Senior Mechanical Engineer – Power Plant Systems

American Electric Power; Tulsa (OK); On-site; USD 116,000 - 151,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

Job summary

American Electric Power in Tulsa, OK, seeks a Mechanical Engineer Principal to lead design and procurement of rotating and static equipment for gas, coal, and renewable projects. You will define design-basis expectations, review supplier documents, and support RFx activities while ensuring safety, reliability, and regulatory compliance.

The role requires deep knowledge of simple and combined cycle plants, turbomachinery, piping and structures, and collaboration with AE and EPC teams to deliver

Qualifications

• Deep understanding of turbomachinery performance, rotor dynamics and vibration analysis.
• Experience with piping stress analysis, pipe supports, and expansion management.
• Ability to interpret mechanical drawings, P&IDs and datasheets.
• Familiarity with welding, NDT, metallurgy basics and fabrication processes.
• Experience with CAD/engineering tools and calculation practices.
• Knowledge of maintenance strategies, reliability engineering, lifecycle cost analysis.
• Data analysis skills to monitor equipment health and improve performance.

Responsibilities

• Develop and document mechanical design basis for plant equipment and structures.
• Apply knowledge of simple/combined cycle plants to equipment selection and integration.
• Review designs, drawings, and calculations with AE and EPC teams.
• Prepare technical and procurement specifications and RFx deliverables.
• Interface with OEMs to confirm technical compliance and lead times.
• Support vendor evaluation and bid reviews for turbine/HRSG interfaces.
• Provide construction, commissioning, and startup support including site inspections.
• Perform analyses (stress, thermal, piping flexibility, fatigue) to validate designs.
• Ensure compliance with ASME/API/ANSI/NFPA/IEEE and safety requirements.
• Coordinate with electrical, I&C, civil, and operations for lifecycle documentation.

Skills

Turbomachinery performance

Rotor dynamics

Vibration analysis

Alignment & balancing

Piping stress analysis

P&IDs & drawings

Welding & NDT basics

FEA/CFD tools

Maintenance & lifecycle cost

Data analysis (equipment health)

MS Access/Excel/SQL/SharePoint

Strong communication

Education

ABET-accredited Bachelor's in Engineering

ABET-accredited Master's or PhD in Engineering

Tools

AutoCAD

MicroStation

MathCAD

MATLAB

SolidWorks

PDMS/AVEVA

Job description

American Electric Power in Tulsa, OK, seeks a Mechanical Engineer Principal to lead design and procurement of rotating and static equipment for gas, coal, and renewable projects. You will define design-basis expectations, review supplier documents, and support RFx activities while ensuring safety, reliability, and regulatory compliance.

The role requires deep knowledge of simple and combined cycle plants, turbomachinery, piping and structures, and collaboration with AE and EPC teams to deliver