Performance Engineer/Planner

Direct Energy Business; University Park (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

NRG Energy in University Park, IL is seeking a Performance & Reliability Specialist to monitor plant generating equipment, analyze data, and guide O&M activities to ensure safe, efficient operation. You will define KPIs, plan scopes of work, estimate resources, and support budgets.

The role requires collaboration with engineering and operations teams to drive performance improvements and maintain environmental compliance.

Qualifications

• High School diploma with 8+ years plant experience or bachelor’s in Engineering.
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Thermodynamics, or Industrial Engineering.
• Valid driver's license.

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and oversee a program for monitoring thermal performance of power generating equipment.
• Establish, update and communicate KPI for the program on an established basis.
• Assist in optimizing equipment operation to meet program performance indicators.
• Develop O&M and Capital budgets for maintaining/improving thermal performance.
• Coordinate and interface between work groups and create reports and documents.

Skills

Team leadership

Communication

Safety compliance

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Thermodynamics, or Industrial Engineering

Alternative experience substitute (5–8 years of relevant experience in lieu of degree)

Tools

MS Word

Excel

PI ProcessBook

SAP

PaSTA

Job description

Date: Aug 25, 2026

Location:

University Park, IL, US, 60484

Company: NRG

As an NRG employee, we encourage you to take charge of your career and development journey. We invite you to explore exciting opportunities across our businesses. You’ll find that our dynamic work environment provides variety and challenge. Your growth is key to our ongoing success—take the lead in shaping your career development, goals and future!

Job Summary

Provide monitoring, oversight, and performance guidance on plant generating equipment, concentrating in performance related processes, identifying opportunities for process improvements thru performance monitoring, data analysis, and related operating & maintenance (O&M) functions to ensure safe, efficient, and environmentally compliant plant operation.

Provides detailed planning by developing scopes of work, identifying, and estimating manpower and material requirements, and identifying all associated activities required to accomplish the work.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and oversee a program for monitoring thermal performance of power generating equipment.
• Establish, update, and communicate on an established basis the key performance indicators (KPI’s) for this program.
• Assist the generating station in assessing and correcting equipment degradation that affects plant thermal performance.
• Provide technical support, testing and equipment inspection expertise within various process areas to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient plant operation.
• Assist in optimizing equipment operation to meet key program performance indicators
• Assist in developing O&M and Capital budgets for maintaining/improving the thermal performance of process equipment.
• Assist in developing strategic plans for equipment overhauls to optimize equipment life and time between overhauls.
• Implement performance monitoring software in conjunction with process instrumentation to assess and improve cycle/equipment performance.
• Implement methodologies to quality check key process variables associated with the thermal performance monitoring program.
• Conduct or procure training to support customer understanding of the performance monitoring programs.
• Interface with engineering resources outside of the station to support/implement performance improvement initiatives.
• Work effectively in a team environment as a leader, member and/or facilitator.
• Perform other duties and assignments as required.
• Creates/develops schedules in support of routine & outage maintenance and/or projects as needed. Create documents, including reports, memos, graphs, charts, tables. etc.
• Coordinate and interface between various work groups.
• Gains cooperation and action from people not under employee's direct reporting. Reviews and updates of job plans/work packages as needed.
• Ensure Company resources are used in a cost-effective manner.
• Supports and emphasizes the importance of safety and environmental policies. Recognizes problems and is proactive in helping to resolve them.
• Initiates and tracks progress of work using work management systems (ex: routine and outage backlogs).

Working Conditions

• This position entails work in office and industrial settings.
• Normal office environment and power plant environment which requires working in all weather conditions around rotating and energized equipment, hazardous material, and chemicals.
• Requires operation of a motor vehicle.
• Work overtime and non-standard working hours as required. Requires occasional travel outside service area.

Minimum Requirements

• High School diploma and a minimum of 8 years of related plant experience or bachelor’s degree in an Engineering, Business, or related discipline from an accredited college or university.
• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, Electrical, Thermodynamics, or Industrial Engineering (or a related discipline). May substitute 5-8 years of relevant experience in lieu of degree.
• Valid driver's license

Preferred Qualifications

• Engineering or Technical Degree inclusive of college level Aeroderivative.
• BS in Engineering with three years or more of experience in Power, Refinery or Chemical process facilities.
• 5 years of Planner/Scheduler experience preferred

Additional Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

• Proficiency in MS Word, Excel, PI Process book, Working knowledge of SAP and PaSTA highly desirable
• Strong interpersonal communication and collaboration skills with all levels of the organization
• Basic understanding of Lock-out, Tag-out (LOTO) practices for related process equipment

Physical Requirements (Demand And Frequency)

• Must be able to wear required personal protection equipment (PPE) such as hard hats, safety glasses, goggles, face shields, hearing protection, respirators, fall protection harnesses, and other PPE as required.
• Duties require extensive manual dexterity in usage of computer terminal and keyboard, while sitting for extended periods of time developing thermal models, process historian review, and other software as needed.
• May be required to enter Permit Entry Confined Spaces
• May be required to perform equipment inspections by climbing vertical ladders in excess of 20 feet and stairways more than 50 feet, using step stool, kneeling, bending, walking over uneven surfaces such as loose rock, open grating, up and down staircases.
• May be required to prepare and conduct training, including mentoring individuals one-on-one. In conducting training, the specialist may be required to carry training materials, and to stand for extended periods of time.

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/Vet/Disability. Level, Title and/or Salary may be adjusted based on the applicant's experience or skills.

Official description on file with Talent.

We support the use of AI tools to help you prepare for your interview (e.g., practicing responses, researching the role, or refining your resume). However, during interviews and assessments, we expect responses to reflect your own thinking, experience, and communication. Use of AI to generate or read answers in real time, complete assessments, or misrepresent your qualifications is not permitted and may impact your candidacy.