Sr. Engineering Commissioning Manager (Power Plant)

Sr. Commissioning Manager (Power Plant)

SpaceX is building and operating large-scale power generation for launch and compute. This role leads commissioning of the power plant: gas and steam turbines, heat recovery steam generator (HRSG), balance of plant, electrical, and controls, from mechanical completion to reliable operation. This is not a desk job. You will be in the control room during startup and in the field troubleshooting.

Responsibilities

• Build and run the commissioning plan: system turnover, pre-commissioning, first fire, synchronization, performance test, and reliability run
• Own the commissioning schedule, budget, and staffing plan
• Lead the commissioning team and the OEM field crews
• Accept a system from construction only with a complete mechanical completion package
• Start up aeroderivative and simple-cycle units; where an HRSG is in scope, run chemical cleaning and steam or air blows before the steam turbine takes steam
• Own procedures, punchlists, deficiency tracking, and the decision that a system is ready
• Close punch by category, commercial deficiencies included, before commercial operation
• Own LOTO, permit-to-work, and energization authority from first backfeed through commercial operation
• Commission controls and protection with the electrical and automation team
• Run guarantee and performance tests against the contract and carry the reliability run through commercial operation
• Hand operations a plant that starts, trips, and recovers as designed

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline
• 5+ years of experience commissioning utility-scale power plants, including gas turbines, in the field
• Experience leading commissioning on a utility-scale or multi-unit plant, not only single-skid support
• Experience writing or owning startup procedures

Preferred Skills and Experience

• 10+ years of experience commissioning utility-scale power plants, including gas turbines, in the field
• Experience as an OEM commissioning lead (GE Vernova, Siemens Energy, Mitsubishi Power, Solar Turbines, Baker Hughes, or equivalent)
• Direct startup experience with H- or F-class and/or aeroderivative gas turbines (LM2500 / LM6000 class or equivalent)
• Experience with DCS/turbine control platforms (Mark VIe, SPPA-T3000, or equivalent)
• Experience with Mitsubishi DIASYS Netmation or Emerson Ovation DCS
• Experience with HRSG and steam turbine integration and performance testing
• Familiarity with ASME PTC 22 (gas turbine) or PTC 46 (overall plant) performance test codes

Additional Requirements

• Must be available to work on site during startups, including nights and weekends
• Willingness to travel between generation sites
• Ability to work around energized equipment and live construction
• Ability to work 10-12 hour shifts outdoors in heat and high noise during startup

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.