Plant and Value Chain Optimization Director
Salary Range: $163,675 per year
Location: 1500 N. 19th Street, Suite 501, Monroe, LA 71201 and various unanticipated locations
Travel primarily to Drax operating sites within the US and Canada (approximately 20-50% of time), with occasional global travel.
Ready to be at the heart of a zero-carbon energy future?
Why join Drax?
At Drax, we’re not just generating power; we’re transforming it. We’re a diverse and committed team, working together to create a brighter, more sustainable future. When you join us, you’ll find:
- A Clear Purpose: Be part of a company at the forefront of sustainable energy, making a real difference for the planet and our communities.
- Growth Opportunities: We believe in developing our people.
- Comprehensive Benefits: From day one, you’ll receive competitive wages, comprehensive health and dental benefits, and an RRSP matching plan to support your financial goals. You’ll also participate in a company bonus plan that rewards overall Drax performance and safety.
- A Supportive Team: Work in an environment where continuous learning is encouraged, and your contributions are valued. We’re a ‘can-do’ kind of place, empowering you to make informed decisions and do the right thing.
Your Day-to-Day as a Director of Plant and Value Chain Optimization.
Responsibilities:
- Coordinate with North American operations staff and core services to advance low and no capital opportunities to make business improvements through effective modelling and debottlenecking.
- Work with stakeholders inside Drax to scope new opportunities, quantify potential value, and identify concepts ready for development toward implementation.
- Engage commercial partners, contractors, public institutions, and other external stakeholders to forge relationships and terms in support of the commercial or technical requirements for implementation of new technology.
- Create and manage scope for small scale tests of implementing new technology at North American assets to debottleneck or improve existing processes.
- Coordinate cross functional groups to create valuable products harnessing the power of new data streams and measurement technologies toward meaningful business improvement.
- Help identify means of reducing cost and improving efficiency at DBI assets, which is critical to Drax achieving its purpose of enabling a zero carbon lower cost energy future.
- Improve the existing DBI business through harnessing benefits of new technology that augments existing operations.
- Provide leadership for implementation of novel solutions to address business challenges through providing vision to diverse stakeholders and creating alignment.
- Evaluate and control spend to stay within existing budgets. Engage Horizon 1 staff to understand needs, pain points, and opportunities across the North American value chain and gain input on technology gaps prevent resolution of challenges.
- Evaluate and identify, with assistance from the Innovation Engineers, new technology to address challenges within North America and unlock value for DBI.
- Scope projects with partners in the business including Horizon 1, Data Analytics, and other Core Services to implement and harness new technology toward process improvements.
- Gain alignment from stakeholders on execution strategy for projects and develop budgets. Coordinate resources as needed to install new technology and harness new data streams.
- Ensure quality of products through continuous feedback from Horizon 1 users and by ensuring quality communication between Horizon and other partners in the business.
- Measure financial benefits of projects and report successes to relevant Drax leadership with concepts for scale out/scale up.
- Work closely alongside the Innovation Senior Leadership Team to ensure awareness of future developments in the marketplace and consider the options to capitalize on them.
- Ensure the most appropriate choices are made which allow Drax to deliver our purpose at greatest value.
- Provide leadership, coaching and direction to other members of the Innovation team.
- This application is for a roving employee who will work at 1500 N. 19th Street, Suite 501, Monroe, LA 71201 and various unanticipated locations.
What you’ll bring:
To excel in this vital role, you’ll need:
- Bachelor’s degree or foreign equivalent in Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering or a related field of study, and three (3) years of experience in a related position in the wood pellet manufacturing or similar industry.
- Work experience or academic coursework must have included: Experience in renewable energy, decarbonization, and process optimization; Process engineering experience in the manufacture of wood pellets, including equipment troubleshooting on common unit operations such as hammermilling, drying, and pelletizing; Project execution and management experience in industrial environments; Experience evaluating, testing, and implementing new technology or process improvements in the field of wood products manufacturing; Experience troubleshooting mechanical equipment with a focus on rotating machinery; Knowledge of operating principles and control schemes for major process operations in wood pellet manufacturing, including rotary drum drying, hammermilling, environmental controls, and pellet mills.
How we act at Drax:
Our culture is built on a few core beliefs that guide everything we do:
- We care about what matters: We support each other to achieve important goals.
- We’re a can-do kind of place: We’re empowered to make informed decisions and do what’s right.
- We see things differently: We share insights, search for new ideas, and innovate.
- We listen carefully: We ensure everyone feels heard and valued.
- We do what we say we’ll do: We are proactive, committed, and reliable.
Ready to make a difference?
Apply today to help Drax discover the talented individuals we need to drive this change. A career at Drax is more than just a job—it’s a chance to make a difference.
Curious to learn more about us? We recommend you connect with us on LinkedIn for more insights.
The Drax Resourcing team will never use third-party apps to make job offers. The recruitment process with Drax will always include at least one face-to-face interview, either in person or via an online video call, as well as several phone conversations. Drax will never ask you to download apps to enter timesheet details or ask you to purchase your own IT equipment. If you have any concerns during your recruitment process or suspect something isn’t right, please contact us via careers@drax.com to verify the application or details of the person you have been speaking to. 
