Research and Development is responsible for creating and improving products and technologies to enable the profitable conversion of organic wastes into valuable byproducts. We take ideas from the whiteboard to the factory floor; as a team we are involved in ideation and design, product testing, trialing and transfer of technology into Operations.
In the R&D Improve team, we focus on developing our existing product lines and improving volume, quality and cost with process and product changes.
The Opportunity
Sanergy has just finished construction of a large scale waste treatment facility capable of converting organic wastes into insect protein, organic fertilizer and briquettes. We have been able to successfully produce briquettes that can be used by industrial boilers to replace traditional solid fuel products. We are now looking for ways to optimise to provide the best value product for our customers while hitting target formulation costs and performance.
Role Mission
Sanergy aims to rapidly scale it’s briquetting product line, at a positive margin while maintaining product performance. This role will support that ambition by acting as the owner of all technical product development of briquettes. The role-holder will work closely with Operations and Engineering Support teams to deliver formulation and process changes, as well as with sales teams to ensure product quality meets customer expectations.
Key duties and responsibilities
Project management
Lead R&D projects for the briquettes product line, including formulation and process development
Work with R&D manager to develop project scope, timeline, budget and risk management plan
Develop and maintain a detailed short term plan on a rolling 4-6 week horizon
Develop and maintain, with support from the R&D Manager, a rough-cut medium term plan on a rolling 3 month horizon
Coordinate and deliver high-quality work packages to an agreed timeline
Coordinate cross-functionally for the successful implementation of the project in the factory
Inputs into stakeholder management through stakeholder engagement, interviews, presentations and updates, for all projects
Input to project learnings and evaluation documents
Requests resources or support where project progress is slowing or roadblocked
Product and process development
Responsible for improving profitability and product quality for briquettes
Owns, prioritises and updates pool of hypotheses in briquetting
Conduct regular literature reviews, competition/peer engagements and process data reviews to remain up to date in briquetting and solid fuels technology, and generate further research leads
Conduct bench scale research to determine feasibility of new project ideas
Conduct pilot scale research to determine feasibility of technology at larger scale and capability
Land new specifications in factory, with complete handover documentation and training for Operations team
Execute research that supports the continuous improvement of existing processes
Responsible for owning and developing specifications for products and processes
Perform cost/benefit analyses to determine marginal profitability of improvements
Execution of trials
Leads design, execution and analysis of trials in technical workstreams
Ensures relevant stakeholders are involved in trials, including preparation, execution, wind-down and communication of results
Prepares trial protocols
Plans and coordinates resource allocation for trials
Coordinates Research Assistants, Trial Associates and R&D Operators to execute trials
Coordinate trial execution, data collection, logistics, wind down and analysis
Completes trial reports that are easy to read, thorough, and up-to-date
Present findings in post-mortems that draw sound conclusions and make clear recommendations
Use general analytical and statistical (quantitative and qualitative) approaches to analyze experimental data to arrive at logical conclusions making use of appropriate tools and procedures
Develops new methods, with support from R&D Analysts and R&D Manager, if appropriate
Systems and processes
Proactively identifies and escalates issues in trial and R&D processes that reduce the quality of work and speed of execution
Resolves assigned issues on time, in full
Quality support
R&D representative for RCAs focused on process and product issues in briquetting
Support Quality improvement projects in briquetting
Operations support
Supports resolution of formulation and specification related issues
Proctively reviews Operational performance data relevant to briquettes
Initiates and supports investigations in briquetting for Operations and R&D trials
Actively interact with the Operations team to identify issues in production early for mitigation measures
Professional development
Initiate, attend and contribute to update discussions (with the project and team lead)
Initiate feedback discussions with team lead & stakeholders
Identify own professional development needs and seeks opportunities/executes agreed actions, including training, coaching, mentoring and workplace activities
Initiate development discussions with team lead and skip level management
Initiate and lead prioritization discussions
Maintains personal development plan with support from R&D Manager
Team development
Provides regular feedback to reports, peers and managers
Identifies issues with team and process and proposes solutions
Share subject matter knowledge with R&D team members by taking part in brain-storming sessions as requested
Participates in team culture activities
Who are we looking for?
Skills, Qualifications & Experience
Degree in Science- or Engineering-related field
Highly preferable: experience with briquettes and other solid fuels, ideally from waste sources
Proficiency with Office suite tools or equivalent especially in Excel skills: you have used Excel or an equivalent tool to collect and analyse data, build models
Strong problem-solving skills: you have shown the ability to abstract and solve ambiguous, challenging problems
Effective time management, organizational, and prioritization skills: you have demonstrable ability to manage projects and use basic project management skills
Attention to detail: you have shown that you are thorough, detail-oriented, don’t make assumptions, check and validate yours and others’ work, you catch typos and errors
To apply, please submit a cover letter clearly indicating your available start date (include notice period), your interest in this role, and your resume/CV that includes a list of three referees by 31st March 2021. Please note that applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Apply via :
careers.saner.gy
