Optimization Engineer

ContourGlobal; Houston, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

ContourGlobal is seeking an Optimization Engineer in Houston/Hybrid to join the Operations Performance team. You will monitor and optimize plant performance across the Americas fleet, analyze data, support root cause investigations, and contribute to planning and evaluating capital projects.

In this role, you will work closely with senior leadership, manage preventive and predictive maintenance tools, and support major project implementations while ensuring safety and efficiency across assets.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor of Science degree in engineering or equivalent.
• Experience: Power plant or similar operational environment.
• Skills: Strong communication, leadership, and motivational abilities; able to use preventive and predictive maintenance tools.
• Safety: Able to work with hazardous materials and wear PPE as required.
• Travel: Occasional business travel between plant and office locations.

Responsibilities

• Monitor and optimize plant performance across the Americas fleet.
• Analyze operational data and support root cause investigations.
• Assist in planning and evaluating capital projects.
• Support outages and CMMS updates for major equipment.

Skills

Communication

Leadership

Preventive maintenance tools

Gas turbines

Steam turbines

Centrifugal pumps

Education

Bachelor of Science in Engineering

Job description

ContourGlobalis a KKR-backed next-generation Independent Power Producer (IPP) operating across the United States, Latin America, Europe and Africa. The company manages a diversified portfolio of nearly6 GWof renewable generation, flexible thermal power and battery energy storage assets, providing reliable, dispatchable power solutions that support the transition to a more electrified and sustainable future.

ContourGlobal is transforming into a predominantly renewable power platform through the decarbonization of its thermal fleet and the development of large-scale renewable energy and battery storage projects. Leveraging its in-house development, engineering and operational capabilities, the company currently has more than 2 GWof renewable and BESS projects under construction and approximately15 GWin development.

Building on its advanced commercial and energy management capabilities, ContourGlobal partners with utilities, industrial customers and digital infrastructure operators to deliver tailored power solutions through long-term contracts, corporate PPAs and powered-land solutions that shorten time-to-market for data center developments.

We are looking for the/a

Optimization Engineer

Houston/Hybrid

Job Summary

As an Optimization Engineer*, you will join our Operations Performance team! In this role, you will report to the Global Operational Performance Director and will have the opportunity to monitor and optimize plant performance across the Americas fleet, analyze operational data, support root cause investigations, and contribute to the planning and evaluation of capital projects. Join us to drive the right power forward and make clean energy the natural choice for all!

Key Responsibilities

Health and safety

• Have a strong working knowledge of the ContourGlobal Health & Safety Management System and its respective safe work practices, i.e., Permit to Work, Management of Change, and Contractor Safety etc.
• Coach and mentor facility employee through engagement on proper safety behaviors, use of the ContourGlobal Management System and its respective expectations and through on-going participation of in Health & Safety activities i.e., inspection, incident investigation and visible felt leadership.
• Verify job tasks are adequately reviewed prior to initiating work and when changes occur in the work environment or tasks requirements.
• Ensure all Incidents and potential adverse events (i.e., Near Misses) are quickly communicated to Plant leadership and Health & Safety site/regional support.
• Actively participate in Health & Safety activities not limited to routine inspection, incident investigation, and engagement with regulatory authorities and visible felt leadership with all persons (contractor and company employees) as a part of their routine work.
• Enforce company H&S standards as well as environmental management plans when working with contractors to ensure a safe and healthy work site.

Main Duties

• Understand the performance profiles of each plant and how they have performed with respect to their plant Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s).
• Work directly with the Global Operational Performance Director and Plant Management to understand what the major plant issues are affecting performance. Work with the plant staff directly to understand their use and proficiency of predictive maintenance tools. Take the available data from the plants and lead the efforts in understanding the data and how best to eliminate the issues in a cost-effective manner.
• Support all plant outages, planned and unplanned, involving center-line equipment.
• Support the plants in their efforts to create/update their computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) with a focus on major plant rotating equipment.
• Assist the plants, when requested in the preparation and analysis of their annual budgets. Look for areas of commonality where we can implement savings in supply chain and procurement of parts/services.
• Provide input to the Global Operational Performance Director and the Plant Manager to assist in the development and review of annual outage schedules.
• Evaluate the plant's preventive and predictive maintenance program, including equipment failure records, and provide trend information to the Plant Management and the Technical Support Director.
• Coordinate and drive implementation of new plant projects and initiatives.
• Work with Global Operational Performance Director and COO’s to understand and assist in the management of major service contracts for the fleet.

Qualifications and Skills

• Education: Bachelor of Science degree in engineering or equivalent qualification.
• Experience: Experience working in a power plant or similar operational environment.
• Skills: Strong communication, leadership, and motivational skills, with the ability to use computer-based preventive and predictive maintenance tools. Field experience in dealing with gas turbines, steam turbines, and large centrifugal pumps.
• Safety requirements: Ability to work with hazardous materials and wear required personal protective equipment, including hard hats, safety glasses, air masks, hearing protection, chemical suits, hot gloves, and high voltage protective equipment.
• Travel requirements: This role requires occasional business travel between plant and office locations.

What drives your application forward

• Previous experience in the power generation industry.

Our Values

«We» is our greatest asset

We respect and protect the environment

We are doers, committed to doing things right

We act with integrity and transparency

We think and act like entrepreneurs

You can find here more about our Purpose, Mission and Values.

Working@CG

As a globally integrated team, we push boundaries, work collaboratively, and remain agile in the pursuit of excellence. With an entrepreneurial mindset, we encourage initiative and innovation. At ContourGlobal you are an employee, and you are also an owner. Our Employee Ownership Program allows our employee-owners to make a difference and drive the right power forward and make clean energy the natural choice for all!

We foster a culture where individuals are empowered to succeed, contribute and shape the future of sustainable energy.

Cross-border collaboration shapes our way of working: our diverse workforce reflects the multicultural environment we embrace every day.

We offer a competitive compensation package: we believe in meritocracy and rewarding meaningful contributions.

We enjoy making the most of our shared spaces to foster teamwork and collaboration. At the same time, our flexible working policy allows us to prioritize results while supporting wellbeing and a healthy work-life balance.

Interested in joining our company?

We know that skills and experience come in different forms, and we value diverse perspectives.

If you’re excited about this role but you think you still need to learn some of the required skills, we’d still love to hear from you. You are much more than your CV, so come as you are and tell us who you aspire to become! The most important skills are collaboration, respect, trustworthiness and execution. So go ahead—apply, and let’s contribute to the new energy transition together!

ContourGlobal provides equal employment opportunities and maintains a diverse workforce that reflects the rich environment of our society and the markets in which we operate.

ContourGlobal provides equal employment opportunities and maintains a diverse workforce that reflects the rich environment of our society and the markets in which we operate.

ABOUT CONTOURGLOBAL

ContourGlobal, a KKR Company, led by CEO Antonio Cammisecra, is an established Independent Power Producer (IPP) developing, acquiring, and operating electricity generation and storage assets worldwide. The company currently manages 5.3 GW of installed capacity across different power generation technologies and asset categories, with an additional 1 GW of renewables under construction and a further 9.8 GW under development.
The operational footprint of the company extends to 18 countries across Europe, Africa, Asia, North and South America. The company has committed to speed up the decarbonization of its portfolio with a sustainable transition of its thermal fleet, the repowering of existing renewable assets and the organic development of new renewable projects. ContourGlobal boasts 20 years of a strong collaboration with communities, institutions, and customers that benefit from its electricity supply through long-term contracts or innovative PPAs, coupled with energy management solutions

OUR VALUES

• «We» is our greatest asset
• We respect and protect the environment
• We are doers, committed to doing things right
• We act with integrity and transparency
• We think and act like entrepreneurs