Continuous Improvement Engineering Manager
Resume:
Chad D. Jones, P.E.
Louisiana Professional Engineer License 31373
Spanish Fort, AL 36527
*********@*****.***
SUMMARY
Manufacturing leader with over 25 years of progressive experience spanning engineering management, production leadership, business planning, and major capital projects. Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams through ownership transitions, organizational restructuring, and dynamic markets. Recognized for high emotional intelligence and passion around people development, results delivery, and continuous improvement.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Vertex Energy Mobile Refinery (formerly Shell Chemical) Saraland, Alabama
Technology & Engineering Manager July 2023 – present
Key member of the site leadership team, guiding strategic decisions across operations, safety, financial planning, execution, and organizational development. Fostering deep partnerships across production, execution, and business planning groups while also challenging performance across the site.
Leading all technology and engineering functions across a team of 40 staff at a 90,000+ bpd refinery. Span of control includes process engineering, reliability, fixed equipment, rotating equipment, instrumentation & controls, electrical, project development, laboratory, and asset/infrastructure planning for capital and maintenance.
Providing critical leadership through a period of organizational turbulence, including Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, emergence, and significant corporate/site leadership transitions. Ensuring operational continuity, stabilizing morale, and absorbing technical workforce departures during a period of financial and organizational uncertainty.
Mentoring less-experienced supervisors and engineers as they transition into expanded leadership roles, providing guidance, stability, and support during a time of rapid organizational change.
Led engineering teams in successfully reversing and optimizing a prior conversion from hydrocracking to renewable diesel, delivering additional asset capability with improved margin performance, reliability, and operational efficiency.
Production Unit Manager Apr 2021 – June 2023
Owned operational performance of process units, utility systems, and logistical/marine assets across site. Assurance aspects for base operations and execution events included MOC, startup approvals, safety-critical deviations and bypasses, and atypical execution tactics.
Led production staff in crucial unit specialist and coordinator roles. Guided in-role development, key exposure opportunities, and succession planning to sustain and improve group performance.
Collaborated with extended leadership team and individual contributors to drive multi-discipline structure, prioritization, and continuous improvement mindset through base operations, abnormal situations, and organizational transitions.
Steered commissioning efforts, procedural preparation, training, resource allocation, and assurance through asset conversion project to renewables processing capability.
Shell Convent Refinery Convent, Louisiana
Production Excellence Manager Aug 2019 – Mar 2021
Member of Production Leadership Team for the refinery. Led a group of 13 employees across four production teams. Functional accountability for up to ten additional employees as temporary staffing needs dictated. Team deliverables included turnaround planning, project development and execution, and enhanced problem solutions for production-related issues.
Maintained accountability and served as focal point to site and global manufacturing network for Ensure Safe Production work process. Work process consisted of alarm management practices and systems, situational awareness protocols for shift and staff teams, proactive monitoring by production and technical support teams, and delivery of operating plan.
Created a mindset of continuous improvement and sustainability through overhaul of site work process standards with a focus on improved operator utilization, alarm bad actor visualization, improved monitoring of production units, and optimization of work process interfaces.
PetroLogistics Houston, Texas
Process Engineer/Engineering Manager Sep 2018 – Aug 2019
Member of core leadership team for initial commercialization of petrochemical processing technology in a grassroots facility. Evaluated licensor design packages and bridged the significance of design aspects to internal technical/operations team, engineering contractors, and vendors.
Applied design and operational experiences in refinery-based technology to improve licensor design, with focus on reliability improvements, fabrication costs, future maintenance, and operational flexibility.
Assessed heavy-duty fabrication shops via international shop visits. Developed inspection and procurement strategies.
Integrated catalytic section of plant into grassroots site. Addressed design issues and drove decision points regarding staffing, equipment siting, product separation/recovery, utilities, power generation, and infrastructure.
Shell/Motiva Convent Refinery Convent, Louisiana
Margin Improvement Engineer/Business Plan Implementer Aug 2012 – Sep 2018
Economics & Scheduling Plan Implementer: Developed and implemented weekly and daily operating plans to achieve optimal economic performance. Developed hydrocarbon management and contingency plans for unit outages and abnormal situation management. Primary focal point among Business Planning, Production, and balance of refinery on all operating plan parameters.
Flare Solution Development Team Lead: Led multi-discipline team in studying environmental compliance deficiencies, along with successfully recommending and implementing tactical and capital solutions.
Concept Development & Economic Evaluation: Worked with licensors, refinery personnel, and external stakeholders to develop scope, justification, challenge, and refinement of strategic projects.
Valero Energy St. Charles Refinery Norco, Louisiana
Staff Process Engineer/Process Design Engineer Mar 2006 - July 2012
Led technical design and managed process/plant integration for $400MM FCC Unit major projects from conceptual phase through engineering, construction, start-up, and sustained operation. Fulfilled project engineer role in early phases of those projects. Worked closely with a number of groups (Operations/Maintenance/ Environmental/Subject Matter Experts/Major Projects/other refineries) to develop plans and successfully inspect, integrate, and start-up new facilities.
Unit support engineer on grass roots $1.5B Gas Oil Hydrocracker - led final design efforts, equipment inspections, catalyst loading, development of operational documentation, and other pre-commissioning activities in preparation for start-up.
Unit support engineer for Fluid Catalytic Cracking, Alkylation, and Sulfur Recovery Units.
Jacobs Engineering Group (Worley) Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Process Engineer May 2004-Mar 2006
Ford, Bacon, & Davis, LLC Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Project Engineer /Process Engineer July 1999 – May 2004
Eastman Chemical Company Kingsport, Tennessee
Summer Intern / Research Assistant June – Sep 1998
AVEX Electronics Incorporated Huntsville, Alabama
Co-op Process Engineer Jan 1996 - Sep 1997
EDUCATION Auburn University Auburn, Alabama
Bachelor of Chemical Engineering Graduation Date: June 1999
Cumulative GPA: 4.0
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