Principal Geothermal Engineer

invenergyllc; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Invenergy, headquarted in Chicago, seeks a Principal Geothermal Engineer to guide subsurface technical efforts across projects from development to COD. You will coordinate cross-disciplinary teams, manage multiple workstreams, and collaborate with engineering, geoscience, and commercial groups to optimize design, CAPEX, and OPEX.

The role requires a strong background in geosciences, reservoir modelling, heat transfer, and field execution, with travel to project sites as needed.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience managing technical and engineering teams for geothermal projects.
• Experience in site surveys, heat transfer and reservoir modelling is required.
• Strong ability to coordinate multidisciplinary teams and projects.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate efforts in the project lifecycle from development to COD to meet scope, budget and schedule.
• Advise on feasibility of projects based on geothermal technologies and constraints.
• Lead development-phase efforts including reservoir modelling, heat transfer, and design collaboration.
• Coordinate with geoscience group for geothermal favorability mapping and planning.
• Manage workloads and cross-disciplinary collaboration across the project teams.
• Prepare reports for management and customers and maintain project records.

Skills

Geothermal project management

Reservoir modelling

Site surveys

Education

Bachelor's degree in physics or engineering

Geology/geophysics background acceptable

Job description

Invenergy is North America's largest privately held developer, owner, and operator of power infrastructure. With 25 years of trusted execution, we deliver reliable, affordable energy through a diverse portfolio that includes natural gas, solar, land-based wind, energy storage, transmission, and domestic manufacturing. Headquartered in Chicago, we develop, own, and operate large scale projects that power communities and support the energy future.

This position will be open for application for at least 3 calendar days from the posting date. This position will remain open for application based on business need, which may be before or after the 3-day posting window.

Position Overview

As a Principal Geothermal Engineer, you will guide and coordinate subsurface technical efforts for the team assigned to a geothermal power plant during the execution phase, while supporting multiple projects in the development phase. You will support efforts across multiple teams inside and outside the organization, from development to the commercial operation date (COD). In this position, you will manage multiple workstreams and collaborate with resources to support the project design, execution and construction efforts, while supporting all other technical, economic, and commercial aspects of the project. This position requires a strong technical background, with demonstrated past working experience in related engineering fields and a good understanding of geosciences and geophysics. The position will be based at the Invenergy office in Chicago, IL. Technical supervision during project execution, specifically site surveys, reservoir modelling, exploratory/production drilling, construction and commissioning phases, including travel to the project site, will also be required.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate efforts in the project throughout its lifecycle, under close guidance and supervision provided by the senior management from development to COD, to deliver the project according to the required scope, meeting budget and schedule.
• Advise on the feasibility of projects based on available geothermal technologies and project constraints.
• Lead technical efforts during the development phase, including reservoir modelling, heat transfer and efficiency of the geothermal project, and collaborate with other engineering resources during the detailed design process.
• Research publicly available information and propose prioritization of parcels based on geothermal favorability, in coordination with the geoscience group.
• Manage workload, assist resources and the different groups assigned to a specific geothermal project, promoting seamless coordination across different disciplines.
• Coordinate internal administrative workload in the project, including purchase orders, service orders, MSAs and EPC agreements for consultants and contractors.
• Understand project interfaces across multiple contractors and work packages and monitor performance, ensuring adherence to project budget and schedule.
• Report project risks, performance, progress and schedule to management.
• Coordinate contractual and administrative work with contractors, consultants, project partners and third parties as required.
• Work in collaboration with the GIS and geoscience groups in the preparation of geothermal favorability maps and reservoir modelling.
• Work in collaboration with the thermal engineering team in the preparation of site layouts and optimization of general arrangements for different equipment and project components above ground.
• Prepare reporting for management and customers as required.
• Ensure record keeping for the entire project by adhering to company document management policies.
• Collaborate with the relevant engineering areas to optimize the design, CAPEX, and OPEX of this infrastructure.
• Liaise with the procurement team in the preparation of SOIs, RFIs, RFPs, RFQs, or any other documents.
• Participate in the evaluation of suppliers' technical and economic proposals.
• Participate in discussions with manufacturers and vendors, as needed, in coordination with the procurement team.
• Assist in the preparation of contracts with OEMs, suppliers, and vendors.
• Assist in the permitting and development efforts, including electrical interconnection.
• Monitor project progress and performance, reporting key indicators to management.
• Coordinate efforts to prepare financial model along with the commercial finance & economics team and support project finance.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in physics or civil, structural, petroleum, mechanical or chemical engineering are preferrable. Alternatively, bachelor's degree in geology, geophysics, or related geosciences with a proven track record of past geothermal projects could be considered as well.

• 5+ years of experience in the management of technical and engineering teams for geothermal projects.
• Experience in site surveys, heat transfer and reservoir modelling is required.
• Excellent sol