Sr. Power Engineer

Acwa; Umluj; On-site; SAR 250,000 - 420,000; Full time

Job summary

Acwa Operations seeks an experienced Operations Lead to manage the safe, efficient operation of PV/BESS assets and related plant utilities. You will ensure compliance with grid codes, optimize performance and supervise shift teams across generation facilities.

Ideal candidates have 8–10+ years in power generation operations, strong SCADA knowledge, and a proven leadership track record in a senior role. The role emphasizes HSSE, PTW and continuous improvement within NOMAC/ACWA standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical/Mechanical/Power Engineering or equivalent.
• 8-10+ years in power generation operations with PV/BESS or conventional generation.
• 3+ years in a senior/lead role.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day generation operations including start-up, shutdown and load management across PV/BESS and balance-of-plant.
• Monitor alarms, trends and KPIs; coordinate response to deviations and abnormal events; implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
• Ensure adherence to dispatch instructions and grid requirements; coordinate with CCC/SCADA and Shift teams.
• Own and continuously improve operating procedures, SOPs and LOTO; ensure robust PTW implementation.
• Support root cause analyses and lead implementation of corrective and preventive actions.
• Coordinate with Maintenance and Performance teams for planned outages and emergent work to minimise downtime and production losses.
• Validate commissioning/return-to-service for power systems after maintenance
• Champion HSSE culture; ensure compliance with NOMAC/ACWA standards and RSG site rules; participate in audits and drills.
• Guide Shift Engineers/Operators; provide on-the-job coaching and ensure skills are current; liaise with PGM, O&M and external stakeholders as required.

Skills

Power plant systems

SCADA operations

Root cause analysis

IMS/ISO knowledge

PTW/LOTO

Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical/Mechanical/Power Engineering or equivalent

Tools

SCADA

Job description

At Acwa Operations, we make essential services dependable and efficient for the millions of people who rely on them every day. Formerly NOMAC (The First National Operations & Maintenance Company), we are the operations and maintenance arm of Acwa, focused on keeping power generation and water desalination assets running safely, reliably and cost-effectively across their full lifecycle. Since 2005, we have partnered with clients across the Middle East, Africa and Asia to support complex infrastructure that powers communities and sustains economies. As part of Acwa, we bring deep technical knowledge, strong operational systems and a culture built on performance and accountability. Our work covers everything from commissioning and asset management to preventive and corrective maintenance, technical support and continuous performance improvement. We know that reliability and cost discipline aren’t just technical goals, they determine whether people have light at night, water in their homes and industry can operate without interruption. By maximising asset availability, enhancing resilience and upholding the highest safety and quality standards, Acwa Operations contributes directly to Acwa’s mission to deliver sustainable, affordable energy and water solutions that advance people’s lives and strengthen communities worldwide.

The Red Sea Utilities Multi-Utilities Project is a landmark greenfield initiative developed by ACWA Power in partnership with Red Sea Global, supporting Saudi Arabia’s premier tourism destination along the Red Sea coast. Under a 25-year Utilities Concession Agreement, ACWA Power is responsible for the development, construction, operation, and eventual transfer of a fully integrated, off-grid utilities infrastructure.

The project includes a 340 MWac solar PV plant combined with one of the world’s largest captive-scale battery energy storage systems (1,000-1,200 MWh), enabling 24/7 clean energy supply. In addition to renewable power, the scope covers seawater desalination (up to 32,500 m³/day), wetlands-based sewage treatment (16,000 m³/day), district cooling (32,500 RT), and zero-landfill waste management (~11,775 t/year).

Reporting to:

Operations Manager

Job Purpose:

Lead the safe, efficient and reliable operation of power generation assets at RSP (PV/BESS, auxiliaries and integration to RO/DCP/STP interfaces), ensuring compliance with grid codes, OEM recommendations and NOMAC HSSE standards, to maximise availability and performance.

Key Accountabilities:

Operations Management

• Oversee day-to-day generation operations including start-up, shutdown and load management across PV/BESS and balance-of-plant.
• Monitor alarms, trends and KPIs; coordinate response to deviations and abnormal events; implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
• Ensure adherence to dispatch instructions and grid requirements; coordinate with CCC/SCADA and Shift teams.

Technical Governance:

• Own and continuously improve operating procedures, SOPs and LOTO; ensure robust PTW implementation.
• Support root cause analyses and lead implementation of corrective and preventive actions.

Outage & Maintenance Interface:

• Coordinate with Maintenance and Performance teams for planned outages and emergent work to minimise downtime and production losses.
• Validate commissioning/return-to-service for power systems after maintenance

HSSE & Compliance:

• Champion HSSE culture; ensure compliance with NOMAC/ACWA standards and RSG site rules; participate in audits and drills.

People & Stakeholder Management:

• Guide Shift Engineers/Operators; provide on-the-job coaching and ensure skills are current; liaise with PGM, O&M and external stakeholders as required.

Communication & Working Relationships:

Internal:

• PGM, Operations Supervisors, Maintenance (Electrical/Mechanical/I&C), Performance Assurance, HSE, Supply Chain, Finance.

External:

• Grid operator, EPC/OEMs, RSG counterparts and contractors.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical/Mechanical/Power Engineering or equivalent
• 8-10+ years in power generation operations with experience in PV/BESS or conventional generation and plant utilities; at least 3 years in a senior/lead role.

Skills:

• Strong knowledge of power plant systems (PV inverters, BESS, transformers, GIS/AIS switchgear, protection, auxiliaries).
• SCADA/CCR operations proficiency and incident response.
• Procedure authoring, RCA and continuous improvement.
• Knowledge of IMS/ISO 9001, 14001, 45001; PTW/LOTO.