Major Projects - Director, Digital Modernization

TXU Retail Services Company; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Vistra Nuclear Operations is seeking a Director of Digital Modernization to lead its digital control and modernization upgrades across Perry, Beaver Valley, and Davis-Besse. This role owns strategy, capital execution, and the integration with the Power Optimization Center to improve margin, reliability, and operability.

The ideal candidate has 12+ years in nuclear or fossil power with 5–7 years in capital modification programs and a Bachelor’s degree in engineering.

Qualifications

• At least 12 years in the nuclear or fossil power industry with increasing responsibility in engineering, projects, operations, or maintenance.
• 5–7 years leading capital modification programs such as digital I&C, DCS, or turbine control upgrades.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering; PMP/SRO license preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own the fleet digital modernization roadmap and its capital portfolio across Perry, Beaver Valley, and Davis-Besse.
• Lead design and execution with Site Directors, design and site engineering, partners, constructors, and field teams.
• Optimize telemetry to feed analytics and early fault warning in the Power Optimization Center.
• Retire legacy analog equipment and reduce single-point vulnerabilities to improve reliability.
• Drive platform standards across sites to reduce lifecycle costs and simplify support.

Skills

Digital modernization leadership

Capital portfolio management

Cross-site coordination

Nuclear power industry experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

PMP or SRO license preferred

Tools

Emerson Ovation DCS

GE Mark VIe

Job description

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.

Job Summary

The Director, Digital Modernization leads the portfolio of digital control, instrumentation, and modernization upgrades across Vistra's nuclear fleet — coordinated with the Extended Power Uprate (EPU) program. The role owns strategy and capital execution for digital plant controls (Emerson/Westinghouse Ovation DCS), GE Mark VIe turbine controls, and I&C obsolescence retirement, and ensures the resulting data optimally feeds Vistra's Power Optimization Center (POC) for analytics, early fault warning, and troubleshooting. Working with Site Directors, engineering, the engineering-of-choice partner, constructors, and field and testing teams, the Director executes upgrades that build margin, improve reliability, and make the sites easier to operate and maintain.

Job Description Key Accountabilities

• Own the fleet digital modernization roadmap and its capital portfolio, sequencing Emerson/Westinghouse Ovation DCS, GE Mark VIe, and I&C obsolescence upgrades across the three sites and their outage windows.
• Lead design and execution with Site Directors, design and site engineering, the engineering-of-choice partner, constructors, and testing and field teams — from scope and 50.59 screening through installation, testing, startup, and turnover.
• Optimize the telemetry provided to the Power Optimization Center so new digital systems deliver the signal quality and coverage needed for analytics and early fault warning.
• Build margin and modernize the sites: retire legacy analog equipment and single-point vulnerabilities, reduce operator and maintenance burden, and improve unit reliability.
• Drive platform and standards commonality across Perry, Beaver Valley, and Davis-Besse to reduce lifecycle cost and simplify long-term support including skill development for outage/troubleshooting improvement based on commonality of technology.
• Integrate digital scope with the EPU program so uprate and control upgrades share design basis, schedule, and testing strategy.
• Manage OEM and EPC relationships — including Emerson/Westinghouse and GE — negotiating scope, cost, and schedule and resolving stakeholder conflicts.
• Develop the digital and I&C talent pipeline and represent Vistra in INPO and industry modernization forums.
• Capital-funded position within the Major Projects organization.
• Three-site nuclear scope: Perry, Beaver Valley, and Davis-Besse, coordinated with the EPU program; fossil fleet alignment expected but outside direct accountability.
• High-consequence technical scope: reactor and turbine control platforms (Emerson/Westinghouse Ovation, GE Mark VIe) where errors carry direct generation and safety risk.
• Owns the capital portfolio and its prioritization; delivers through matrixed site and fleet engineering teams without direct authority over site organizations.
• Build and lead a team of high-performing individuals including Digital I&C and Control engineers, project coordinator, and Sr. Digital Control Manager.
• Substantial extended team through the engineering-of-choice partner and OEMs (Emerson/Westinghouse, GE), scaling with outage and installation phase.
• Track record delivering complex modifications from concept through turnover.
• Role is based out of one of our nuclear sites: Perry, Beaver Valley, or Davis-Besse with 25-50% travel depending on deployment phase.

Education, Experience, & Skill Requirements

• At least 12 years in the nuclear or fossil power industry with increasing responsibility in engineering, projects, operations, or maintenance, including 5–7 years leading capital modification programs such as digital I&C, DCS, or turbine control upgrades.
• Working knowledge of digital control platforms (Emerson/Westinghouse Ovation, GE Mark VIe, or equivalent), plant I&C, and the NRC digital I&C path (10 CFR 50.59, cyber security, qualification).
• Familiarity with INPO standards, equipment reliability and obsolescence programs, and plant telemetry analytics.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering required (Electrical, I&C, Nuclear, or Mechanical focus preferred); advanced degree desirable.
• PMP, SRO license/certification, or equivalent strongly preferred.

Key Metrics

• Safety & Compliance – Zero violations; adherence to NRC, INPO, NQA-1, and cyber security requirements.
• Schedule – On-time digital upgrade milestones with no outage critical-path impact.
• Cost – ≥95% budget adherence across the modernization portfolio.
• Execution Quality – Upgrades tested and turned over with minimal post-modification corrective actions.
• Margin & Reliability – Measurable gains in margin and capacity factor; reduction of obsolete equipment and single-point vulnerabilities.
• POC Enablement – Growth in quality telemetry to the POC and documented predictive-maintenance saves.

Job Family Plant Operations Company Vistra Nuclear Operations Company

Locations

Shippingport, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania

Company Culture

We are a company of people committed to: Exceeding Customer Expectations, Great People, Teamwork, Competitive Spirit and Effective Communication.

It is the policy of the Company to comply with all employment laws and to afford equal employment opportunity to individuals in all aspects of employment, including in selection for job opportunities, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, military service, protected veteran status, or any other consideration protected by federal, state or local laws.

If you are an individual with a disability and need assistance submitting an application or would like to request an accommodation, please email us at [e-mail] to make a request.

Company Overview

Vistra (NYSE: VST) is a leading Fortune 500 integrated retail electricity and power generation company based in Irving, Texas, that provides essential power resources to customers, businesses, and communities from California to Maine.

Vistra is the largest competitive power generator in the U.S., with a capacity of approximately 41,000 megawatts, or enough to power 20 million homes, operating in all of the major competitive wholesale markets in the country.

Vistra is a leader in the energy transformation and expansion with an unyielding focus on reliability, affordability, and sustainability, powered by a diverse portfolio that includes natural gas, nuclear, coal, solar, and battery energy storage facilities.

The company continues to grow its zero-carbon resources, operating the second-largest fleet of competitive nuclear power plants in the country, substantial battery energy storage capacity, and a growing number of solar facilities.

Vistra is one of the largest competitive electricity providers in the country and takes an innovative, customer-centric approach to retail, offering solutions to meet customers’ needs, including more than 50 renewable energy plans.

Through its family of retail brands, Vistra serves approximately 5 million residential, commercial, and industrial retail customers.

As a leader in the responsible transformation of the country’s energy supply, Vistra has made significant progress towards its 2030 and 2050 targets.

The company has committed to a 60% reduction of Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, as compared to our 2010 baseline, and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, assuming necessary technological advancements and public policy incentives are achieved.

Learn more about our environmental, social, and governance efforts and read the company’s sustainability report at https://vistracorp.com/sustainability/.

Vistra’s hardworking team is committed to its purpose, “lighting up lives, powering a better way forward” and is guided by four core principles: we do business the right way, we work as a team, we compete to win, and we care about our stakeholders, including our customers, our communities where we work and live, our employees, and our investors.

Learn more about how Vistra is powering a better way forward at vistracorp.com.

Come join us and be part of something special!

It is the policy of the Company to comply with all employment laws and to afford equal employment opportunity to individuals in all aspects of employment, including in selection for job opportunities, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, military service, protected veteran status, or any other consideration protected by federal, state or local laws.

If you are an individual with a disability and need assistance submitting an application or would like to request an accommodation, please email us at [e-mail] to make a request.