Optimization Engineer

Optimization Engineer

Trafigura is seeking an Optimization Engineer to join its Refining Technical team in Houston, reporting to the Refining Technical Manager. This is a hybrid technical-commercial role split roughly evenly between (i) day-to-day optimization and optionality analysis on Trafigura's splitter asset, and (ii) commercial support to M&A activity, with a particular focus on the Power business — including technical due diligence, HSEC assessment, and commercial evaluation of prospective asset acquisitions.

This role is well suited to a process/project engineer with early-career power and/or oil asset experience, looking to transition into a more commercially oriented career path, working closely with trading, business development, and third-party counter parties.

Splitter Asset Optimization (approx. 50%)

• Run and maintain LP-based optimization models for the splitter asset to identify margin-maximizing feed selection, product yields, and operating configurations.
• Evaluate operational and structural optionality on the asset — including feedstock flexibility, product placement, and configuration changes — and quantify the associated commercial value.
• Work closely with the Refining Technical Manager and plant operations to translate technical constraints (unit capacity, feed quality, operating limits) into actionable optimization inputs.
• Provide regular margin capture, yield, and sensitivity analysis to support trading and planning decisions on the asset.
• Identify and evaluate capital or operational improvement opportunities that enhance asset value.

Commercial / M&A and Power Business Support (approx. 50%)

• Support M&A activity across the business, with a focus on both the Oil & Power business, including screening, evaluating, and progressing prospective asset acquisitions.
• Lead or contribute to technical due diligence on power and other prospective assets — assessing technical condition, operating performance, and integration/optionality potential.
• Conduct HSEC due diligence on prospective acquisitions, working with internal HSEC teams and external advisors to identify risks and liabilities.
• Build commercial and technical value cases for prospective transactions, working alongside deal teams, commercial leads, and external advisors.
• Interface directly with third parties — including asset owners, technical advisors, consultants, and counter parties — representing Trafigura credibly in diligence and negotiation settings.
• Support post-acquisition integration and asset optimization planning where relevant.

• Combined exposure to both power and oil/refining assets — e.g. a power engineer with early project delivery experience (outage support, capital project scoping, maintenance/reliability programs) who also has some downstream/refining exposure, or vice versa.
• Early-career project engineering or project management experience on plant capital projects, even at modest scale.
• Prior exposure to M&A processes, technical due diligence, or transaction support (in-house or via consulting).
• HSEC due diligence experience or familiarity with HSEC risk assessment frameworks.
• Experience working directly with trading or business development teams.

• Approximately 3 years' experience as a process, plant, or project engineer within a power generation asset (fossil, nuclear, or renewables) or a refining/petrochemical facility — with direct exposure to plant operations, outage/turnaround support, or capital project execution.
• Approximately 3 years' experience in LP-based optimization (e.g. Aspen PIMS/PIMS-AO, Honeywell RPMS/GRTMPS, Haverly GRTMPS, or equivalent) within a power, refining, or trading environment.
• Bachelor's degree in Chemical, Mechanical, Electrical, or Power Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated ability to translate technical/engineering analysis into commercial value and decision-support material.
• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to interface confidently and credibly with third parties, including external counter parties, advisors, and acquisition targets.
• Clear intent and aptitude to transition…