Lead Operator - Hydrogen Manufacturing Unit

About the Company

Air Products is a global leader in industrial gases with a strong heritage of innovation and operational excellence since 1940. The Blue Hydrogen Industrial Gases (BHIG) joint venture, formed between Saudi Aramco and Air Products Qudra, focuses on advancing clean energy through low-carbon hydrogen production in Saudi Arabia and the region.

Role Overview

The HYCO Lead Operator, under the HYCO Shift Supervisor, is responsible for daily Distributed Control System (DCS) and field operations of the hydrogen production facility. The role ensures safe, stable, and efficient operation of the Hydrogen Manufacturing Unit via centralized control room management to meet production targets, quality standards, and environmental compliance. The Lead Operator also supports performance optimization, handles preventative maintenance tasks, assists maintenance and engineering teams during corrective maintenance, and assumes Shift Lead duties during the supervisor's absence.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain a safe, stable working environment by strictly adhering to company and industry safety procedures including Safe Work Permits, Lock-out Tag-out, and management of change protocols.
• Respond promptly to process emergencies, follow emergency procedures, and direct field operators including initiating plant trips if necessary.
• Monitor and manage Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS), Fire and Gas Systems, environmental emissions, and waste streams ensuring regulatory compliance.
• Operate the Steam Methane Reformer (SMR) hydrogen plant and related units such as CO2 removal, CO2 compression, PSA, membrane units, and utilities per prescribed work instructions.
• Manage pipeline networks supplying hydrogen, steam, and CO2 to customers safely and efficiently.
• Report production status and suggest improvements to the Shift Supervisor to meet safety, reliability, and profitability goals.
• Ensure compliance with BHIG standards and global best practices for environmental, health, and safety (EH&S), productivity, reliability, and quality.
• Maintain customer communications and meet customer requirements on safety, product quality, and supply flexibility including coordination with refinery units for feedstock and product transfer.
• Use DCS systems to continually monitor process variables like flow, temperature, pressure, level, and analytics, adjusting control loops and setpoints to maintain stable operations.
• Utilize historical data and trends for predicting equipment performance issues and preventing failures.
• Lead start-up and commissioning activities for the plant or individual units ensuring smooth, safe transitions from cold, warm, or hot standby states to full operational load.
• Coordinate closely with field operators, maintenance, and engineering teams for equipment isolation, purging, maintenance, and returning equipment to service.
• Conduct thorough shift handovers, maintaining accurate logs and reports on operating conditions, events, and production data.
• Identify root causes of process deviations and collaborate with engineers implementing sustainable resolutions.
• Contribute to continuous operational improvements, debottlenecking, shutdown, and turnaround planning.
• Coach and motivate field operations personnel to achieve operational excellence and customer satisfaction.
• Support investigations and root cause analyses, implement corrective actions and comply with process safety and management of change (MOC) requirements.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related Chemical Process Operations with 10 years of experience preferred; Associate Technical Degree with sufficient experience considered.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience as Lead DCS Operator, specifically in Steam Methane Reformer (SMR)-based hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, or syngas plants.
• Proficient with Distributed Control Systems platforms such as Yokogawa Centum VP and Siemens PCS 7.
• Strong technical background in chemical engineering principles, thermodynamics, process control, and operations, engineering, and maintenance coordination.
• Ability to maintain high situational awareness, sound judgment under pressure, strong problem-solving, and diagnostic skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, capable of liaising with customers at senior levels and between operations and maintenance teams.
• Dedicated to team building, employee involvement, and fostering diversity in the workplace.

Additional Information

This is a full-time, onsite role based in Jubail, Eastern Saudi Arabia, offering an opportunity to contribute towards a cleaner energy future in a cutting-edge hydrogen production environment.