Principal Specialist - Generation Services Fire Protection

About the role

If you have what it takes to become part of the Vistra family and would like to start a promising career with a global leader, take a look at the exciting employment opportunities that are currently available and apply online.

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Fire Protection / Emergency Management professional to support and enhance emergency preparedness, incident response, and fire protection programs across our power generation fleet.

This role is responsible for supporting fire protection program implementation, emergency management planning, drill coordination, incident response readiness, and fire investigations to ensure compliance with applicable codes, insurance requirements, and internal standards.The ideal candidate will bring strong experience in emergency incident response, emergency preparedness, fire investigations, and industrial risk reduction within asset-intensive environments.

This position plays a critical role in reducing operational risk, strengthening emergency response readiness, supporting safe and continuous operations, and enhancing coordination with site personnel, first responders, and external agencies across Vistra’s coal, gas, solar, and BESS assets.

Key Accountabilities

Emergency Management & Incident Response

• Lead and support fleetwide emergency preparedness, emergency drill coordination, and incident response readiness activities.
• Support sites with emergency drills, exercises, and preparedness activities as needed.
• Assist with development, review, and continuous improvement of site emergency response plans, pre-fire plans, and related emergency procedures.
• Partner with site leadership to enhance emergency readiness, incident response coordination, and recovery planning.
• Meet with first responders, fire departments, emergency management organizations, and Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs) to develop strong partnerships and enhance emergency incident response.
• Support lessons learned reviews following drills, exercises, and actual events, and recommend improvements to strengthen site and fleet readiness.

Fire Protection Program Support

• Support evaluation and continuous improvement of fire protection and combustible dust programs across a diverse fleet of fossil generation, solar, and BESS facilities.
• Review fire protection system performance, impairments, and operational readiness in partnership with site teams.
• Support compliance with applicable standards including NFPA, OSHA, and IFC as applicable to site operations and equipment.
• Identify gaps and recommend corrective actions to mitigate fire and explosion risks.

Fire Investigations & Corrective Actions

• Lead or support fire investigations, event reviews, and root cause analysis related to fire events, near misses, and emergency response performance.
• Support post-incident assessments to identify lessons learned and strengthen prevention and response strategies across the fleet.

Project Scope Development & Program Support

• Support development of scopes for fire protection improvements, emergency response enhancements, and risk reduction initiatives.
• Support capital and expense planning activities, including cost estimates, schedules, and risk assessments for fire protection and emergency management initiatives.

Contractor & Vendor Coordination

• Support oversight of contractors and vendors during installation, testing, commissioning, or emergency preparedness support activities.
• Review contractor submittals, test records, inspection documentation, and related deliverables.
• Coordinate with external service providers to ensure quality execution and compliance with operational requirements.

Risk Management & Continuous Improvement

• Collaborate with insurance carriers and internal stakeholders during site assessments and audits.
• Identify recurring risks, program gaps, and improvement opportunities across coal, gas, solar, and BESS operations.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Security, and EHS teams to integrate fire protection and emergency management requirements into plant activities.
• Build effective working relationships across organizational boundaries to support consistent fleetwide implementation of fire protection and emergency management expectations.

Education and Skill Requirements

• Minimum 10 years of experience with Fire Protection and Emergency Response programs in power generation or similar asset-intensive environments.
• Experience supporting plant maintenance and operations, compliance programs, or technical program administration preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of NFPA requirements, including:
• NFPA 13 (Sprinkler Systems)
• NFPA 20 (Fire Pumps)
• NFPA 22 (Water Tanks)
• NFPA 2001 (Clean Agent Systems)
• NFPA 12 (CO₂ Systems)
• NFPA 72 (Fire Alarm & Detection)
• NFPA 25 (Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance)
• NFPA 850 (Electric Generating Plants)
• NFPA 855 (Battery Energy Storage Systems)
• NFPA 750 (Water Mist Systems)
• Strong project management and organizational skills.
• Proven ability to manage contractors and multiple projects simultaneously.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Familiarity with fire hazard mitigation, fire investigations and process safety analysis.
• Analytical mindset with strong problem-solving capabilities.

Key Metrics for Success

• Compliance & Risk Reduction
• Reduction in identified system deficiencies across the fleet.
• Successful adherence to standards, insurance requirements, and internal policies.
• System Reliability
• Improvement of fire protection system availability and reliability
• Reduction of system impairments and overdue inspection testing and maintenance activities across the fleet
• Audit & Inspection Outcomes
• Timely closure of audit findings and corrective actions.
• Operational Support
• Effectiveness in supporting plant operations with minimal disruption.
• Responsiveness to emergent issues and incident investigations.

• Location: Will consider any Vistra fossil generation facility as an alternative to Irving TX.
• Grade: Grade will be assigned based on skills and experience (aligned with engineering/specialist progression program).
• Job Family
• Engineering Services