Senior Manager - Capex Portfolio

Belgium - Brussels
Umicore Battery Materials
Engineering & Technology

Posted on 22-01-2024

About Umicore

Reducing harmful vehicle emissions. Powering the cars of the future. Giving new life to used metals. We are the leading circular materials technology company fulfilling its mission to create materials for a better life. With ambitions like this, imagine what you could do?

Rechargeable Battery Materials

We are all on the move. Umicore’s rechargeable battery materials give people autonomy and connectivity. We are a pioneer in battery materials that give added range and performance to electric vehicles. Our materials also ensure longer battery life for portable electronics. To enable our customers to produce even better performing batteries we cannot stand still. We need to find new ways to do things, discover new solutions and develop new ideas. Which is where you come in.

What you will be doing

We are currently looking for a Senior Manager – CapEx Portfolio to join Umicore’s Battery Material (BM) business unit in the Engineering team in Brussels, Belgium. In this role you are responsible for the planning and management of the capital expenditure projects related to the business unit from the early phases of development until finishing. This role involves the early definition of project budgets and budget management during design and implementation phases, thus ensuring that capital projects are submitted for approval with accuracy, are completed within budget in all regions and actual costs are captured in libraries for future use. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams and stakeholders to drive the successful delivery of capital projects within budget..

Responsibilities:

1. Capital (CapEX) Project Management:
   • Identify, plan, and manage capital expenditure projects within engineering.
   • Develop project rules, procedures, objectives, and reports on project budgets in alignment  with the organization's strategic goals and needs.
   • Guarantee that all engineering projects have a commitment and spending with increased accuracy during all project phases form early design to implementation.
   • Managing and owning the entire capex/spend discussion from in partnership with P&T and Finance.

2. CapEx Budget Estimation
   • Development & ownership of the CapEx budget for projects & programs at the early phases
   • Benchmarking based on previous programs internally as well as externally leveraging public references as well as EPCM knowledge platforms
   • Development & maintenance of CapEx optimization metrics (density, commitment, spend KPI) that captures the impact of lessons learned on execution and as well optimization on procurement and/or thruput strategies.
   • Development & maintenance of global indices associated with product/technology platform, location platforms, inflation/escalation indices, speed to market/acceleration need, etc.
   • Development of a Digital Platform for Cost Estimation that classification as per local or international CapEx Estimates (eg AACE)

3. Capex Financial & Controlling Support Analysis:
   • Partner with Site Engineering CapEX Liasons/Engineering Controller to ensure accurate monthly Actual reporting
   • Support Grant/Subsidy assessment  based on GR predictions for the various programs globally
   • Partner with Treasury/Finance as part of technical and budget assessment for loans or investment partnership(s).
   • Support Internal & External Financial compliance Audits associated with CapEx Budgets & investment, enabling update of CapEx procedures/standards/processes leveraging digital platforms (SharePoint , Plannisware).

Additionally:

• Performance Measurement and Analysis: Establishing key performance indicators (KPIs) and tracking progress against these metrics. Analyse data to assess the success of long-term strategies and make adjustments as necessary according to SLA.
• Risk Management: Identifying potential risks and developing strategies to mitigate them is. This involves scenario planning, risk assessment, and ensuring the organization is prepared for unexpected challenges.
• Communication and Reporting: to various internal and external stakeholders, executive team and relevant departments including regular progress reports to the Advanced Planning Sr. Director

Who we are looking for

• 15+ years experience as project manager or project CapEx controller, ideally with 5 years’ experience in Automotive (APQP) or Material/Mining Industry or alternatively in a regulated industry.
• University degree , or equivalent qualification, in Engineering, preferably Masters in Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical & Instrumentation/Automation.
• Technical experience and/or background in the execution of engineering projects & relevant experience and understanding in the execution of industrial projects in operational environments
• Knowledge of CapEx budget and estimation standards, with desired proficiency in international or national certifications (such as AACE)
• Knowledge of ERP platform for procurement & delivery of assets, with proficiency in SAP
• Knowledge of industrial project trades and the interactions between all trades (project management, construction management, civil/building/facilities, electrical, piping, process, equipment and start-up activities).
• Strong working knowledge of the MS Office package
• Proficiency in spreadsheet & dashboard applications, such as MS Power BI. MS Excel & Tableau
• Proficiency in the use of Portfolio Management tools (Primavera P6, Planisware)
• Project or Portfolio Management certification (PMI or Prince2) is a plus
• Excellent English  (both written and spoken)
• Ability to lead teams, projects and drive alignment with internal and external stakeholders
• Ability to overcome complex challenges and find effective solutions through analyzing and critical thinking
• Effective time management to ensure tasks are completed on schedule and priorities are managed efficiently

What we offer

We aim to lead the way. Not just for our customers, but for our employees too. That is why we strive to create a collaborative environment in which we can all succeed, and a culture through which we can all share ideas, develop our expertise and advance our careers. We engage in building an inclusive work culture that offers equal opportunities for all employees irrespective of their diverse backgrounds. As you would expect from a world-leading organisation, we will also reward your contribution with a competitive salary and benefits. With all this and more, imagine what you could do?

IF OUR BATTERY MATERIALS CAN POWER ELECTRIC VEHICLES, IMAGINE WHAT YOU COULD DO?

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