Director of Systems Engineering – Power Generation

Liberty Personnel Services, Inc.; Texas; Hybrid; USD 190,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus 25-30%

Sign-on bonus $25,000-$50,000

Remote work within United States

Job summary

Liberty Personnel Services, Inc. is seeking a Director of Systems Engineering to lead gas turbine power generation projects for data centers and industrial facilities.

The role oversees systems engineering, environmental compliance, and engineering standards to ensure optimal plant performance and integration across disciplines. The incumbent will establish plant design bases, heat rate calculations, and performance guarantees while coordinating mechanical, electrical, and controls teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering from an ABET-accredited program.
• 15+ years of power generation experience with leadership experience.
• Gas turbine performance engineering experience including heat balance modeling.

Responsibilities

• Lead the systems engineering function across plant performance, environmental permitting, and data management.
• Own plant performance calculations, heat rate guarantees, and emissions performance.
• Coordinate mechanical, electrical, and controls engineering across project teams to deliver integrated plant designs.
• Lead applications engineering for gas turbine selection and performance.
• Oversee emissions permitting, NOx/CO/VOC/PM controls and environmental documentation.
• Establish and maintain engineering standards and templates.

Skills

Gas turbine performance engineering

Heat balance modeling

Plant performance calculations

Project leadership

ASME PTC 22/PTC 46

Education

ABET-accredited engineering degree

Tools

Thermoflow GT PRO/GT MASTER

Job description

Director of Systems Engineering – Power Generation

Salary: $190,000 to $230,000 base + 25-30% bonus + sign on bonus

Director of Systems Engineering – Power Generation

Location: Remote, United States
Employment Type: Full-Time
Base Salary: Up to $230,000
Annual Bonus: 25-30%
Sign-On Bonus: $25,000-$50,000
Travel: Up to 30%, including project sites, customer meetings, regulatory agency meetings, and performance testing

Position Overview

An established power generation organization is seeking a Director of Systems Engineering to lead systems engineering, plant performance, applications engineering, environmental compliance, and engineering standards for gas turbine power generation projects serving data centers and industrial facilities.

This senior leadership role owns the technical basis for plant output, heat rate, emissions, and overall system integration. The Director will establish engineering requirements, oversee performance guarantees, evaluate technical and contractual risks, and ensure mechanical, electrical, and controls engineering teams work from a consistent plant design basis.

The ideal candidate combines deep gas turbine performance engineering expertise with experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams, managing customer commitments, and supporting projects from proposal development through commissioning and performance testing.

Key Responsibilities

Engineering Leadership & Plant Performance

Lead the systems engineering function, including plant performance, applications engineering, environmental and permitting engineering, and engineering standards and data management.

Own plant performance calculations and heat balance models, including output and heat rate guarantees, degradation assumptions, and ambient and site condition corrections.

Evaluate performance guarantee commitments and potential liquidated damages exposure before contractual commitments are finalized.

Establish and maintain the technical basis for plant output, heat rate, emissions, and overall system performance.

Lead performance test engineering, including test procedures, acceptance criteria, third-party testing coordination, and review of test results.

Ensure engineering commitments are technically achievable, clearly documented, and aligned with project requirements.

Establish the plant and site design basis, including plant configuration, auxiliary loads, net output, fuel gas requirements, and emissions performance requirements.

Define the technical requirements that mechanical, electrical, and controls engineering teams use to develop their designs.

Oversee plant configuration studies for simple-cycle, behind-the-meter, and islanded power generation applications.

Coordinate with electrical, mechanical, controls, project management, and operations teams to resolve system integration issues.

Review engineering deliverables for consistency with contractual requirements, performance assumptions, and plant operating objectives.

Applications Engineering

Lead applications engineering activities, including gas turbine selection, plant configuration studies, and technical proposal development.

Evaluate technical feasibility and plant performance for prospective projects.

Support customer technical discussions and ensure proposals accurately reflect plant capabilities, operating requirements, and performance commitments.

Oversee environmental engineering and permitting activities for gas turbine power generation projects.

Establish and review emissions requirements for nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde (HCHO), and particulate matter (PM).

Oversee air permit applications, applicable New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) compliance, and environmental documentation.

Coordinate external air-modeling consultants and support regulatory agency discussions.

Ensure emissions-control requirements are incorporated into the plant design basis and technical specifications.

Establish and maintain engineering standards, calculation templates, performance models, and standardized plant designs for applicable turbine configurations.

Oversee engineering CAD standards, technical documentation, and engineering document management systems.

Develop repeatable engineering processes to improve consistency, quality, and execution across projects.

Coordinate with engineering data specialists, contract designers, and drafters to maintain accurate and controlled engineering documentation.

Team Leadership & Stakeholder Management

Hire, develop, and lead a multidisciplinary systems engineering team.

Establish clear technical ownership, priorities, and accountability across engineering functions.

Communicate technical risks, performance commitments, and engineering recommendations to executives, customers, and project teams.

Support project leadership in resolving customer technical questions and evaluating changes that may affect plant performance, cost, schedule, or contractual obligations.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Engineering from an ABET-accredited program.

15+ years of power generation experience, including at least 5 years leading engineers, engineering teams, or complex projects.

Gas turbine performance engineering experience, including heat balance modeling and plant performance calculations.

Experience with performance guarantees, heat rate, output calculations, degradation assumptions, and ambient condition corrections.

Experience with performance testing, including ASME PTC 22 and/or PTC 46.

Working knowledge of air permitting, emissions requirements, and emissions-control systems for combustion turbines.

Ability to establish plant design requirements and coordinate engineering activities across multiple technical disciplines.

Strong understanding of contractual performance commitments and associated technical and financial risks.

Demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical issues and risks clearly to executive leadership and customers.

Strong technical leadership, project coordination, and decision-making skills.

Authorization to work in the United States without current or future employer-sponsored visa support.

Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as required, up to 30%.

Preferred Qualifications

Professional Engineer (PE) license.

Experience with GE heavy-duty gas turbine frames, including 6B, 7EA, or 6FA, and/or aeroderivative turbines such as the LM6000.

Experience using Thermoflow software, including GT PRO and GT MASTER, or comparable heat balance and performance modeling tools.

Background with a gas turbine OEM, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor, utility, independent power producer (IPP), or owner's engineering organization.

Experience supporting data center power generation or behind-the-meter power projects.

Experience overseeing engineering standards, standardized plant designs, and multidisciplinary systems integration.

Initial Priorities

During the first 90 days, the Director of Systems Engineering will be expected to:

Review performance and emissions commitments for active projects and identify gaps, risks, or unresolved technical assumptions.

Establish standardized heat balance models and plant design bases for applicable gas turbine configurations.

Develop a centralized emissions and permitting tracker for project sites and generating units.

Standardize engineering document numbering, templates, calculation methods, and technical documentation practices.

Establish clear technical ownership and coordination across systems, mechanical, electrical, and controls engineering.

Base salary up to $230,000, depending on experience and qualifications.

Annual bonus target of 25-30%.

Sign-on bonus of $25,000-$50,000.

Remote work within the United States, with travel as required.