Planning & Optimization Engineer

An exciting career awaits you. At MPC, we’re committed to being a great place to work – one that welcomes new ideas, encourages diverse perspectives, develops our people, and fosters a collaborative team environment.

The Value Chain Optimization (VCO) team has an opening for a Planning & Optimization Engineer supporting the Detroit Refinery. This role reports through the VCO North Region to the Refining Economics & Planning Manager. The Engineer will develop, optimize, and execute regional operating plans using linear programming models, manage local refinery forecasting and deliverables, and partner across the value chain to align economic strategies.

The role leads cross‑functional collaboration with Refining, Trading, Supply Chain, and Marketing to evaluate buy‑or‑make decisions, assess risk through economic modeling and sensitivity analysis, and drive optimal outcomes.

• Coordinates the commercial aspects of refinery operations, including feedstock selection, product and intermediate placement, supply chain optimization, and market analysis.
• Demonstrates a fundamental understanding of refinery operations, economics, and market dynamics.
• Develops and communicates strategies that capture missed opportunities and closes production optimization gaps.
• Assists in collaboration meetings with the value chain to discuss both local and regional economic drivers.
• Develops optimized and executable production plans for a single refinery using linear programming simulation models.
• Modifies production plans as needed to adjust to demand/margin changes.
• Identifies constraints associated with refinery modeling and uses provided input to develop refinery plans.
• Conducts detailed analysis of buy‑or‑make options, considering factors such as cost, quality, supply chain implications, and market dynamics.
• Collaborates with cross‑functional teams to gather relevant data and insights.
• Assists in developing decision‑making frameworks and presenting findings to stakeholders.
• Analyzes historical refinery data to identify trends, patterns, and areas for improvement.
• Collaborates with cross‑functional teams to validate data accuracy and completeness.
• Assists in developing backcast models and scenarios to evaluate past performance and identify optimization opportunities.
• Conducts project support cases independently under supervision.
• Demonstrates understanding of refinery operations and commercial aspects of projects.
• Able to analyze data, identify issues, and propose solutions with guidance.
• Collaborates with team members to execute project support tasks effectively.
• Understands local refinery deliverables and can effectively manage with support of others.
• Understands how scheduling tools/processes work and is trained on APS to develop local refinery plans.

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering required. Chemical Engineering preferred.

Two (2) years of relevant experience required. Four (4) years of relevant experience preferred.

Technical Services or Economics & Planning experience preferred.

• Action Planning
• Adaptability
• Business Acumen
• Communication
• Continuous Learning
• Critical Thinking
• Decision Making
• Innovation
• Problem Solving
• Results Driven
• Teamwork

Location:

Detroit, Michigan

Marathon Petroleum offers a total rewards program which includes, but is not limited to, access to health, vision, and dental insurance, paid time off, a 401(k) matching program, paid parental leave, and educational reimbursement. The hired candidate will also be eligible for a discretionary company-sponsored annual bonus program.

Marathon Petroleum is an Equal Opportunity Employer and gives consideration for employment to qualified applicants without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, reproductive health decision‑making, age, mental or physical disability, medical condition or AIDS/HIV status, ancestry, national origin, genetic information, military, veteran status, marital status, citizenship or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

If you would like more information about your EEO rights as an applicant, please refer to the company’s EEO policy. Marathon Petroleum offers a comprehensive benefits package, detailed benefit information is available at:

This role is not currently expired.