Operations & Maintenance Manager (Power Plant)

About the role

SpaceX is seeking an experienced Operations and Maintenance Manager to lead the operation, maintenance, and long-term reliability of power generation infrastructure supporting the Starbase supercomputer. This role is responsible for building and leading the teams that keep critical power systems online, spanning gas turbines, generators, mechanical and electrical balance-of-plant, controls, and supporting utilities.

This is a hands-on technical leadership position requiring deep power plant experience, strong engineering judgment, and a proven ability to deliver reliable plant performance. You will own plant availability, operational execution, maintenance strategy, and continuous improvement while supporting commissioning, startup, and expansion of power generation capacity. This is not a desk job. You will be expected to lead from the field, resolve complex technical issues, and make critical decisions when equipment performance and uptime are at risk.

Responsibilities

• Build, lead, and develop multidisciplinary operations and maintenance teams, including plant engineers, operators, maintenance technicians, and technical supervisors
• Own the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of gas turbine power generation assets, generators, and associated mechanical, electrical, and controls systems
• Establish and continuously improve plant operating procedures, preventive and predictive maintenance programs, emergency response protocols, and equipment reliability strategies
• Drive plant performance against key metrics including availability, forced outage rate, heat rate, maintenance costs, and equipment reliability
• Lead root cause investigations for turbine trips, forced outages, recurring equipment failures, and performance degradation; implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence
• Oversee maintenance planning and execution, including major and minor turbine inspections, combustion inspections, equipment overhauls, and planned outages
• Coordinate directly with equipment OEMs, EPC contractors, vendors, and engineering teams to resolve technical issues and support long-term equipment performance
• Develop maintenance budgets, staffing plans, spare parts strategies, and long-term service requirements
• Establish a strong safety culture across plant operations, including lockout/tagout, electrical safety, permit-to-work procedures, and environmental compliance
• Lead construction-to-operations turnover, commissioning support, startup readiness, and integration of new power generation assets into operating facilities
• Coordinate with supercomputer infrastructure and electrical engineering teams to ensure power generation reliability supports critical compute operations
• Hire, train, mentor, and develop engineers and technicians while establishing clear technical and operational performance expectations

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline
• 5+ years of professional experience in power plant operations, maintenance, or engineering, including direct experience with gas turbine or combined-cycle power generation
• 3+ years of experience leading power plant operations and/or maintenance teams
• Demonstrated experience managing plant reliability, equipment maintenance, and operational performance

Preferred Skills and Experience

• 10+ years of professional experience in power plant operations, maintenance, or engineering, including direct experience with gas turbine or combined-cycle power generation
• Extensive knowledge of gas turbines, generators, steam turbines, heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs), and mechanical/electrical balance-of-plant systems
• Experience leading operations and maintenance at utility-scale, industrial, or mission-critical power generation facilities
• Strong technical understanding of gas turbine operation, combustion systems, rotating equipment, plant controls, and electrical distribution
• Experience with GE, Siemens Energy, Mitsubishi Power, or comparable industrial turbine systems
• Experience managing OEM long-term service agreements, major maintenance contracts, and outage budgets
• Proficiency with distributed control systems (DCS), SCADA, computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS), and equipment performance monitoring
• Demonstrated experience improving availability, reducing forced outages, and implementing reliability-centered maintenance programs
• Strong understanding of P&IDs, single-line diagrams, operating procedures, and equipment technical documentation
• Experience commissioning new power generation facilities and transitioning equipment into commercial operations
• Familiarity with OSHA, NFPA 70E, environmental permitting requirements, and industrial plant safety practices
• Experience supporting power generation for data centers or other high-availability industrial loads
• Strong communication, technical troubleshooting, and decision-making skills in high-pressure operating environments

Additional Requirements

• Must be able to work onsite at Starbase, TX
• Must be available to provide on-call support for critical plant events and work extended hours or weekends as operational needs require
• Ability to work in industrial environments, including outdoors in heat, cold, and rain, at heights or in confined spaces when necessary
• Ability to wear required personal protective equipment and safely access operating equipment
• Willingness to travel to vendor facilities or other project sites as needed

Itar Requirements

• To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.