Automation Supervisor

Description

1. JOB DETAILS :

Position Title : Automation Supervisor

Reports to : Automation Engineer

2. JOB PURPOSE :

To manage the day to day operations of the assigned section; organize, troubleshooting tuning, and modification of automation programs in SAS, maintenance, calibration of Fire & gas system, Intercom, Public Address, and siren systems in all plant and related QAPCO vinyl in accordance with overall maintenance plans to ensure the smooth running of all operations to support achievement of optimum plant integrity and reliability and effective upkeep of assets, ensuring adherence to HSEQ guidelines.

3. KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES :

Supervision

Organize and supervise the activities and work of subordinates and contracted manpower to ensure that all work within a specific area of the activity is carried out in an efficient manner which is consistent with operating procedures and policy.

Ensure RC 14001 awareness is maintained within the section.

Provide on-the-job training and constructive feedback to subordinates to support their overall development.

Participate in the development and training of Qatari trainees.

Train Production and Instrument staff on understanding and interpreting complex control schemes and automated control sequences.

Coach and train Production staff so that they can operate the plant safely and efficiently via SAS

Budgets and Plans

Monitor the financial performance of a given area of activity versus budgets so that areas of unsatisfactory performance are identified and rectified promptly, and potential performance improvement opportunities are capitalized upon.

Participate in identifying and planning for resources, material / equipment required for any automation maintenance and management activities for the assigned shift according to preventive maintenance schedule, work requisitions or notifications in urgent and emergency situations and coordinate for the timely availability of all requirements.

Carry out effective day to day scheduling of works and necessary resources while assigning and reviewing work performed by technicians to ensure adherence to defined operational requirements and quality standards.

Management of Shift Maintenance Operations

Supervise the day-to-day maintenance activities of and manage all maintenance activities for automation processes, systems, and programs, ensuring they are executed in a safe and efficient manner so that the operational area meets customer demands.

Plan, organize and monitor preventive maintenance, scheduled overhauls, break down and major repair activities to facilitate optimum functionality of equipment as per defined quality standards.

Maintain, troubleshoot, and calibrate all automation equipment, systems and programs to ensure the smooth and trouble-free operation of such equipment in the plant and all related facilities.

Modify automation systems and programs including fire & gas system, Intercom, Public Address & siren system that need to be upgraded to prevent obsolescence.

Review all current processes and procedures ensuring their optimization, implementing changes as necessary in collaboration with Engineer and Automation Engineer.

Assigned maintenance area of work to coordinate the shift general activities and makeshift wide decisions in line with defined delegation of authority levels.

Liaise closely with supervisors of other section to ensure proper coordination of maintenance and operation activities.

Coordinate with the plant operation & other maintenance team for thorough preparation of equipment to be maintained / repaired and ensures safe working conditions for subordinates while following up on the equipment handover and its start-up after repairs to facilitate internal customer satisfaction and to support uninterrupted operations.

Address issues escalated up from more junior staff, resolving where possible to achieve continuous operations and targeted productivity as per defined quality standards.

Represent work area in operational, maintenance, quality, HSE meetings, providing advice and support to other departments to ensure that activities are effectively and safely executed. Carry out timely resolution of escalated maintenance issues in coordination with internal stakeholder.

Optimize maintenance operations, using best available tools and procedures in order to maximize equipment availability.

Inspect, test, and validate the condition of equipment upon completion of repairs to confirm readiness and compliance to quality standards.

Ensure seamless communication across and updating self of the status of plant requirements while managing resources for timely availability of �on-call� duty to support uninterrupted operations and manage emergency maintenance requirements.

Perform site inspections on regular basis to follow-up on work progress of all automation engineering aspects ensuring that work progress is carried out as per approved work schedule, and that appropriate resources are allocated as per the contractual agreement while highlighting any non-conformances to the Engineer for prompt action.

Supervise the effective execution of all shift maintenance activities for the assigned area including planned unit shutdowns and major general shutdowns and execute them according to schedules ensuring efficient, safe and timely completion of all jobs while reporting any deviations to the Engineer for action.

Review and analyze equipment maintenance data and cost to ensure high quality and cost optimization.

Participate in the investigation and specification of modifications to existing systems; assist the Engineer in the preparation of preliminary submissions including technical specifications and materials for modifications together with accompanying drawings, process diagrams and cost estimates.

Ensure that all maintenance documentation for the assigned area is completed correctly including the Maintenance Log, outlining the fault, method of repair and the time, labor and materials used to support timely availability of information.

Support Electrical and Automation Section in implementing APC (Advanced Process Control) and Alarm Management Systems.

Assist the staff engineers in identifying and reviewing required spare parts in order to keep up the plant regularity and to ensure that the spare part level is correct from a technical and economical point of view.

Software Management

Develop web-based HTML graphics in DCS and ESD systems to support enhanced view of plant process.

Assist Production staff in understanding and operating DCS system, whenever desired so.

Identify, review, and obtain third party application software and tools which could improve the trouble shooting capability and performance benchmark of DCS system.

System Administration

Follow up with the shift personnel on the effective administration of SAP processes within the assigned Maintenance Section and adherence to SAP guidelines in all related aspects of scheduling, master data management, (reviewing breakdown, corrective maintenance notification, creating the maintenance work orders and planning etc.) in order to ensure system / data integrity in line with defined QAPCO vinyl standards.

Networking

Represent QAPCO vinyl externally with customers and stakeholders in all technical meetings to handle any escalated technical matters.

Continuous Improvement

Contribute to the identification of opportunities for continuous improvement of systems, processes and practices taking into account �global best practices,� improvement of business processes, cost reduction and productivity improvement.

Policies, Systems, Processes & Procedures

Provide inputs and implement departmental policies, systems, and procedure across the plant so that all relevant procedural / legislative requirements, fulfilled while delivering a quality, cost-effective service.

Quality, Health, Safety & Environment (Including RC 14001)

Ensure compliance to all relevant quality, health, safety and environmental management procedures and controls to guarantee employee safety, compliance, delivery of high-quality products / service and a responsible environmental attitude.

Collaborate with HSE and Quality on related issues such as process safety, maintaining and updating system documentation and continuous improvement systems, etc. to achieve and exceed target standards.

Lead and ensure the safe storage and disposal of replaced spares in accord with established HSEQ standards and guidelines.

Participate in JSA, HAZOP, What if Analysis, SIL evaluation, Area classification, and other similar studies.

Supervise and co-ordinate according to relevant procedures activities during any emergency situations which may arise to facilitate optimum protection of QAPCO resources in line with defined HSEQ policies and procedures.

Statements and Reports

Supervise and provide inputs in the preparation of timely and accurate departmental statements and reports to business coordination unit to meet QAPCO vinyl and department requirements, policies and standards.

Manage the recording and reporting of work completion of shift, job status and other required data to Management and Operations to facilitate strategic decision making.

Related Assignments

Perform other related duties or assignments as directed.

4. COMMUNICATIONS & WORKING RELATIONSHIPS :

Internal :

Department head

Operations

Production

Maintenance teams

Materials and Inventory

Shift Staff

External : Contractors

Vendors

Service providers

Consultants

5. CONTEXT & WORK ENVIRONMENT :

The Auto. Supervisor reports to the Automation Engineer and confers with the latter on critical and strategic issues.

The jobholder is expected to plan day-to-day operations and coordinate the repairs and maintenance of all automation equipment, systems, and processes for the assigned section for QAPCO vinyl for the effective maintenance of plant and equipment ensuring adherence with international best practices, HSEQ standards and local laws and regulations.

6. DECISION MAKING AUTHORITY :

Key decisions having significant impact on the Automation Supervisor functions are referred to the Automation Engineer for approval before implementation.

The jobholder exercises financial authority as per the level established by QAPCO management.

7. QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE & SKILLS :

Minimum Qualifications :

Higher National Diploma in Instrument / Automation Engineering or a relevant technical discipline

Minimum Experience :

8 years of instrumentation and automation experience in Petrochemical or Oil and Gas sector with 2 years of automation supervisory experience

Job-Specific Skills (Generic / Technical) :

Knowledge of automation engineering and state of the art industrial automation programs

Knowledge of downtime analysis and good knowledge of problem-solving tools

Knowledge of maintenance management methods, of predictive inspection tools and of SAP system (good knowledge of SAP Template desirable).

Knowledge of preventative / predictive maintenance theory

Mentoring, coaching and people management skills.

Knowledge of the operations in petrochemical plants and of QAPCO (CSS / EDC / VCM) operations and products

Employee relations skills

IT proficiency

Health, Safety, and Security Management skills

Strong planning, organizing, and integration skills

High level of integrity

Meticulous attention to detail

Conceptual and analytical skills

Achievement orientation and result oriented skills

Time management skills

Customer orientation skills

Decision making and problem-solving skills

Inventory management skills

Interpersonal, relationship building, negotiations, verbal and written communication skills