VP, Intermediates & Specialty Products

Position Summary

The VP, Intermediates & Specialty Products is responsible for maximizing value across the company’s non-fuels product streams, including light ends, NGLs, intermediates, sulfur, petroleum coke, and other specialty products. This role serves as the commercial owner of non-fuels product streams, working in close partnership with the company’s Refining & Commercial Optimization team (LP, planning, and analytics) to ensure operational decisions and supply plans capture maximum margin from specialized streams.

Scope Of Responsibilities

• Own how every intermediate and specialized product is positioned, priced, and monetized across the system—leveraging optimization for:

• Light ends (propane, butane, isobutane, natural gasoline)
• NGLs and intermediates (naphtha, VGO, etc.)
• Petrochemical intermediates
• Sulfur
• Petroleum coke
• VTBs, solvents, and black oils
• Specialty products

Major Responsibilities

• Commercial Strategy & Value Maximization

• Develop commercial strategies
• Optimize netbacks/margin
• Partnership with Refining & Commercial Optimization (LP & Planning)
• Work closely with the Commercial team responsible for refinery and supply chain optimization (LP models, monthly and daily plans)
• Evaluate LP-driven plans and scenarios to ensure alignment with market strategy and value capture
• Collaborate on trade-offs between operational efficiency and market-driven margin optimization
• Supply Strategy & Execution
• Lead supply strategy, including logistics, inventory positioning, and distribution
• Ensure alignment between refinery output and market demand
• Drive execution across product movements, blending strategy, and system balancing
• Manage customer relationships
• Structure contracts

• Margin Optimization & Commercial Direction

• Set commercial priorities that guide system optimization and planning decisions
• Translate market intelligence into actionable direction for planning and optimization teams
• Identify and capture incremental margin opportunities across product slate, geography, and channels

• Trading & Risk

• Manage any hedging strategies for select non-fuels products
• Define risk limits with middle office as needed

• Cross-Functional Leadership

• Serve as the primary commercial interface with refining operations, planning, and optimization teams for non-fuels products
• Lead and develop a high-performing team across supply, compliance, and market analytics
• Drive a performance culture centered on margin delivery and accountability
• Strategic Development & Growth
• Shape long-term strategy for intermediates and specialty products, channels, and commercial positioning
• Identify new market opportunities, partnerships, and optimization levers in coordination with VP Business Development & Optimization in the Commercial organization
• Support enterprise-level decisions with market insights and margin analysis

Success Profile

• The ideal candidate is a commercial leader with expertise in intermediates, NGLs, petcoke, sulfur or specialties markets, supply, and optimization-informed decision making, combined with solid understanding of regulatory and financial levers impacting margin.
• Key Attributes
• Enterprise mindset: integrates market strategy, operations, and financial/compliance levers
• Commercial acumen: understands how to convert system capabilities into economic value
• Risk-aware decision maker: balances margin optimization with compliance and hedging discipline
• Collaborative leadership: effective in a matrixed environment with planning and optimization teams
• Strategic + executional: able to set direction and drive outcomes

Education Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Supply Chain, Economics, or related technical discipline required
• Advanced degree (MBA or similar) preferred

Experience Requirements

• 15+ years of progressive commercial experience in refined products, supply, trading, marketing, or downstream operations
• 7+ years of leadership experience, including direct management of multi-disciplinary teams (marketing, supply, compliance, analytics)
• Experience working in a refinery-integrated commercial environment strongly preferred
• Demonstrated success in margin optimization, market strategy, and commercial decision-making
• Experience partnering with LP/planning teams to translate market strategy into operational and economic outcomes
• Experience managing regulatory and compliance levers (e.g., RINs, sulfur, benzene)
• Experience developing and executing hedging strategies for refined products
• Ability to travel as needed

Scope & Impact

• Enterprise-level accountability for refined product margin optimization
• Ownership of key economic levers
• Direct influence on company EBITDA through commercial performance
• High visibility with executive leadership
• Key integrator between market strategy, optimization, and financial/compliance execution

Company Information

• The Company will not sponsor immigration or work visas.
• CVR Energy is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We encourage qualified minority, female, veteran, and disabled candidates to apply.