Marathon Petroleum

Value Chain Model & Optimization Advisor/Engineer

Marathon Petroleum • $100K — $120K *
Energy & Utilities
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering required, or related field with sufficient experience.
  • 4+ years of experience in planning, optimization, scheduling, or analytics.
  • Expertise in Excel VBA or equivalent automation technologies.
  • Strong SQL skills for query writing and data extraction.
  • Hands-on experience with data pipeline and ETL processes.

Responsibilities

  • Demonstrate advanced expertise in optimization models and translate outputs into actionable insights.
  • Design and deliver model-related capabilities and AI-assisted solutions.
  • Analyze model performance and resolve complex issues across multiple assets.
  • Collaborate with various teams to validate model assumptions and support model deployment.
  • Lead development and harmonization of model standards for enterprise consistency.
  • Establish and maintain documentation and training materials for tool adoption.
  • Act as a trusted advisor to continuously improve model quality and business value.

Benefits

  • Access to health, vision, and dental insurance.
  • Paid time off and a 401k matching program.
  • Paid parental leave and educational reimbursement.
  • Eligible for a discretionary annual bonus program.
Full Job Description
Position Summary

Do you have a strong technical background? Do you like building tools and data pipelines that power complex business decisions? Marathon Petroleum Company LP (MPC) has an opening within the Value Chain Optimization organization on the Value Chain Insights team. Our mission is to power confident decisions across the value chain - building the trusted tools and data foundations that drive enterprise optimization and delivering the cutting-edge analytics and insights that increase trust and confidence in our reporting and reducing barriers to timely, actionable insight.

This role sits in the Model Interpretation vertical and is an individual contributor responsible for designing, building, and supporting enterprise optimization model case input tools that support Marathon's routine planning and optimization models across the value chain. Case input tools are applications that assemble, validate, and format the data required to run Marathon's Aspen PIMS and Aspen Petroleum Supply Chain Planner (PSCP) models for the full planning cycle, post-audits, and enterprise-wide optimization. This role requires expert-level Excel VBA development, strong SQL and data-pipeline skills, and a disciplined approach to building standardized, robust, low-maintenance solutions. Success depends on the ability to turn inconsistent or manual case-build processes into reliable, repeatable tooling; to partner closely with regional planning teams; and to bring engineering rigor, creative problem-solving, and attention to detail to every deliverable. This position has exposure and impact on other workstreams within the Model Interpretation team that include AI-assisted analytics and business intelligence platforms.

This position belongs to a family of jobs with increasing responsibility, competency, and skill level. Actual position title and pay grade will be based on the selected candidate's experience and qualifications.

Key Responsibilities
  • Demonstrates advanced expertise in enterprise optimization models and translates complex model structures, assumptions, and outputs into practical business guidance and scalable solutions.
  • Designs and delivers model-related capabilities, including analysis tools, standardized model components, documentation, and AI-assisted solutions that improve consistency, understanding, and adoption.
  • Independently analyzes model performance, sensitivities, assumptions, and exceptions across multiple assets, planning horizons, or functional areas, resolving complex and ambiguous issues.
  • Partners with modeling, planning, scheduling, and platform teams to validate assumptions, constraints, configurations, and outputs against operational realities while supporting model deployment, change events, and governance activities.
  • Leads development, harmonization, and sustainment of model standards, methodologies, definitions, and supporting capabilities to improve consistency, comparability, and scalability across the enterprise.
  • Establishes and maintains documentation, training materials, and support processes that enable consistent adoption and sustained capability utilization.
  • Serves as a trusted advisor between modeling teams, business users, and governance stakeholders, creating feedback mechanisms that continuously improve model quality, usability, and business value.
  • Leads projects and improvement initiatives with moderate complexity and resource requirements while mentoring less experienced team members.


Minimum Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering required. A Bachelor's degree in another field may be considered with five (5) years of planning, optimization, simulation, mathematical modeling, analytics, decision-support systems, or closely related experience required.
  • Four (4) years of experience working with planning, optimization, scheduling, analytics, operations research, or decision-support models and tools.


Preferred Qualifications
  • Expert-level skills in building complex, maintainable, automated tools for production business processes, demonstrated through Microsoft Excel and VBA or equivalent technologies (e.g., Python, SQL/database automation, or other scripting and application-development platforms).
  • Strong SQL skills, including writing and tuning queries against relational databases (e.g., SQL Server) to extract and shape large, multi-table datasets.
  • Hands-on data pipeline and ETL experience-sourcing, transforming, validating, and loading data from multiple enterprise systems into standardized formats.
  • Demonstrated ability to design standardized, robust, low-maintenance tooling and templates that are scalable and easy for non-technical users to operate.
  • Familiarity with linear programming, DPO, or refinery optimization models (e.g., Aspen PIMS, PIMS-AO, XPIMS, Aspen Petroleum Supply Chain Planner) and the data structures they require.
  • Exposure to refinery or value-chain planning processes such as near-term, short-term, mid-term, back casting, or cross-regional optimization.
  • Experience manipulating and analyzing complex, high-volume, high-dimensional data from varying sources.
  • Working knowledge of Power Query, Power BI, Python, or other data-transformation and automation tools.
  • Proven ability to think critically and solve problems given incomplete information and/or ambiguous requirements, delivering results at varying levels of precision.
  • Strong documentation habits and a collaborative approach to supporting business users.


Skills
  • AI Fundamentals: Understanding of core AI concepts and methods, ability to apply AI to job-relevant use cases and capacity to contribute to organizational AI reimagination.
  • Analytical Thinking: Strong problem-solving skills to identify architectural challenges, analyze requirements, evaluate options, and propose effective solutions.
  • Business Acumen: Applies knowledge of MPC's business, industry and the marketplace to advance the organization's goals. Makes decisions and recommendations clearly linked to MPC's strategy.
  • Continuous Improvement Mindset: Identifies and leads opportunities for continuous improvement and value creation, both incremental and large scale.
  • Data Quality Assurance: Data Quality Assurance is any systematic process of checking to see whether organizational data that is being developed is meeting specified requirements in terms of relationships, standards, structure and content.
  • Decision Support Analytics: Leverages analytics, reporting, and decision frameworks to generate insights, evaluate alternatives, and support informed, data-driven decision-making.
  • Decision Support System: Implements and optimizes digital tools and planning systems to support modeling, analytics, and decision processes, ensuring scalability, usability, and alignment with business needs.
  • Influencing Others: The ability to garner support for initiatives by gaining the respect of others and inspiring trust and confidence.
  • Integrated Planning & Optimization: Designs and manages integrated planning processes that align supply, demand, and operational constraints to optimize value across the enterprise value chain.
  • Model Governance: Establishes and enforces standards for data, models, and assumptions to ensure accuracy, consistency, transparency, and reliability of planning and decision outputs.
  • Optimization Modeling: Applies optimization models and quantitative techniques to evaluate scenarios, improve system performance, and support complex operational and commercial decisions.
  • Problem Solving: Problem Solving is a step-by-step process of defining a problem, searching for information, and testing a series of solutions until the problem is solved. It involves critical thinking, analysis and persistence
  • Project and Program Management: The ability to monitor the progress of a program/project's timeline, scope, (if applicable) budget while also reporting the project status to stakeholders and identifying obstacles, optimizing resource allocation, and mitigating risks to completing the project in accordance with the plan, realigning and refreshing the approach and plan as required.
  • Stakeholder Engagement: Build alignment across internal and external stakeholders to support shared objectives.
  • Systems Thinking: The ability to analyze complex systems and understand their interdependencies, considering both technical and business aspects, to develop comprehensi


Location:
Findlay, Ohio

Additional locations:
Houston, Texas, San Antonio, Texas

Job Requisition ID:


Location Address:
539 S Main St

Education:

Employee Group:
Full time

Employee Subgroup:
Regular

Marathon Petroleum offers a total rewards program which includes, but is not limited to, access to health, vision, and dental insurance, paid time off, 401k matching program, paid parental leave, and educational reimbursement. Detailed benefit information is available at https://mympcbenefits.com.The hired candidate will also be eligible for a discretionary company-sponsored annual bonus program.

About Marathon Petroleum

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) is in the business of creating value for their shareholders through the quality products and services they provide for their customers. They strongly believe how they conduct their business is just as integral to their bottom line. As a result, they strive to always act responsibly with those who work for them, with those business partners who work with them, and in every community where they operate.

Marathon Petroleum Careers

Joining Marathon Petroleum means becoming part of a leading global team in the energy sector, where job opportunities abound for those eager to advance their careers in a dynamic and inclusive environment. As one of the largest refining companies in the world, Marathon Petroleum is at the forefront of transforming the energy landscape.

Work You’ll Do

At Marathon Petroleum, your work will directly contribute to the company's ongoing success and leadership in the industry. You will collaborate with skilled professionals dedicated to innovation and excellence in all aspects of the energy sector. Our team's combined expertise fuels Marathon Petroleum's commitment to sustainable energy solutions and operational excellence.

Innovate and Lead

Step into a role that challenges and excites with Marathon Petroleum. Here, innovation isn't just a buzzword—it's a call to action. Our leadership is committed to fostering a culture where new ideas lead to groundbreaking solutions. This commitment to innovation and leadership is woven into every aspect of our business, from refining operations to environmental strategies.

Grow and Develop

Marathon Petroleum is deeply invested in the professional growth and development of its employees. We offer a variety of training and development programs, including leadership development, diversity training, and technical skills enhancement. Whether you're starting as an intern or a seasoned professional, you’ll find a pathway to personal and professional growth with us.

Be Part of Our Team

Our team at Marathon Petroleum is driven by a shared mission to excel. By joining us, you'll work alongside dedicated professionals who are passionate about their roles and the impact they have on the company and the industry. Our collaborative environment supports career advancement and fosters a culture of professional enrichment.

Diversity and Inclusion

At Marathon Petroleum, we believe diversity drives innovation. Our inclusive culture welcomes all perspectives and encourages a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities, ensuring that all team members have the resources they need to succeed.

Explore Job Opportunities

Marathon Petroleum offers a range of job opportunities across various functions of the business. From internships that provide real-world experience to full-time positions in engineering, business, and more, there’s a place for your skills and passions here.

Future-Proof Your Career

With Marathon Petroleum, you are not just finding a job; you are building a career equipped with the tools for success in the ever-evolving energy sector. Our robust benefits package supports your health, well-being, and financial security, allowing you to focus on professional development and career advancement.

Stay Connected

Join Our Team Discover the exciting career opportunities waiting for you at Marathon Petroleum. Search open positions that match your skills and interests. We are always on the lookout for curious, creative, and driven team members.

Keep Up to Date

Stay informed with the latest company news, industry insights, and career tips—all from the people who work here. Marathon Petroleum is more than a company—it's a community where you can grow, innovate, and lead.

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Learn more about Marathon Petroleum
Size
17,700 employees
Market Cap
$53 billion
Industry
Net Income
-$9.8 billion
Founded
2005
5 Year Trend
+13.8%
Revenue
$74.9 billion
NASDAQ

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