Field Operator ASU & Utilities

Ambitek is recruiting field operators on behalf of a major green hydrogen and ammonia project in NEOM, north-west Saudi Arabia. It is being built now and it is being staffed now.

You would run the air separation unit and the utilities from the field:

• Air separation unit: main air compressor, molecular sieve adsorbers, cold box, turboexpander, liquid nitrogen storage, vaporisers and the loading station
• The nitrogen pipeline that feeds ammonia synthesis. When that line is not right, the ammonia loop is not right
• Demineralised water plant: reverse osmosis, ion exchange and mixed bed polishing, feeding the electrolysers
• Cooling water, instrument air and water treatment

What is different about this one, specifically:

• The plant is new. The procedures are not written yet, and marking up the ones that do not match the plant is part of the job rather than something you gave up on years ago
• Training is to Air Products operating standards, with scheduled competency validation reviews, not an induction pack and a signature
• Senior field operator typically inside two to four years. Control room operator inside three to six. Shift supervisor inside six to ten. Those seats are being filled from the team going in now, because there is nobody already sitting in them
• Training the field operators who come in behind you is written into the role, not added on later

What is required:

• Three years minimum operating continuous process plant from the field, in industrial gas, chemicals, refining, petrochemicals, fertilisers, power or water
• Working from process flow diagrams, piping and instrumentation diagrams, single line diagrams and a shutdown matrix
• Lock out tag out and permit to work applied in practice, rather than held on a certificate
• Rotating shift including nights, weekends and holidays, plus on-call periods
• Working English, and a safety record you would be comfortable with me asking about

Air separation experience puts you at the front of this. Utilities depth counts for as much on this particular unit, and the training programme exists to cover the rest. Saudi nationals are being prioritised for this intake.