DOTP-Plant Specialist II
Bridgeport, TX, US, 76426
Welcome to the intersection of energy and home services. At NRG, we’re all about propelling the next generation of leaders forward. We are driven by our passion to create a smarter, cleaner and more connected future. We deliver innovative solutions that make our customers’ lives easier—helping them power, protect, and intelligently manage their homes and businesses. To do this, we need creative and talented people to join our company.
We offer a dynamic work environment and a unified and inclusive culture. NRG fosters a strong sense of belonging that leads to better collaboration and business performance. Our company programs are designed to help employees develop the skills they need for success now and in the future. In everything we do, we aim to champion our employees and bring value to our customers, investors and society.
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Job Summary:
The Plant Specialist II is primarily assigned to Jack County Generation Station and provides advanced engineering and technical support for instrumentation, control, automation, and associated electrical systems. The position may also provide support from time to time at RW Miller Power Plant and Johnson County Generation Facility based on operational, outage, project, or reliability needs.
The position supports safe, reliable, and cost-effective generation through advanced troubleshooting, failure analysis, control-system optimization, lifecycle and obsolescence planning, outage and project execution, and development of permanent corrective actions. This position serves as an I&C subject-matter expert and coordinates with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), vendors, contractors, and other NRG groups. The role requires independent judgment, ownership of assigned technical work, and effective management of scope, schedule, budget, installation, startup, and turnover requirements.
Essential Duties/Responsibilties:
- Support and reinforce NRG safety and environmental programs, standards, and expectations at all supported locations.
- Provide advanced technical support for instrumentation, controls, automation, and associated electrical equipment at Jack County, with periodic support to RW Miller and Johnson County.
- Investigate and analyze system disturbances, equipment failures, trips, derates, recurring alarms, intermittent faults, and other operational or maintenance problems. Determine causes and recommend corrective actions that improve reliability.
- Provide advanced troubleshooting for transmitters, switches, analyzers, control valves, actuators, positioners, VFD interfaces, DCS and PLC input/output, communication networks, turbine controls, boiler controls, and associated field devices.
- Provide technical support for Emerson Ovation, GE, Siemens, and other installed plant control systems, including hardware, software, control logic, system interfaces, communications, alarms, events, trends, permissives, interlocks, and sequencing.
- Provide field support for installation, calibration, loop checks, functional testing, logic verification, commissioning, startup, shutdown, outage execution, and return-to-service activities.
- Provide technical information to support quality SAP notifications, work orders, Bills of Material, spare-parts strategies, job packages, preventive maintenance activities, and long-term maintenance strategies.
- Apply applicable engineering standards, company procedures, industry codes, and safety requirements, including NFPA, IEEE, ISA, and other standards relevant to assigned work.
- Provide technical guidance and knowledge transfer to IC&E technicians and other plant personnel during complex troubleshooting, outages, projects, and equipment reliability events.
- Communicate project progress, technical risks, equipment status, emerging issues, and recommended actions to site leadership and other stakeholders in a timely manner.
- Use company resources in a cost-effective manner and maintain high standards of personal accountability concerning safety, environmental, ethical, and fiduciary responsibilities.
- Provide after-hours technical support as needed, including telephone, video conference, remote support, and travel to supported locations during outages or emergent plant conditions.
- Stay current with developments in instrumentation, control systems, cybersecurity interfaces, diagnostic methods, and power-generation technology.
- Perform all other duties as assigned.
Technical Engineering, Projects & Reliability:
- Create, modify, check, or review engineering designs based on approved specifications, technical requirements, operating needs, and project constraints.
- Review drawings, schematics, P&IDs, loop diagrams, logic diagrams, control narratives, flow diagrams, specifications, studies, calculations, and work plans for technical accuracy, maintainability, safety, reliability, cost effectiveness, and regulatory compliance.
- Review completed systems and modifications to verify correct operation, functional performance, documentation, and turnover to Operations and Maintenance.
- Perform or participate in engineering studies, site inspections, equipment condition assessments, failure investigations, risk assessments, and maintenance evaluations requiring knowledge of plant systems and operations.
- Lead or support Root Cause Analysis for instrumentation and control-system failures, identify bad actors, and verify completion and effectiveness of corrective actions.
- Collect and analyze operating data, control-system events, historian trends, work history, and field observations to identify emerging issues and support troubleshooting and performance improvement.
- Develop and maintain technical specifications for the purchase, replacement, or upgrade of instrumentation and control systems.
- Identify obsolete, unsupported, or high-risk I&C components and develop lifecycle, replacement, spare-parts, and modernization recommendations.
- Manage or support complex controls projects, including burner management, combustion control, balance-of-plant controls, turbine controls, control-system upgrades, instrumentation replacements, and system integration.
- Develop or review project scope, schedule, budget, technical bid packages, vendor proposals, bid comparisons, commissioning plans, testing requirements, and acceptance criteria.
- Recommend and technically evaluate vendors, OEMs, system integrators, contractors, equipment suppliers, parts, and services within the assigned area of responsibility.
- Coordinate technical activities with Emerson, GE, Siemens, other OEMs, vendors, contractors, NRG departments, engineering firms, material suppliers, and craft personnel.
- Assist with outage planning, multi-year outage forecasting, maintenance and upgrade prioritization, economic evaluation, and budget development for I&C projects.
- Develop, maintain, and improve I&C technical documentation, including instrument lists, I/O lists, loop drawings, logic diagrams, cause-and-effect documents, setpoints, calibration requirements, architecture drawings, equipment manuals, and control-system backup information.
Working Conditions:
- Primary work location is Jack County Generation Station in Bridgeport, Texas.
- Periodic work may be required at RW Miller Power Plant and Johnson County Generation Facility based on business, outage, project, or reliability needs.
- Work is performed in normal office and power-plant environments, including outdoor areas, elevated work locations, high- and low-temperature conditions, high humidity, high noise, dust, chemicals, confined spaces, energized equipment, and rotating or automatically starting equipment.
- Position may require overtime, nights, weekends, holidays, outage support, and response to emergent operating conditions.
- Travel to supported NRG locations, vendor facilities, or other plant sites is required as business needs dictate.
- Required to follow all site safety requirements and use appropriate personal protective equipment. Respirator qualification may be required for certain work areas or tasks.
Minimum Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering with 4 years’ of experience in a power plant or 8 years’ experience in a power plant focused on operations, maintenance, or technical field
- Ability to communicate technical information effectively and work independently or as part of a cross-functional team.
- Ability and willingness to provide after-hours support and travel to RW Miller, Johnson County, and other supported locations when required.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
- Ten (10) or more years of instrumentation and controls engineering, maintenance, commissioning, and troubleshooting experience in power generation or a complex industrial facility.
- Hands-on experience troubleshooting, maintaining, configuring, commissioning, or supporting Emerson Ovation distributed control systems.
- Experience with GE gas turbine control systems, including Mark VIe, turbine instrumentation, protection, sequencing, permissives, and associated control-system interfaces.
- Experience with Siemens control systems and automation platforms, including Siemens SPPA-T3000 where applicable.
- Knowledge of control systems for gas turbines, HRSGs, auxiliary boilers, balance-of-plant equipment, and other power-generation systems.
- Experience with control valves, actuators, transmitters, analyzers, VFDs, PLC/DCS I/O, industrial communication networks, and system integration.
- Experience using plant historian, alarm, event, and control-system data for troubleshooting, failure analysis, and performance improvement.
- Experience leading or supporting Root Cause Analysis and implementing permanent corrective actions.
- Experience with SAP maintenance and work-management processes.
- Experience developing technical scopes of work and coordinating OEMs, vendors, contractors, engineering firms, and system integrators.
- Experience supporting planned outages, forced outages, commissioning, startups, equipment modifications, and control-system upgrades.
- Knowledge of applicable NFPA, IEEE, ISA, and related industry standards.
Additional Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Advanced problem-solving, systems-thinking, and analytical skills.
- Strong attention to detail and commitment to safe, compliant, and reliable plant operation.
- Ability to distinguish symptoms from underlying failure mechanisms and develop practical long-term solutions.
- Effective written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
- Ability to manage multiple technical priorities and maintain performance during outages and emergent plant conditions.
- Ability to provide technical leadership and guidance without replacing normal craft, supervisory, or operational accountability.
- Proficiency with common business and technical software, including Microsoft Office and applicable plant information systems.
Physical Requirements (Demand and Frequency):
- Ability to move throughout office and power-plant environments, including stairs, ladders, uneven surfaces, and elevated work areas.
- Ability to wear required personal protective equipment and, when required, complete respirator fit testing and applicable medical qualification.
- Ability to work in extreme temperatures, high-noise areas, confined spaces, and around energized, rotating, or automatically starting equipment.
- Ability to travel to RW Miller, Johnson County, vendor facilities, and other NRG locations as required to perform assigned duties.
NRG Energy is committed to a drug and alcohol-free workplace. To the extent permitted by law and any applicable collective bargaining agreement, employees are subject to periodic random drug testing, and post-accident and reasonable suspicion drug and alcohol testing. EOE AA M/F/Protected Veteran Status/Disability. Level, Title and/or Salary may be adjusted based on the applicant's experience or skills.
EEO is the Law Poster (The poster can be found at http://www.eeoc.gov/employers/upload/poster_screen_reader_optimized.pdf)
Official description on file with Talent.
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Nearest Major Market: Abilene