SENIOR ECONOMIST, MARTINEZ, CA, USA – #5823

/in /by
SENIOR ECONOMIST

Refinery Economics & Planning | Martinez, CA

IN DEMAND Recruitment & Consulting Inc. is currently seeking a Senior Economist for our client, a leading organization operating within a complex refinery and energy infrastructure environment. This is a highly strategic leadership role responsible for owning the refinery’s economic framework, driving margin optimization, and translating volatile market conditions into actionable operational and commercial strategies.

This opportunity is ideal for a technically strong refinery economics professional who thrives at the intersection of operations, commercial strategy, planning, and LP optimization. The successful candidate will serve as the site’s economic authority, influencing refinery-wide business decisions, long-range planning, feedstock strategy, and capital investment evaluations.

POSITION OVERVIEW

Reporting into refinery leadership, the Senior Economist is responsible for leading refinery economic analysis, business planning, and LP optimization activities while supporting strategic operational and commercial decision-making across the site.

This role serves as the refinery’s subject matter expert on margins, planning logic, market analysis, and economic modeling, ensuring refinery operations remain aligned with changing market dynamics, regulatory requirements, and long-term business objectives.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Refinery Economics & Margin Optimization

  • Lead refinery-wide margin improvement initiatives through advanced economic analysis, LP studies, and project evaluations
  • Analyze refinery performance, operational constraints, feedstock economics, and market opportunities to improve profitability
  • Provide technical and economic justification for operational and capital improvement initiatives
  • Translate market volatility and changing economics into actionable refinery operating strategies

Strategic Planning & Business Forecasting

  • Own the refinery’s annual business planning process and long-range strategic outlooks
  • Develop and validate refinery oil flow models, margin projections, and operational forecasts
  • Prepare and issue rolling 90-day operating plans aligned with market conditions and refinery capabilities
  • Support refinery leadership with data-driven strategic planning and decision-making

LP Modeling & Economic Systems Leadership

  • Serve as the site expert for refinery LP configuration, optimization, and data management
  • Manage LP input files, refinery constraints, economic assumptions, and integration of site operating conditions
  • Partner closely with corporate modeling groups responsible for vector development and maintenance
  • Support integration of market pricing and economics into advanced process controls and online optimization systems

Commercial & Market Strategy

  • Interpret PADD 5 market conditions, constraints, and pricing indicators to support commercial and operational strategy
  • Provide technical challenge and economic analysis related to trader forecasts, pricing assumptions, and refinery economics
  • Support refinery strategies related to feedstock selection, blending optimization, and market positioning

Regulatory & Capital Project Support

  • Develop economic evaluations and business cases supporting environmental compliance initiatives and regulatory strategies
  • Provide economic guidance for capital project selection, prioritization, and execution
  • Support Operations Support, Process Engineering, and Commercial teams in identifying long-term improvement opportunities and constraint removal initiatives

Leadership & Technical Mentorship

  • Serve as a refinery-wide resource for economic modeling, market analysis, and LP optimization expertise
  • Mentor and support cross-functional teams to improve understanding of refinery economics and planning tools
  • Influence refinery strategy through strong technical leadership and collaborative partnership across departments

POSITION-SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

  • Participate in the refinery’s Economics & Planning on-call rotation schedule for off-hours support
  • Provide occasional after-hours support related to gasoline blending and abnormal operating conditions
  • Active TWIC card required, or ability to obtain prior to start

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

  • Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering or related technical discipline
  • Minimum 10 years of refinery experience within:
    • Economics & Planning
    • Technical Services
    • Process Engineering
    • Operations Support
    • Refinery Operations
  • Previous experience as a Refinery Economist
  • Advanced proficiency with refinery LP software and economic modeling tools
  • Strong understanding of refinery economics, market drivers, and operational optimization

Preferred

  • Advanced degree (MBA, MS, or PhD)
  • Strong understanding of refinery operations, blending economics, and feedstock optimization
  • Experience supporting capital project evaluations and strategic planning initiatives

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

  • Improved refinery margins and economic performance
  • Accurate and actionable refinery business planning and forecasting
  • Strong alignment between operations, commercial strategy, and refinery economics
  • Effective optimization of refinery constraints and operating strategies
  • High-quality LP modeling and refinery economic analysis supporting long-term business success

COMPENSATION

Competitive compensation package with a salary range of:

$101,702 – $180,479

Compensation will reflect overall experience, technical capability, education, and alignment with the scope of the role.

Qualified and interested applicants are encouraged to apply today in confidence by sending your resume as a MS Document to us at:  info@indemand.ca.

ONLY QUALIFIED CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED

Disclosure of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use

IN DEMAND Recruitment & Consulting Inc. may use artificial intelligence (AI)–enabled tools to support certain aspects of our recruitment process, including the screening and assessment of applications. These tools are used to assist with organizing, reviewing, and evaluating candidate information and do not replace human judgment or decision-making.