads planning studies and optimization projects independently while providing technical guidance to less experienced advisors.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering required. A Bachelor's degree in another field may be considered with five (5) years of experience in refinery planning, optimization, value chain, operations, commercial, logistics or related technical experience required.
• Four (4) years of refinery planning, optimization, value chain analysis, operations, commercial, logistics, or related experience required.

Skills

• Analytical Thinking: Strong problem-solving skills to identify architectural challenges, analyze requirements, evaluate options, and propose effective solutions
• Building Partnerships: Developing and leveraging relationships within and across work groups to achieve results.
• Business Acumen: Applies knowledge of MPC's business, industry and the marketplace to advance the organization’s goals. Makes decisions and recommendations clearly linked to MPC’s strategy.
• Business Domain Knowledge: Understanding of business processes, industry trends, and market dynamics to provide relevant and actionable insights for strategic decision-making.
• Commodity Market Analysis: Applies knowledge of commodity markets, price dynamics, and supply-demand fundamentals to inform planning, optimization, and commercial decision-making.
• Continuous Improvement Mindset: Identifies and leads opportunities for continuous improvement and value creation, both incremental and largescale.
• Data Analysis: Data Analysis is the process of identifying, evaluating, interpreting and organizing data so that it can be used for business decisions. It includes sorting through data to identify patterns and establish relationships.
• Decision Support Analytics: Leverages analytics, reporting, and decision frameworks to generate insights, evaluate alternatives, and support informed, data-driven decision-making.
• Influencing Others: The ability to garner support for initiatives by gaining the respect of others and inspiring trust and confidence.
• Integrated Planning & Optimization: Designs and manages integrated planning processes that align supply, demand, and operational constraints to optimize value across the enterprise value chain.
• Metrics Management: The process of monitoring performance indicators that demonstrate how effectively a unit/ business/ function/ company is achieving key objectives.
• Optimization Modeling: Applies optimization models and quantitative techniques to evaluate scenarios, improve system performance, and support complex operational and commercial decisions
• Scenario Planning: Design and evaluate alternative future states to stress-test strategies and inform resilient decision-making.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Build alignment across internal and external stakeholders to support shared objectives.
• Systems Thinking: The ability to analyze complex systems and understand their interdependencies, considering both technical and business aspects, to develop comprehensive and scalable architectures.

As an energy industry leader, our career opportunities fuel personal and professional growth.

Location:

Findlay, Ohio

Job Requisition ID:

00024518

Pay Min/Max:

$122,900.00 - $212,000.00 Salary

Grade:

12 - 13

Location Address:

539 S Main St

Additional locations:

Canton, Ohio, Catlettsburg, Kentucky, Detroit, Michigan, Mandan, North Dakota, Robinson, Illinois, St Paul Park, Minnesota

Employee Group:

Full time

Employee Subgroup:

Regular

Marathon Petroleum Company LP is an Equal Opportunity Employer and gives consideration for employment to qualified applicants without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, reproductive health decision-making, age, mental or physical disability, medical condition or AIDS/HIV status, ancestry, national origin, genetic information, military, veteran status, marital status, citizenship or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

If you would like more information about your EEO rights as an applicant, click here (https://marathonpetroleum.brandextract.com/staged/marathonpetroleum.com/content/documents/Jobs_/Department_of_Labor_EEOC_.pdf).

If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process at Marathon Petroleum LP, please contact our Human Resources Department at [e-mail].

Equal Opportunity Employer: Veteran / Disability.

Please specify the reasonable accommodation you are requesting, along with the job posting number in which you may be interested. A Human Resources representative will review your request and contact you to discuss a reasonable accommodation.

Marathon Petroleum offers a total rewards program which includes, but is not limited to, access to health, vision, and dental insurance, paid time off, 401k matching program, paid parental leave, and educational reimbursement. Detailed benefit information is available at mympcbenefits.com. The hired candidate will also be eligible for a discretionary company-sponsored annual bonus program.

We will consider all qualified Applicants for employment, including those with arrest or conviction records, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws. In reviewing criminal history in connection with a conditional offer of employment, Marathon will consider the key responsibilities of the role.

About Marathon Petroleum Corporation

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) is a leading, integrated, downstream energy company headquartered in Findlay, Ohio. The company operates the nation's largest refining system. MPC's marketing system includes branded locations across the United States, including Marathon brand retail outlets. MPC also owns the general partner and majority limited partner interest in MPLX LP, a midstream company that owns and operates gathering, processing, and fractionation assets, as well as crude oil and light product transportation and logistics infrastructure.