Project Engineer - Principal Engineer

Vistra Corp.; Irving (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Vistra Corp. in Irving, Texas, is seeking a senior Project Engineer to initiate, develop, manage, and execute capital and major maintenance projects for Vistra’s fossil generation fleet.

You will apply the Project Life Cycle Procedure, LRPs, and fleet standards while coordinating with plant personnel, fleet engineering, operations, and external partners. You will prepare scopes, cost estimates, schedules, bid specs, and documentation for gas turbines, steam turbines, generators, pumps, and

Qualifications

• 8+ years in project engineering, development, execution, or capital project management in power generation or similar heavy industrial environments.
• ABET-accredited engineering degree or PE license in the US.
• Experience with fossil generation assets or major plant systems.
• Knowledge of mechanical rotating equipment, plant control systems, or heavy‑duty steam valves.
• Ability to develop scopes, schedules, cost estimates, and business justifications.

Responsibilities

• Identify and execute capital and major maintenance projects for Vistra’s fossil fleet.
• Develop scopes, estimates, schedules, risk analyses, and business justifications for LRPs and approvals.
• Prepare bid specifications and vendor evaluations; coordinate with contractors and suppliers.

Skills

Project management

Contractor coordination

Outage planning

Stakeholder communication

MS Office

Estimating & scheduling

Education

ABET-accredited engineering degree (Mechanical/Electrical/Civil) or US PE license

Tools

MS Project

Scheduling software

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 and apply online.

Job Summary

Responsible for initiating, developing, managing, and executing capital and major maintenance projects for Vistra’s fossil generation fleet in alignment with the Project Life Cycle Procedure, Long‑Range Plan (LRP) processes, and applicable fleet standards. Provides technically sound project engineering support for irregular capital projects and standardized fleet‑wide scopes; emphasis areas may include mechanical rotating equipment, plant control systems, and heavy‑duty steam valves. Supports scope development, cost estimating, justification, bid specification development, contractor/vendor coordination, execution, budget and schedule development/tracking, and closeout with consideration for safety, operability, maintainability, and financial return.

Job Description

Key Accountabilities

• Identify, develop, justify, and execute capital and major maintenance projects supporting Vistra’s fossil generation fleet.
• Own projects from identification/justification through execution and closeout, and develop/maintain standardized project plans, templates, playbooks, and fleet standards for recurring work across sites.
• Develop project scopes, conceptual designs, cost estimates, schedules, risk evaluations, and business justifications for LRP and other approval processes; apply the Project Life Cycle Procedure and fleet governance requirements.
• Prepare and maintain bid packages, technical specifications, and project documentation for fleet applications such as gas turbines, steam turbines, generators, pumps, fans, control systems, and heavy‑duty steam valves.
• Support fleet‑significant projects such as gas turbine conversions from black start to dispatchable market operation, plant control system upgrades, plant winterization projects, gas turbine upgrade balance of plant projects, and steam turbine or gas turbine overhauls/inspections.
• Develop and maintain standardized playbooks for recurring work such as gas turbine and steam turbine overhauls/inspections, cooling tower rebuilds, and similar fleet‑wide projects.
• Develop project schedules, incorporating regulatory, safety, and environmental requirements, milestone timing for long‑lead equipment/materials, workforce plans, hold points, construction and installation sequencing, schedule risks and contingency plans, startup, and closeout, and project turnover.
• Use asset operating history and reference data, including starts, operating hours, outage history, and inspection findings, and incorporate industry operating experience, OEM recommendations, technical advisories, and vendor bulletins in scope development, justification, planning, and bid preparation.
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders, including plant personnel, fleet engineering, operations, maintenance, supply chain, and environmental, and interface with external engineering firms, contractors, OEMs, and suppliers to support evaluations, outage planning, and issue resolution.
• Communicate project status, risks, financial justification, execution strategy, technical decisions, and lessons learned; support site visits, project meetings, outage planning, and field execution as needed.
• Up to 50% travel is required.
• Level of position will be determined by applicable skills and experience.

Education and Skill Requirements

• 8+ years of related experience in project engineering, project development, project execution, major maintenance, or capital project management in power generation or similar heavy industrial environments.
• Bachelor of Science in an engineering field relevant to the power generation industry, such as mechanical, electrical, civil, or similar, from an ABET‑accredited university OR a licensed professional engineer (within the U.S.).
• Experience developing and executing projects for fossil generation assets, major plant systems, or comparable industrial facilities.
• Preferred technical knowledge or experience in one or more of the following: mechanical rotating equipment, including gas turbines, steam turbines, pumps, and fans; plant control systems; or heavy‑duty steam valves.
• Ability to develop project scopes, schedules, cost estimates, and business justifications; working knowledge of stage‑gated project development, design reviews, risk identification, outage coordination, procurement support, and project closeout.
• Experience preparing bid specifications, reviewing vendor proposals, and supporting contractor and supplier selection.
• Ability to evaluate technical, operational, and financial data; familiarity with OEM guidance, operating experience, technical bulletins, inspection findings, and asset history.
• Ability to develop repeatable templates, playbooks, and standards for multi‑site use; strong communication and organizational skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and standard estimating, scheduling, and project management tools.

Key Metrics for Success

• Execute projects that improve fleet reliability, safety, environmental performance, and commercial capability.
• Deliver complete, well‑supported scopes, cost estimates, schedules, and justifications for LRP and other approval processes.
• Execute projects to approved scope, schedule, and budget, and improve consistency and efficiency through high‑value templates, playbooks, standards, and timely stakeholder communication.

Job Family

Engineering Services

Company

Luminant Generation Company LLC

Locations

Irving, Texas

Texas

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

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.