Associate Director, Plant (Black) Utilities

About the role

The Associate Director, Plant Utilities provides global technical leadership and engineering governance for reliable, fit-for-purpose and lifecycle-efficient plant utility infrastructure. The role owns global standards and leads across thermal systems, cooling, technical gases and vacuum, water, wastewater, heat and energy recovery, and utility monitoring, from incoming supply and generation through distribution, user interfaces and discharge. It works closely with Clean Utilities, HVAC, Asset Management, Sustainability, EHS and Electrical, while sites remain accountable for operation, maintenance and local performance. The role is based in Basel.

Key responsibilities

• Own global Plant Utilities standards, specifications and reference designs, covering system sizing, capacity margins, resilience, redundancy, maintainability, energy efficiency and lifecycle cost.
• Provide global technical leadership for thermal systems, cooling, technical gases and vacuum, water, wastewater, heat and energy recovery systems and utility monitoring.
• Define technical boundaries and interfaces with other disciplines, support technical deviations within delegated authority and escalate significant risks.
• Lead technical assurance for CAPEX projects and infrastructure investments, assessing utility balances, central utility concepts, capacities, tie-ins and expansion needs.
• Define engineering requirements for commissioning, performance testing and technical handover, and support sites in developing utility master plans and infrastructure renewal strategies.
• Develop global reliability and lifecycle-management principles with Asset Management and support major failures and root-cause investigations.
• Define engineering requirements for wastewater systems and equipment standardization, supplier evaluation, metering and performance benchmarking.
• Lead the global technical network, driving standardization, knowledge sharing and cross-site adoption of good practices.

Required profile

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical, Chemical or Process Engineering or a related discipline.
• Experience in plant utility design, commissioning and operational support in complex manufacturing environments.
• Experience in CAPEX delivery, infrastructure planning, reliability and lifecycle-cost improvement.
• Demonstrated senior technical leadership across sites and multidisciplinary teams without line authority.
• Fluent English and willingness to travel about 20%.

Required skills

• Broad technical expertise in Black Utilities: thermal systems, central cooling, technical gases and vacuum, non-compendial water, wastewater, heat and energy recovery, utility monitoring.
• Knowledge of EN, ISO, SIA and ASHRAE standards and local regulatory requirements.
• Ability to evaluate utility generation, distribution and recovery concepts and recommend alternatives to site and senior leadership.

What we offer

• A competitive salary plus lifestyle, family and leisure benefits.
• Relocation support for eligible candidates.
• An agile career, inclusive and ethical workplace, and compensation programs that recognize high performance.