Director - Central Innovation & Decarbonization CoE

About Emirates Global Aluminium

Emirates Global Aluminium is the world’s biggest ‘premium aluminium’ producer and the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside the oil and gas industry.  EGA is an integrated aluminium producer, with operations on four continents from bauxite mining to the production of cast primary aluminium and recycling. EGA employs over 7,000 of these people including more than 1,200 UAE Nationals. EGA operates aluminium smelters in Jebel Ali and Al Taweelah in the United Arab Emirates, an alumina refinery in Al Taweelah, a bauxite mine and associated export facilities in the Republic of Guinea, a speciality foundry in high strength recycled aluminium in Germany, and a recycling plant in the United States.

JOB PURPOSE:
Lead EGA’s innovation efforts , aimed at identifying, developing, and implementing cutting-edge technologies and processes to reduce carbon emissions related to aluminium production, develop new aluminium product applications, and improve existing aluminium production technologies. 

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:
Strategy
•    Develop and execute EGA’s innovation strategy, working with senior leadership across the organization to ensure alignment with corporate strategy and business priorities
•    Lead the activities of the Decarbonization Center of Excellence to ensure it provides the leadership, expertise, and required collaboration, to achieve substantial greenhouse gas emission reductions at EGA while maintaining the company's economic competitiveness
•    Collaborate with the Sustainability team responsible for driving the Sustainability Strategy, aligning on topics related to Carbon Accounting, as well as on topics related to regulatory requirements to support EGA’s decarbonization journey.

  
Innovation portfolio development and management
•    Develop a structured process for innovation ideation, both internal and external, including a comprehensive framework to prioritize ideas and track the implementation of shortlisted projects, considering factors such as ROI, potential business impact, and technological risk assessment
•    Lead the implementation of such ideation process, in close coordination with internal and external stakeholders and partners, to ensure a regular pipeline of innovation projects
•    Ensure necessary support is provided to the business units to develop business cases for the preliminary list of innovation ideas, including budgetary requirements, monetization opportunity, go-to-market strategy, scaling requirements, etc. 
•    Consolidate ideation and business case outcomes into a recommended shortlist of innovation projects to be implemented, with associated milestones and preliminary budget requirements
•    Ensure continuous support is provided to the business units during the implementation of innovation projects, particularly on the commercial front, to ensure delivery on time and within budget, with a clear path to commercialization
•    Develop process to ensure successful technology projects are transitioned into commercial products with clear internal roles and responsibilities in terms of monetization
•    Develop and manage intellectual property portfolios to ensure company’s innovations are protected
•    Work closely with the Business Intelligence team to develop a process to identify and analyse technology trends within the aluminium industry, and generate insights relevant to th e innovation strategy and technology portfolio development.

Management of the Decarbonization CoE
•    Ensure the relevant resources, partnerships, and skillsets are secured within the CoE to equip the company to conduct relevant R&D activities to explore innovative technologies, processes, and strategies that can help reduce carbon emissions in the aluminium industry. 
•    Assess existing and emerging carbon abatement technologies relevant to the aluminium sector, evaluating their feasibility, scalability, to identify the most effective solutions for decarbonization. Those technologies could include hydrogen utilization, long duration energy storage, carbon capture and storage (CCS), process electrification, renewable energy integration, energy efficiency improvements, sustainable materials, and others
•    Build and maintain a Marginal Cost of Abatement (MCA) curve for EGA’s operations across its value chain. Ensure the curve is regularly updated based on latest available technologies and other updated inputs
•    Initiate and coordinate pilot projects and demonstrations within EGA facilities to test and showcase the effectiveness of decarbonization technologies and practices, by providing technical expertise, project management support, and commercial support to help identify viable pathways for large-scale implementation
•    Closely coordinate with internal stakeholders to ensure proper collaboration with policymakers, industry associations, and regulatory bodies to advocate for supportive policies and regulations that promote decarbonization in the aluminium industry. Provide technical expertise and data-driven insights to inform policy discussions and assist in the development of frameworks that incentivize emission reduction measures while ensuring competitiveness and economic growth
•    Ensure knowledge dissemination and capacity building with internal stakeholders by organizing workshops, training programs, and conferences to share best practices, lessons learned, and emerging trends in decarbonization
•    Coordinate with EGA’s HSE team to ensure robust monitoring, reporting, and verification systems are put in place to track the progress of decarbonization efforts within EGA. Assist in establishing standards and methodologies for measuring emissions, evaluating the effectiveness of mitigation actions, and ensuring transparency and accountability in the reporting of emission reduction achievements.
•    Actively promote collaboration with industry leaders, technology providers, financial institutions, and other organizations involved in decarbonization efforts. The main objective is to leverage expertise, resources, and funding opportunities, creating synergies, and accelerating the pace of decarbonization in the aluminium industry sector.

Partnerships
•    Identify strategic external partners to support EGA’s innovation and decarbonization efforts, including academia, customers, technology providers, start-up hubs, VCs, external R&D labs, etc.
•    Approach such relevant partners, and lead the discussions to ensure partnerships are structured in a way that maximizes strategic and commercial value to EGA .

Budgeting
•    Develop an Innovation budget defining the requirements across the different innovation projects
•    Ensure innovation budget is secured and approved from governing committees as required
•    Allocate resources, including budget, personnel, and technology, to innovation projects in a way that maximizes value. Monitor and control innovation-related expenses, to ensure alignment with financial objectives.

Reporting
•    Develop metrics and reporting systems to track the success of innovation projects and use this information to refine the innovation strategy and allocate resources more effectively
•    Prepare reports, presentations, and technical documents to communicate research findings and project progress to stakeholders.
•    Regulatory report back to the Innovation Committee on progress against the defined innovation roadmap, and ensure senior support is provided to overcome obstacles.

Leadership and Team Management
•    Build and lead a high-performing Central Innovation team, ensuring proper resource allocation and skill development
•    Recruit, train, mentor, and motivate team members to achieve individual and organizational goals
•    Facilitate collaboration: Work with business unit leaders, R&D teams, and cross-functional teams to facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing across the organization. This may involve creating forums for sharing best practices, hosting ideation sessions, or ensure cross-functional teams are created to work on specific innovation projects
•    Foster a culture of innovation within the organization, encouraging creativity, risk-taking, and experimentation. This may involve promoting an open and collaborative work environment, recognizing and rewarding innovative thinking, and promoting continuous learning and development.

AUTHORITY/ DECISION MAKING:
•    Leads multiple strategic initiatives and make recommendations to specific projects led by job holder
•    Thinking within broad functional policies.

QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS:
Minimum Qualifications:
•    Bachelor's or Master's degree in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or related fields
Minimum Experience:
•    Minimum of 12 – 15 years of experience in progressive roles, with a focus on innovation management in industrial of climate technology fields 

Skills:
•    Strong knowledge of aluminium production processes, technologies, and products
•    Experience in project management and leading cross-functional teams
•    Excellent problem solving, analytical and communication skills
•    Familiarity with intellectual property management and regulations
•    Ability to work independently, as well as collaboratively within teams.