Plant Reliability Engineer - Data-Driven Operations Lead

SouthWestern Electric Power Co; Arkansas; On-site; USD 88,000 - 129,000; Full time

Job summary

American Electric Power in Fulton, Arkansas, seeks a Plant Engineer to provide technical leadership for safe, reliable, efficient plant operation and compliance. You will monitor performance, troubleshoot, manage configurations, and support capital projects with vendors and operations teams.

You should have an ABET-accredited engineering degree with 2+ years of experience (or military equivalent); a master’s degree may allow entry at Sr level, and a PE license is preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering in an ABET-accredited program and two+ years of related engineering experience, or military equivalent.
• Master’s degree in engineering from an ABET-accredited program may be considered for entry at the Sr level.
• ABET note: Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.
• Alternative: non-ABET bachelor’s in engineering plus ABET master’s/PhD or engineering technology bachelor’s.

Responsibilities

• Provide engineering support and technical execution for plant operations and maintenance by diagnosing equipment and system issues, supporting startup and shutdown activities, and implementing timely corrective actions.
• Perform structured troubleshooting and root cause analysis for equipment failures and performance issues, developing practical solutions that improve system reliability.
• Monitor and analyze plant operating data, including turbine and auxiliary system performance, to identify performance gaps and improvement opportunities impacting availability, heat rate, and efficiency.
• Support and execute reliability and condition monitoring programs (e.g., vibration analysis, thermography, oil analysis, controls diagnostics).
• Maintain configuration control and technical documentation, including drawings, procedures, engineering records, and Management of Change documentation.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering (ABET)*

Master’s degree in engineering (ABET accredited)

Tools

Control systems

Instrumentation

Performance monitoring tools

Job description

American Electric Power in Fulton, Arkansas, seeks a Plant Engineer to provide technical leadership for safe, reliable, efficient plant operation and compliance. You will monitor performance, troubleshoot, manage configurations, and support capital projects with vendors and operations teams.

You should have an ABET-accredited engineering degree with 2+ years of experience (or military equivalent); a master’s degree may allow entry at Sr level, and a PE license is preferred.