Manufacturing Director


EasyMining and Gelsenwasser AG are in the process of building an Ash2Phos-plant for phosphorus recovery in Schkopau, Germany. Phosphorus recovery from the wastewater industry will be mandatory for larger wastewater treatment plants in Germany from 2029. This Ash2Phos-plant will be one of the pioneering plants to make phosphorus recovery possible in a sustainable way, at the same time recovering other important materials such as iron and aluminium.

EasyMining and Gelsenwasser have created a joint venture company called Phosphorgewinnung Schkopau GmbH (PGS) to own and operate the plant. We are now in need of an experienced Manufacturing Director.

Job brief

The construction project for the plant is ongoing since mid-2024. This role is crucial to have in place during construction phase, in order to have a good take-over of the plant. After the plant’s construction and start-up phase, this role will focus on managing the plant’s operation and business. The successful candidate will have the following responsibilities:

During construction period

  1. Oversee, facilitate, and represent PGS’s site related interest during the execution of the different construction LOTs.
  2. Support commissioning and start-up planning of the plant
  3. Procure and manage the operational and maintenance service contracts
  4. Follow up that the plant construction is following the safety policies and procedures.

During continuous operations

  1. Lead the production planning and site logistic work
  2. Operations budget and planning
  3. Manage the operational and maintenance contracts
  4. Support the procurement and logistics of raw materials and product sales
  5. Purchase of other site services needed for the operation
  6. PGS promotion – facilitate site visits e.g.
  7. Ensure that the operations are following the established safety routines and policies.

We offer you

A stimulating and challenging job where you will have the opportunity to develop your skills and abilities together with a motivated team when building and operating the world’s first Ash2Phos plant. This plant will be a flagship plant for the process, and support the transition to a circular economy and increasing the resilience for EU with nationally produced phosphorous used in fertilisers, feed phospate and other industrial applications.

Personal requirements

  1. You are able to work in an organized way both independently and in a team
  2. You have excellent communication skills in both German and English.
  3. You feel comfortable to lead and manage personnel and consultants
  4. Physically capable of the needed site work in an operating chemical plant that handles hazardous chemicals
  5. Can handle confidential information

Education

A higher level degree, preferably in engineering.

Experience Requirements

  • More than 10 years of relevant experience in an engineering and/or manufacturing environment in the chemical, petrochemical, or mining industry
  • Experience of plant operation and management

Beneficial experience

  • Experience of plant construction projects
  • Experience of purchasing operational and maintenance services
  • Experienced in negotiating site utility and supply contracts
  • Good network to the chemical community in or around the Schkopau/Bitterfeld/Leipzig area
  • Has been involved in commissioning / start-up phase of an industrial plant
  • Experience of applying and implementing a plant permit
  • Knowledge of chemical processes

Required Language Skills

  • Speaks and writes completely fluently in German. Speaks and writes well in English.

Info

Apply by click here and scroll down to "Apply" with deadline 11th of October. We will look into the applications continuously. If you have any further questions, please contact Christian.kabbe@easymining.com or martin.braunersreuther@aws-gw.de.

Background

Gelsenwasser AG (GW) engages in the water, wastewater, gas supply, and electricity businesses in Germany, the Czech Republic, and Poland. GW operates through five segments: Water, Wastewater, Energy Networks, Energy Sales, and Investments and Other. The Water segment engages in the purchase, production, sale, transport and distribution of drinking water. The Wastewater segment engages in the wastewater related business, which include sewer networks and sewage treatment plant activities. GW was founded in 1887 and is based in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. GW has more than 1600 employees and is a subsidiary of Wasser und Gas Westfalen GmbH.

EasyMining is an innovation company, 100% owned by Ragn-Sells, and are today employing around 50 persons with presence in Sweden and Germany. EasyMining is passionate about inventing new technologies that uses intelligent chemical solutions to close nutrient cycles. EasyMining have several patented processes for retrieving valuable nutrients such as Nitrogen, Salts and Phosphorus from wastes such as incinerated sewage sludge, ash and leachate. EasyMining’s objective is to offer its clients process solutions to enable circular material flows in an efficient commercial way.

Ragn-Sells is a privately owned corporate group that provides a wide range of services and products in the recycling and resource recovery business, which collects, treats, detoxifies and recycle waste and residual products from businesses, organisations and households. The Ragn-Sells Group is located in Northern Europe (Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Estonia), has over 2500 employees and an turover of 850 M€.   

Recovery of phosphorus will be legally required in Germany by 2029 for all large wastewater facilities. The two companies Ragn-Sells and Gelsenwasser have formed a Joint Venture, PhosphorGewinnung Schkopau (PGS), in which the parties each own (75/25%). The purpose of the joint venture is to develop, establish, and scale up the Ash2Phos technology in Germany.

Please read more on PGS webpage about the project and on the EasyMining webpage about the Ash2Phos-technology.