Position Summary: The Power Plant Engineering Manager is responsible for overseeing the Engineering Department, which handles various engineering support functions for plant operations and maintenance. This includes providing technical support, ensuring safety and environmental compliance, managing plant improvements and breakdown analysis, and overseeing vendor and contractor activities. The Engineering Manager is also responsible for IT support and acting as the technical contact point for insurance issues. The Plant Engineer reports directly to this position.
Principal Job Duties and Responsibilities:
1. Leadership: Set goals and objectives for the engineering group, organize department functions, and establish performance standards. The main functions of the department include engineering, plant performance, operations and maintenance support, safety and environmental compliance support, and IT support (including DCS).
2. Performance Monitoring: Develop, implement, and evaluate plant-specific performance monitoring related to availability improvements and thermal efficiency.
3. Plant Improvements: Compile data, explore alternatives, and evaluate economic feasibility for plant equipment and procedure modifications to enhance safety, availability, efficiency, and environmental performance. Provide analysis, recommendations, reports, and follow-up plans for plant problems and incidents.
4. Issue Tracking: Implement and maintain a system to track plant issues that affect safety, environmental compliance, equipment condition, budget, or generation.
5. Equipment Maintenance: Use tools and analysis techniques to detect potential equipment issues that may cause future outages. Aid in the development of preventative and scheduled maintenance activities.
6. Root Cause Analysis: Evaluate equipment failures and assist with Root Cause Analysis to prevent recurrence. Investigate plant problems, incidents, accidents, and unusual events to provide necessary analysis, recommendations, and follow-up plans.
7. Documentation: Keep plant drawing files and equipment files updated, including information on testing, unit availability, generation and downtime statistics, thermal performance, DCS configuration, and water chemistry.
8. Budget: Direct and control engineering expenditures within budget guidelines. Provide input for the budgetary process.
9. Vendor/Contractor Management: Provide technical support in bid specification preparation, evaluation of vendor/contractor proposals, and monitoring contractor performance to ensure contract compliance.
10. IT Administration: Ensure safe completion of repairs, modifications, and software changes without impacting unit operation through effective IT administration, including DCS.
11. Interdepartmental Collaboration: Support and collaborate with Administration, Operation, Maintenance, Environmental Health and Safety, and Material Handling departments to achieve their goals and objectives. Provide technical input as required.
12. Coordination: Coordinate with Corporate Engineering, maintenance and engineering firms, manufacturer sales representatives, service personnel, and vendors to discuss field changes, equipment modifications, and resolve issues.
13. Other duties as assigned.
14. Safety and Environmental Compliance: Adhere to safety and environmental policies, procedures, and rules. Participate in training to promote the highest EH&S and NERC Compliance values within the company.
Job Qualifications:
1. Education and Experience: Bachelor's degree in Engineering or equivalent, with a minimum of ten (10) years of relevant power plant-related experience.
2. Power Plant Knowledge: Demonstrated understanding of power plant operations, including operations and maintenance components. Proficiency in computer and control systems required. Knowledge of chemistry related to power plant operations and water treatment programs. Basic knowledge of budgets, bid proposals, contract evaluation, accounting principles, chemistry, physics, engineering, and plant operations is beneficial.
3. Leadership and Analysis: Ability to plan, coordinate, and direct programs and tasks related to the engineering component of the plant. Analyze and interpret data to make informed judgments and recommendations. Strong management and motivational skills to oversee the engineering group and interact persuasively with other managers and plant employees.
4. Supervisory Experience: At least 5 years of experience supervising technical, supervisory, and administrative personnel. Strong leadership and motivational skills required.
5. Licensing: Professional Engineering license in the state of Texas is not required, but strongly encouraged.
6. Language Skills: Proficiency in reading, writing, speaking, and understanding English is necessary.