Control Room Supervisor – HROC

Reporting to: Regional Manager – HROC

Job Purpose:

The Control Room Supervisor is responsible for overall coordination, stability, and performance of plant operations from the control room across all shifts. The role ensures that operators follow standardized practices, respond effectively to process variations, and consistently achieve production, quality, and energy targets. It also acts as the key link between operations, maintenance, automation, and quality teams, driving continuous improvement, environmental sustainability and building a skilled operator team.Occasional travel to the plant sites supported will be required.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Overall Plant Operation Governance (end-to-end)

• Own the control room operating rhythm (shift handovers, priorities, and stability of operations across raw mill, kiln, cooler, cement mills, and dispatch interface).
• Ensure consistent control philosophy across all operators (how setpoints are changed, how alarms are handled, how disturbances are stabilized).
• Coordinate plant-wide response during upsets (kiln instability, mill trips, abnormal emissions, fuel interruptions), ensuring quick recovery and safe operation.
• Validate that Expert Systems are used correctly and consistently to maximize operational benefit

Standardization of Control Practices (SOP ownership)

• Develop, maintain, and enforce SOPs for:
  • Setpoint change rules and authorization levels
  • Alarm response procedures
  • Start-up / shutdown / changeover sequences
  • Quality deviation handling (e.g., LSF/SM/AM drift, Blaine/BET changes, residue shifts)
• Introduce checklists for critical operations (kiln start-up, mill restart, cyclone blockage signs, combustion issues etc.).
• Audit compliance to SOPs and correct deviations.

Process Optimization & Continuous Improvement (supervisory level)

• Set operating targets with production/maintenance/quality (throughput, heat consumption, power, quality KPIs).
• Drive optimization initiatives using trend analysis and best practices:
  • Reduce energy consumption (kWh/t cement, kcal/kg clinker)
  • Improve kiln stability (free lime control, burning zone stability indicators)
  • Improve mill performance (circulation load, separator efficiency indicators)
  • Lead structured reviews of relevant losses (stoppages, instabilities, quality events) and implement corrective actions.

Quality Assurance Coordination (with QC/Lab)

• Ensure operators run within quality tolerances and respond correctly to lab feedback.
• Define escalation rules for quality deviations (who must be informed, what adjustments are allowed, when to hold product).
• Coordinate trials (new raw mix, additive changes, alternative fuels) to ensure controlled implementation and documentation

Alarm Management & Abnormal Situation Management

• Own alarm philosophy: reduce nuisance alarms, set priorities, and ensure alarms are actionable.
• Review alarm history and trends daily/weekly to:
  • Identify recurring issues
  • Assign actions to maintenance/operations
  • Improve control loops and interlocks
• Lead incident response for major deviations and ensure thorough post-incident review

Reporting & Operational Visibility (management interface)

• Consolidate daily reports into clear plant performance summaries.
• Highlight key issues, risks, and required actions to management

Cross-functional Coordination

• Work with maintenance and automation to resolve control/instrument issues.
• Ensure proper prioritization of breakdowns affecting stability

Safety & Compliance

• Ensure safe control room practices and no unsafe overrides.
• Support and enforce process safety and incident learnings

Job Qualifications, Requirements & Experience:

Education

• Engineering degree preferably chemical engineering
• Minimum 8-12 years previous experience with strong control room experience.
•  Good understanding of cement process (crushers, raw mill, kiln, cooler, cement mill)
• Hands-on familiarity with DCS/HMI, PLC systems, and expert systems
• Ability to read and interpret process trends, alarms, and performance data
• Knowledge of quality parameters and process impact
• Understanding of energy optimization and operational KPIs
• Strong coordination skills with maintenance and quality teams
• Experience managing or guiding teams (shift or senior operator level)
•  Strong decision-making and problem-solving capability under pressure
• Ability to train, coach and standardize operator practices
• Clear communication and structured reporting
• High discipline, accountability, and safety mindset
• Continuous improvement and learning attitude

Work Week: European